Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

Obsessions are unwelcome and distressing ideas, thoughts, or impulses that repeatedly enter your mind. They may seem to occur against your will. They may be repugnant to you, you may recognize them as senseless, and they may not fit your personality.

Examples: recurrent thought or impulses to do harm to a child even though you never would, the idea that household cleansers may lead to contamination and serious illness 

Obsessions differ from worries in that worries are about possible negative things related to life problems that you are afraid might happen. For example, you may worry about failing an exam, about finances, health, or personal relationships. In contrast to obsessions, your worries don’t usually seem totally senseless, repugnant, or inconsistent with your personality.

Please think about your obsessions when answering the first 5 questions. Select the answer that best describes you over the last 7 days (including today).

How much of your time is occupied by obsessive thoughts? How frequently do these thoughts occur?Please select your answerNoneLess than 1 hour/day or occasional occurrence1 to 3 hours/day or frequent occurrenceMore than 3 and up to 8 hours/day or very frequent occurrenceMore than 8 hours/day or nearly constant occurrence

How much do your obsessive thoughts interfere with your personal, social or work functioning?Please select your answerNoneSlight interference with social or other activities, but overall performance not impairedDefinite interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageableSubstantial interference in social or occupational performanceExtreme, incapacitating interference

How much distress do your obsessive thoughts cause you?Please select your answerNoneMild, infrequent and not too disturbing distressModerate, frequent and disturbing distress, but still manageableSevere, very frequent and very disturbing distressExtreme, near constant and disabling distress

How much effort do you make to resist the obsessive thought? How often do you try to disregard or turn your attention away from those thoughts as they enter your mind?Please select your answerTry to resist all the time (or the obsessions are so minimal there is no need to actively resist them)Try to resist most of the time (e.g., more than half of the time)Make some effort to resistYield to all obsessions without attempting to control them, but with some reluctanceCompletely and willingly yield to all obsessions

How much control do you have over your obsessive thoughts? How successful are you in stopping or diverting your obsessive thinking?Please select your answerComplete controlMuch control; usually able to stop or divert obsessions with some effort and concentrationModerate control; sometimes able to stop or divert obsessionsLittle control; rarely successful in stopping or dismissing obsessions, can only divert attention with difficultyNo control; rarely able to even momentarily alter obsessive thinking

Please select any obsessions you are currently experiencing or have experienced in the past.

Aggressive Obsessions

Contamination Obsessions

Somatic Obsessions

Sexual Obsessions

Hoarding/Saving ObsessionsThis is different from hobbies and concern with objects of monetary or sentimental value.

Religious Obsessions (Scrupulosity)

Obsession with Need for Symmetry or Exactness

Miscellaneous Obsessions

Other ObsessionsPlease describe any obsessions for which you indicated "Other" above.

Compulsions are behaviors or acts that you feel driven to perform although you may recognize them as senseless or excessive. Usually compulsions are performed in response to an obsession, or according to certain rules or in a stereotyped fashion. At times, you may try to resist doing them but this may prove difficult. You may experience discomfort that does not diminish until the behavior is completed.

Examples: the need to repeatedly check appliances, water faucets, and the lock on the front door before you can leave the house, repeated handwashing, silent checking or having to recite nonsense phrases to yourself each time you have a bad thought

Compulsions, as we define them here, are not to be confused with other kinds of compulsive behavior such as overeating, gambling, drinking alcohol, overshopping, or other “addictive behaviors.”

Please think about your compulsions when answering the last 5 questions. Select the answer that best describes you over the last 7 days (including today).

How much time do you spend performing compulsive behaviors? How frequently do you perform compulsions?Please select your answerNoneLess than 1 hour/day or occasional performance of compulsive behaviorsFrom 1 to 3 hours/day or frequent performance of compulsive behaviorsMore than 3 and up to 8 hours/day or very frequent performance of compulsive behaviorsMore than 8 hours/day or near constant performance of compulsive behaviors (too numerous to count)

How much do your compulsive behaviors interfere with your personal, social or work functioning?Please select your answerNoneSlight interference with social or other activities, but overall performance not impairedDefinite interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageableSubstantial interference in social or occupational performanceExtreme, incapacitating interference

How would you feel if prevented from performing your compulsion(s)? How anxious would you become?Please select your answerNot at all anxiousOnly slightly anxious if compulsions preventedAnxiety would mount but remain manageable if compulsions preventedProminent and very disturbing increase in anxiety if compulsions interruptedExtreme, incapacitating anxiety from any intervention aimed at reducing compulsions

How much effort do you make to resist the compulsion(s)?Please select your answerAlways try to resist (or the symptoms are so minimal there is no need to actively resist them)Try to resist most of the time (e.g., more than half of the time)Make some effort to resistYield to all compulsions without attempting to control them, but with some reluctanceCompletely and willingly yield to all compulsions

How much control do you have over the compulsion(s)? How successful were you in stopping the ritual(s)?Please select your answerComplete controlPressure to perform behavior; usually able to stop with some effort and willpowerStrong pressure to perform behavior; can control it only with difficultyVery strong drive to perform behavior; must be carried to completion, can only delay with difficultyDrive to perform behavior is involuntary and overwhelming; rarely able to even momentarily delay activity

Cleaning/Washing Compulsions

Checking Compulsions

Repeating Rituals

Counting Compulsions

Ordering/Arranging Compulsions

Hoarding/Collecting CompulsionsThis is different from hobbies and concern with objects of monetary or sentimental value.

Examples: carefully reading junk mail, piling up old newspapers, sorting through garbage, collecting useless objects

Miscellaneous Compulsions

Other CompulsionsPlease describe any compulsions for which you indicated "Other" above.