Y-BOCS – Advanced Behavioral Health

Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

Step 1 of 10

Before proceeding with the questions, please read the definitions below to familiarize yourself with "obsessions" and "compulsions".
OBSESSIONS are unwelcome and distressing ideas, thoughts, images 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.
COMPULSIONS, on the other hand, are behaviors or acts that you feel driven to perform although you may recognize them as senseless or excessive. At times, you may try to resist doing them but this may prove difficult. You may experience anxiety that does not diminish until the behavior is completed. Examples of obsessions include: the recurrent thought or impulse to apologize for some perceived wrong, or to do serious physical harm to another person even though you never would. Examples of compulsions include: the need to repeatedly check appliances, the lock on the door, or check the internet for symptoms of a perceived illness. While most compulsions are observable behaviors, some are unobservable mental acts, such as silent checking or having to recite nonsense phrases to yourself each time you have a bad thought.
Privacy Consent*
Information entered into this form is encrypted in transit and protected on the server running this website. By choosing to take this assessment online, you recognize that your answers will not be associated with your name or any other identifying information and that you will need to record and report the identifier given to you at the end of the submission process to use this submission in the office.
I agree to to submit this form online.*
If you do not wish to fill out this form online, you may download the form and fill it out on paper.

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Aggressive Obsessions
1. I fear I may harm myself
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of eating with a knife or fork, handling sharp objects, walking near glass windows
2. I fear I may harm other people
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of poisoning other people's food, harming babies, pushing someone in front of moving object, hurting someone's feelings, being responsible by not providing assistance for some imagined catastrophe, causing harm by giving bad advice
3. I have violent or horrific images in my head
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Images of murder, dismembered bodies, or other disgusting scenes
4. I fear I will blurt out obscenities or embarrassing things in public
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of shouting obscenities in public situations like church or in class, fear of writing obscenities
5. I fear I will do something else embarrassing
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of shouting obscenities in public situations like church or in class, fear of writing obscenities
6. I fear I will act on an unwanted impulse
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of driving a car into a tree, running over someone, stabbing a friend
7. I fear that I will steal things
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of "cheating" a cashier, shoplifting inexpensive items
8. I fear that I'll harm others because I'm not responsible enough
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of causing an accident without being aware of it (such as a hit and run automobile accident)
9. I fear I'll be responsible for something else terrible happening
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of causing a fire or burglary because of not being careful enough in checking the house before leaving

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (Continued)
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Contamination Obsessions
10. I am concerned or disgusted with bodily waste or secretions
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of contracting AIDS, cancer, or other diseases from public restrooms, fear of your own saliva, urine, feces, semen, or vaginal secretions
11. I am concerned with dirt or germs
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of picking up germs from sitting in certain chairs, shaking hands, or touching door handles
12. I am excessively concerned with environmental contaminants
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of being contaminated by asbestos or radon, radioactive substances, fear of things associated with towns containing toxic waste sites
13. I am excessively concerned with certain household items
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of poisonous kitchen or bathroom cleansers, solvents, insect spray or turpentine
14. I am excessively concerned with animals
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of being contaminated by touching insects, dogs, cats, or other animals
15. I am bothered by sticky substances or residues
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of adhesive tape or other sticky substances that may trap contaminants
16. I am concerned that I will get ill because of contamination
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of getting ill as a direct result of being contaminated (beliefs vary about how long these disease will take to appear)
17. I am concerned that I will contaminate others
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of touching other people, touching their food after you touch poisonous substances (like gasoline) or after you touch your own body

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (Continued)
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Sexual Obsessions
18. I have forbidden or perverse sexual thoughts, images, or impulses
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Unwanted sexual thoughts about strangers, family, or friends
19. I have sexual obsessions that involve children or incest
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Unwanted thoughts about sexually molesting either your own children or other children
20. I have obsessions about homosexuality
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries like "Am I homosexual?" or "What if I suddenly become gay?" when there is no basis for these thoughts
21. I have obsessions about aggressive sexual behavior toward others
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Unwanted images of violent sexual behavior toward adult strangers, friends, or family members

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (Continued)
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Hoarding/Saving Obsessions
22. I have obsessions about hoarding or saving things
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: worries about throwing away seemingly unimportant things that you might need in the future, urges you to pick up or collect useless things
Religious Obsessions
23. I am concerned with sacrilege or blasphemy
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries about having blasphemous thoughts, saying blasphemous things, or being punished for such things
24. I am excessively concerned with morality
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries about always doing "the right thing," having told a lie, or having cheated someone
Obsessions: Symmetry or Exactness
25. I have obsessions about symmetry or exactness
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries about paper and books being properly aligned; worries about calculations or handwriting being perfect. Concerned another person will have an accident unless things are in the right place

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (Continued)
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Miscellaneous Obsessions
26. I feel I need to know or remember certain things
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Belief that you need to know certain words (such as "thirteen") because of superstitions, fear of saying something that might be disrespectful to a dead person
27. I fear saying certain things
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of saying certain words like "thirteen" because it is superstitious, fear of the dead.
28. I fear not saying just the right thing
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of having said the wrong thing, fear of not using the "perfect" word
29. I fear losing things
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries about losing a wallet, unimportant objects such as a scrap note of paper
30. I am bothered by intrusive (neutral) mental images
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Random, unwanted images in your mind
31. I am bothered by intrusive mental nonsense sounds, words, or music
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Words, songs, or music in your mind that you can't stop
32. I am bothered by certain sounds or noises
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries about the sounds of clocks ticking loudly or voices in another room that may interfere with sleeping
33. I have lucky and unlucky numbers
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries about common numbers (like thirteen) that may cause you to perform activities a certain number of times or postpone an action until a certain lucky hour of the day
34. Certain colors have significant meaning to me
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of using objects of certain colors (e.g. black may be associated with death, red may be associated with blood, injury, or evil)
35. I have superstitious fears.
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Fear of passing a cemetery, hearse, or black cat; fear of omens of death

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (Continued)
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Somatic Obsessions
36. I am concerned with illness or disease.
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries that you may have an illness like cancer, heart disease or AIDS, despite reassurance from your doctors that you do not and you are okay
37. I am excessively concerned with a part of my body or an aspect of my appearance
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Worries that your face, ears, nose, eyes, or other part of your body is hideous, and/or ugly despite reassurances to the contrary
Cleaning/Washing Obsessions
38. I wash my hands excessively or in a ritualized way
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Washing hands many times per day or for long periods of time after touching, or thinking that you have touched, a contaminated object. This may include washing the entire length of your arm.
39. I have excessive of ritualized showering, bathing, grooming (such as brushing teeth or combing hair) or toilet rituals
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Taking showers or baths or performing other bathroom routines that may last several hours. If the sequence is interrupted, the entire process may have to be restarted.
40. I have compulsions that involve cleaning household items
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Excessive cleaning of faucets, floors, kitchen counters, or kitchen, or other inanimate objects
41. I do other things to prevent or remove contact with contaminants
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Asking family members to handle or remove insecticides, garbage, gasoline cans, raw meat, paints, varnish, drugs in the medicine cabinet or kitty litter. If you cannot avoid these things, you may wear gloves to handle objects, such as when using a self-service gasoline pump.

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (Continued)
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Checking Obsessions
42. I check that I did not harm others
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Checking that you haven't hurt someone without knowing it. You may ask for reassurance or telephone to make sure that everything is alright
44. I check that nothing terrible has happened
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Searching the newspaper or listening to the radio or television for news about some catastrophe that you believe you may have caused. You may also ask people for reassurance that you did not cause an accident
45. I check that I did not make a mistake
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Repeated checking of door locks, stoves, electrical outlets, before leaving home; repeated checking while reading, writing, or doing simple calculations to make sure that you did not make a mistake (you can't be certain that you didn't)
46. I check some aspect of my physical condition
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Seeking reassurance from friends or doctors that you are not having a heart attack or getting cancer; repeatedly checking your pulse, blood pressure, or temperature; checking yourself for body odors; checking your appearance in the mirror; repeatedly checking the internet for information to diagnose or obtain information about a feared disease or physical condition
Repeating Rituals
47. I reread or rewrite things
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Taking hours to read a few pages in a book or to write a short letter because you get caught in a cycle of reading and rereading; worrying that you didn't understand something you just read; searching for a 'perfect' word or phrase; having obsessive thoughts about the shape of certain printed letters in a book.
48. I need to repeat routine activities
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Repeating activities like turning appliances on and off, combing your hair, going in and out of the doorway, or looking in a particular direction; not feeling comfortable unless you do these things the 'right' way or number of times
Counting Rituals
49. I have counting compulsions
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Counting objects like ceiling or floor tiles, books in a bookcase, nails in a wall, or even grains of sand on the beach; adding, subtracting, or recalculating in order to obtain a certain number; counting when you repeat certain activities, like washing.
Ordering/Arranging Rituals
50. I have ordering or arranging compulsions
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Straightening paper or pens on the desktop or books in a bookcase, wasting hours arranging things in your house in 'perfect' order and then becoming very upset if this order is disturbed.
Ordering/Arranging Rituals
51. I have compulsions to record or collect things
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Saving old newspapers, notes, cans, paper towels, wrappers, and empty bottles for fear that if you throw them away you may need them one day; picking up useless objects from the street or from garbage cans.

PART I - SYMPTOM CHECKLIST (Continued)
Read the following questions and check all answers that apply.
Miscellaneous Compulsions
53. Need to talk, ask, or confess
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Asking other people to reassure you, confessing to behaviors that you may not have done, believing that you have to tell other people certain words to feel better.
54. Need to touch, tap, or rub
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Giving in to the urge to touch rough surfaces, like wood, or hot surfaces, like a stove top; giving in to the urge to lightly touch other people; believing you need to touch an object like a telephone to prevent an illness in your family.
55. Measures (not checking) to prevent harm or terrible consequences to myself or others
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Staying away from sharp or breakable objects, such as knives, scissors, and fragile glass.
56. Ritualized eating behaviors
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Arranging your food, knife, and fork in a particular order before being able to eat, eating according to a strict ritual, not being able to eat until the hand of the clock point exactly to a certain time.
57. Superstitious behaviors
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Not taking a bus or train if its number contains an "unlucky" number (like thirteen), staying in your house on the thirteenth of the month, throwing away clothes you wore while passing a funeral home or cemetery.
58. Hair pulling, Trichotillomania
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Pulling hair from our scalp, eyelids, eyelashes, or pubic areas, using fingers of tweezers. You may produce bald spot that requires you to wear a wig, or you may pluck your eyebrow or eyelids smooth.
59. Skin picking
Current
Past
Both
None
Example: Picking at skin on face or other areas of the body that leads to irritation, bleeding, disfigurement or infection

PART II - Obsessions
Use the PREVIOUS and NEXT buttons below the questions to review the obsessions you checked on the Y-BOCS Symptom Checklist to help you answer the first five questions. Please think about the last seven days (including today), and check one answer for each question.
1. How much of your time was occupied by obsessive thoughts? How frequently do the obsessive thoughts occur?

0= None- If you checked this answer, also check 0 for questions 2,3,4, and 5. Then proceed to question 6.

1= Less than 1 hour per day, or occasional intrusions (occur no more than 8 times a day)

2= 1 to 3 hours per day, or frequent intrusions (occur more than 8 times a day, but most hours of the day are free of obsessions)

3= More than 3 hours per day and up to 8 hours per day, or very frequent intrusions (occur more than 8 times a day and during most hours of the day)

4= More than 8 hours per day, or near-constant intrusions (too numerous to count, and an hour rarely passes without several obsessions occurring)
2. How much did your obsessive thoughts interfere with your social or work functioning? If you are currently not working please think about how much the obsessions interfered with your everyday activities. In answering this question, please consider whether there was anything, that you didn't do, or that you did less, because of obsessions.

0= No interference

1= Mild, slight interference with social or occupational performance, but still performance not impaired

2= Moderate, definitive interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageable

3= Severe interference, causes substantial impairment in social or occupational performance

4= Extreme incapacitating interference
3. How much distress do your obsessive thoughts cause you?

0= None

1= Mild, infrequent, and not too disturbing

2= Moderate, frequent, and disturbing distress

3= Severe, very frequent, and very disturbing distress

4= Extreme, near-constant, and disabling distress
4. How much of an effort did you make to resist the obsessive thoughts? How often did you try to disregard or turn your attention away from those thoughts as they entered your mind? Here we are not interested in knowing how successful you were in controlling your thoughts, but only in how much or how often you tried to do so.

0= I made an effort to always resist (or the obsessions are so minimal that there is no need to actively resist them)

1= I tried to resist most of the time (i.e. more than half the time I tried to resist)

2= I made some effort to resist

3= I allowed all obsessions to fill my mind without attempting to control them, but I did so with some reluctance

4= I completely willingly gave in to all obsessions
5. How much control did you have over your obsessive thoughts? How successful were you in stopping or diverting your obsessive thinking? If you rarely tried to resist, in order to answer this question, please think about those rare occasions on which you did try to stop the obsessions. NOTE: Do not include here obsessions stopped by doing compulsions.

0= None

1= Mild, infrequent, and not too disturbing

2= Moderate, frequent, and disturbing distress

3= Severe, very frequent, and very disturbing distress

4= Extreme, near-constant, and disabling distress
PART II - Compulsions
Use the PREVIOUS and NEXT buttons below the questions to review the compulsions you checked on the Y-BOCS Symptom Checklist to help you answer these five questions. Please think about the last seven days (including today), and check one answer for each question.
6. How much time did you spend performing compulsive behavior? How frequently did you perform compulsions? If your rituals involved daily living activities, please consider how much longer it took you to complete routine activities because of your rituals.

0= None. If you checked this answer, then also check 0 for questions 7, 8, 9, and 10, then answer 11 and 12.

1= Less than 1 hour per day was spent performing compulsions, or occasional performance of compulsive behaviors (no more than 8 times a day).

2= 1 to 3 hours per day was spent performing compulsions, or frequent performance of compulsive behaviors (more than 8 times a day, but most hours were free of compulsions).

3= More than 3 hours and up to 8 hours per day were spent performing compulsions, or very frequent performance of compulsive behaviors (more than 8 times a day and during most hours of the day).

4= More than 8 hours per day were spent performing compulsions, or near-constant performance of compulsive behaviors (too numerous to count, and an hour rarely passes without several compulsions being performed).
7. How much did your compulsive behaviors interfere with you social or work functioning? If you are not currently working, please think about your everyday activities.

0= No interference

1= Mild, slight interference with social or occupational activities, but overall performance no impaired

2= Moderate, definite interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageable

3= Severe interference, substantial impairment in social or occupational performance

4= Extreme, incapacitating interference
8. How would you have felt if prevented form performing your compulsion(s)? How anxious would you have become?

0= Not at all anxious

1= Only slightly anxious if compulsions prevented

2= Anxiety would mount but remain manageable if compulsions prevented

3= Prominent and very disturbing increase in anxiety if compulsions interrupted

4= Extreme, incapacitating anxiety from any intervention aimed at resisting compulsions
9. How much of an effort did you make to resist the compulsions? Or how often did you try to stop the compulsions? Rate only how often or how much you tried to resist your compulsions, not how successful you actually were in stopping them.

0= I made an effort to always resist (or the symptoms were so minimal that there was no need to actively resist them)

1= I tried to resist most of the time (i.e. more than half the time)

2= I made some effort to resist

3= I yielded to almost all compulsions without attempting to control them, but I did so with some reluctance

4= I completely and willingly yielded to all compulsions
10. How much control did you have over the compulsive behavior? How successful were you in stopping the ritual(s)? If you rarely tried to resist, please think about those rare occasions in which you did try to stop compulsions, in order to answer this question.

0= I had complete control.

1= Usually I could stop compulsions or rituals with some effort and willpower

2= Sometimes I could stop compulsive behavior but only with difficulty

3= I could only delay the compulsive behavior, but eventually it had to be carried out to completion

4= I was rarely able to even momentarily delay performing the compulsive behavior
11. Do you think your obsessions of compulsions are reasonable or rational? Would there be anything besides anxiety to worry about if you resisted them? Do you think something would really happen?

0= I think my obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive

1= I think my obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive, but I'm not completely convinced that they aren't necessary

2= I think my obsessions or compulsions may be unreasonable or excessive

3= I don't think my obsessions or compulsions may be unreasonable or excessive

4= I am sure my obsessions and compulsions are reasonable, no matter what anyone says
12. Have you been avoiding doing anything, going anyplace, or being with anyone because of your obsessive thoughts or because you were afraid you would perform compulsions?

0= I haven't been avoiding anything

1= I have been avoiding doing a few important things

2= I have been avoiding some important things

3= I have been avoiding many important things

4= I have been avoiding doing most everything
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.