Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale II

The following questions refer to repeated types of thoughts, images, sensations, or urges you may experience. Please indicate whether you have experienced each of the following thoughts, images, or urges during the last 30 days by selecting “Yes” or “No”.

Examples are provided for each type of thought for the sake of clarification, but please note that these are only representative examples—your own thoughts and experiences may be similar, but distinct from the examples given.

e.g. excessive fear that you will contract an illness from door handles, other people or objects.

e.g. excessive fear that you will be poisoned or contract cancer from household cleaners, asbestos, radiation, pesticides, or toxic waste.

e.g. you are excessively concerned that you will make someone else sick because you transferred germs or chemical residue from yourself or an object you touch.

e.g. excessive fear or disgust for contact with urine, feces, saliva or blood

e.g. you are excessively bothered by adhesive residue, chalk dust, or grease.

e.g. you are afraid of becoming or making someone pregnant if you swim in a public pool.

e.g. you are excessively concerned with the possibility of having HIV or cancer.

e.g. you are excessively fearful that certain foods will make you choke, or will alter your body chemistry.

e.g. when driving, you are afraid you might hit a pedestrian because of not paying enough attention. You are afraid a customer might get injured because you gave them the wrong materials or information.

e.g. you are afraid you might impulsively stab a loved one or drive your car into oncoming traffic for no reason.

e.g. you are afraid that something terrible like a fire, natural disaster, or burglary was or will be your fault.

e.g. you are afraid you might shout blasphemies in church, yell “fire!” in a movie theater, or write obscenities in a business email for no good reason.

e.g. you are afraid you might walk out of a store with unpaid merchandise.

e.g. disturbing images of car accidents, disfigured people, or corpses enter your thoughts for no apparent reason.

e.g. you have unfounded worries that you might or might have lied or cheated, or prayed ‘incorrectly’.

e.g. you have unacceptable unwanted thoughts about God or religion; concern about degree of devotion to God.

e.g. you are excessively concerned or preoccupied with the number ‘666,’ sports teams with the word ‘devil’ in them, or that you or others might be possessed.

e.g. you have intrusive, unwanted sexual thoughts about family members or experience unwanted images of forbidden sexual acts.

e.g. you are concerned that you might ‘snap’ and commit a sexual violation.

e.g. you repeatedly wonder if you are gay even though you have every reason to believe you are heterosexual.

e.g. you are excessively concerned with certain things being touched or moved, or are excessively bothered when things are not lined up perfectly straight.

e.g. you are excessively concerned with the appearance of clothing (such as wrinkles, loose threads, lint, clothes matching). You are excessively bothered if your hair is not parted exactly straight.

e.g. you excessively think through every possible interpretation of what you are about to say before you answer a question.

e.g. you might readjust the volume of your stereo until it sounds “just right.” Or, you ask family members to say things in just the right way.

e.g. you feel the need to remember insignificant details like license plate numbers, names of actors, or advertising slogans.

e.g. you are afraid something valuable might be discarded with recycled newspapers even though all of your valuables are locked up elsewhere.

e.g. you are excessively worried you might lose your memories, soul, or essence, or something of value.

e.g. certain numbers hold special meaning to you or are associated with good/bad events.

e.g. words or music of no special significance play over and over in your mind like a broken record.

Please answer the following questions regarding the unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that you indicated experiencing in Part A by selecting the option that is most consistent with your experience during the past 30 days, selecting the most appropriate answer. You may refer back to your responses to Part A if needed.

The following questions refer to behaviors, strategies, or actions people may use to minimize, avoid, or neutralize some of the intrusive or unwanted thoughts portrayed in Part A.

If the any of the thoughts described in Part A have caused you to engage in any of the minimizing, neutralizing, or avoiding actions or behaviors listed below during the last 30 days, please indicate so by selecting "Yes” or “No”. You may refer back to your answers for Part A if needed.

Again, some examples are provided for each type of action/behavior for the sake of clarification, but please note that these are only representative examples—your own behaviors or experiences may be similar, but distinct from the examples given.

e.g. excessive handwashing or cleaning rituals

e.g. you vacuum your floors several times per day.

e.g. you have to check several times that your doors are locked before leaving the house. You have returned home after leaving to make sure that you remembered to turn the stove off.

e.g. you will circle back around the block to make sure you have not run over a pedestrian.

e.g. you will excessively check over homework, writing, or answers on forms before turning them in.

e.g. you spend excessive time scrutinizing your body for moles or signs of skin cancer.

e.g. you have to cross back and forth through a doorway multiple times when entering a room. You have to turn your car on and off several times before you feel comfortable.

e.g. you need to adjust the lengths of your shoe laces so that they are exactly the same.

e.g. you rewrite a sentence until the letters look perfect. You will doubt information that you just read unless you re-read a sentence or page several times.

e.g. you spend excessive time counting ceiling or floor tiles, books in a bookcase, or words in a sentence.

e.g. you feel the need to put clothes on in a certain order. You feel you can only brush your teeth after you have followed an elaborate series of steps beforehand.

e.g. you will repeat prayers or passages from a religious text an excessive number of times.

e.g. you will repeatedly straighten piles of papers on your desktop or adjust books in a bookcase until they seem ‘right.’

e.g. you repeat words, phrases, or sounds someone else has just said.

e.g. you repeatedly ask other people if you said something or performed a routine correctly.

e.g. you arrange or eat food in a very particular way to avoid a feared consequence other than gaining weight.

e.g. you pile up old newspapers or collect objects you do not have a use for, or that have no monetary value.

e.g. you might pick up and save shards of broken glass, nails, or pieces of paper with writing on them while walking down the sidewalk.

e.g. you sift through your own garbage or will hesitate to throw away used items to ensure you don’t accidentally throw away something of value.

e.g. you might buy 20 umbrellas or 50 boxes of tissues at a time, to the extent that you waste a lot of money, or fill closets full of unnecessary items.

e.g. you feel the need to confess or sins or wrongs that you did not commit. You feel you must describe every detail so that nothing is left out, or repeat the same question in different ways to make sure it was understood.

e.g. you adjust your car seat, straighten pictures, or arrange papers on a desk until you feel an internal signal that it’s OK or ‘just right.’

e.g. you have the urge to run your finger along surfaces or edges, or to lightly touch other people. You feel the need to tap objects a certain number of times.

e.g. you feel the need to blink a certain number of times or stare at something for a certain length of time to avoid something bad happening.

e.g. you go out of your way to step over sidewalk cracks, or make sure sentences never contain 13 words. You feel the need to make the sign of a cross before dialing a phone number containing ‘666.’

e.g. you might silently recite a prayer, song, or nonsense words to cancel out an unwanted or negative thought.

e.g. it is excessively difficult for you to start, execute, or finish a wide range of routine tasks. You may be unable to complete, or become ‘paralyzed’ while trying to finish a task.

e.g. you plan a course on a map or GPS to stay at least 1 mile away from a chemical factory or hospital.

e.g. you will refuse to shake hands with strangers, or will avoid going near someone who has a cut.

Lastly, please answer the following questions pertaining to the minimizing, neutralizing, or avoiding behaviors that you indicated experiencing in Part C by selecting the option that is most consistent with your experience during the past 30 days, selecting the most appropriate answer. You may refer back to your responses to Part C if needed.