Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)
Plaza Building, Suite 150 Campus Box 20P.O. Box 173362 Denver, CO 80217-3362Phone 303-615-9999 Fax 720-778-5850 Web healthcenter1.comYale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)1. PATIENT INFORMATIONPatient Name (First name, middle initial and last name)Date of BirthToday’s DateRecent research has shown that obsessions and compulsions occur quite commonly among normalpeople. While completing the inventories below, please keep in mind the following definitions ofobsessions and compulsions.OBSESSIONS are unwelcomed and distressing ideas, thoughts, or impulses that repeatedly enteryour mind. They may seem to occur against your will. They may be repugnant to you, you mayrecognize them as senseless, and they may not fit your personality.Examples of an obsession are recurrent thoughts or impulses to do harm to a child even though younever would or 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 lifeproblems 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’tusually seem totally senseless, repugnant, or inconsistent with your personality.COMPULSIONS, on the other hand, are behaviors or acts that you feel driven to perform althoughyou may recognize them as senseless or excessive. Usually compulsions are performed in responseto an obsession, or according to certain rules or in a stereotyped fashion. At times, you may try toresist doing them but this may prove difficult. You may experience discomfort that does not diminishuntil the behavior is completed.Examples of a compulsion are the need to repeatedly check appliances, water faucets, and thelock on the front door before you can leave the house or repeated handwashing. While mostcompulsions are observable behaviors, some are unobservable mental acts, such as silent checkingor 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 behaviorsuch as overeating, gambling, drinking alcohol, overshopping, or other “addictive behaviors.”Given the above definitions, please read carefully each item on the checklist below and/or 1) place acheck mark beside each obsession and compulsion that you currently experience and that you haveexperienced at some time in the past. If you placed a check mark beside obsessions or compulsionsthat you currently experience; 2) circle the most upsetting obsessions that you currently experience;and 3) circle the most upsetting compulsions that you are currently engaged in.HEALTH CENTER AT AURARIAYBOCS202006
Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive ScaleSymptom Checklist (Goodman, Rasmussen, et al.)AGGRESSIVE OBSESSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI fear I might harm myselfFear of eating with a knife or fork, fear of handlingsharp objects, fear of walking near glass windowsI fear I might harm other peopleFear of poisoning other people’s food, fear ofharming babies, fear of pushing someone in frontof a train, fear of hurting someone’s feelings, fearof being responsible by not providing assistancefor some imagined catastrophe, fear of causingharm by giving bad adviceI have violent or horrific images in my mindImages of murder, dismembered bodies, or otherdisgusting scenesI fear I will blurt out obscenitiesFear of shouting obscenities in public situationslike church or class, fear of writing obscenitiesI fear doing something embarrassingFear of appearing foolish in social situationsI fear I will act on an unwanted impulseFear of driving a car into a tree, fear of runningsomeone over, fear of stabbing a friendI fear I will steal thingsFear of “cheating” a cashier, fear of shopliftinginexpensive items8I fear that I’ll harm others because I’m notcareful enoughFear of causing an accident without being awareof it (such as a hit-and-run accident)9I fear I’ll be responsible for something elseterrible happeningFear of causing a fire or burglary because of notbeing careful enough in checking the house beforeleaving1234567CONTAMINATION OBSESSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI am concerned or disgusted with bodilywaste or secretionsFear of contracting AIDS, cancer, or other diseasesfrom public rest rooms; fear of your own saliva,urine, feces, semen, or vaginal secretionsI am concerned with dirt or germsFear of picking up germs from sitting in certainchairs, shaking hands, or touching door handles12I am excessively concerned withenvironmental contaminantsFear of being contaminated by asbestos or radon,fear of radioactive substances, fear of thingsassociated with towns containing toxic waste sites13I am excessively concerned with certainhousehold cleansersFear of poisonous kitchen or bathroom cleansers,solvents, insect spray or turpentineI am excessively concerned with animalsFear of being contaminated by touching an insect,dog, cat, or other animal15I am bothered by sticky substances orresiduesFear of adhesive tape or other sticky substancesthat may trap contaminants16I am concerned that I will get ill because ofcontaminationFear of getting ill as a direct result of beingcontaminated (beliefs vary about how long thedisease will take to appear)17I am concerned that I will contaminateothersFear of touching other people or preparing theirfood after you touch poisonous substances (likegasoline) or after you touch your own body101114HEALTH CENTER AT AURARIA2
SEXUAL OBSESSIONS#PastCurrentExamples18I have forbidden or perverse sexualthoughts, images, or impulsesUnwanted sexual thoughts about strangers,family, or friends19I have sexual obsessions that involvechildren or incestUnwanted thoughts about sexually molestingeither your own children or other childrenI have obsessions about homosexualityWorries like “Am I a homosexual?” or “What if Isuddenly become gay?” when there is no basisfor these thoughtsI have obsessions about aggressive sexualbehavior toward other peopleUnwanted images of violent sexual behaviortoward adult strangers, friends, or family members2021HOARDING/SAVING OBSESSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI have obsessions about hoarding or savingthings22Worries about throwing away seeminglyunimportant things that you might need in thefuture, urges to pick up and collect useless thingsRELIGIOUS OBSESSIONS#PastCurrent2324ExamplesI am concerned with sacrilege andblasphemyWorries about having blasphemous thoughts,saying blasphemous things, or being punished forsuch thingsI am excessively concerned with moralityWorries about always doing “the right thing,”having told a lie, or having cheated someoneOBSESSION WITH NEED FOR SYMMETRY OR EXACTNESS#PastCurrentExamplesI have obsessions about symmetry orexactness25Worries about papers and books being properlyaligned, worries about calculations or handwritingbeing perfectMISCELLANEOUS OBSESSIONS#PastCurrent26ExamplesI feel that I need to know or remembercertain thingsBelief that you need to remember insignificantthings like license plate numbers, the namesof actors on television shows, old telephonenumbers, bumper stickers or t-shirt slogansI fear saying certain thingsFear of saying certain words (such as “thirteen”)because of superstitions, fear of saying somethingthat might be disrespectful to a dead person, fearof using words with an apostrophe (because thisdenotes possession)I fear not saying just the right thingFear of having said the wrong thing, fear of notusing the “perfect” wordI fear losing thingsWorries about losing a wallet or other unimportantobjects, like a scrap of note paper272829HEALTH CENTER AT AURARIA3
MISCELLANEOUS OBSESSIONS (CONTINUED)#PastCurrentExamples30I am bothered by intrusive (neutral) mentalimagesRandom, unwanted images in your mind31I am bothered by intrusive mentalnonsense sounds, words or musicWords, songs, or music in your mind that youcan’t stopI am bothered by certain sounds or noisesWorries about the sounds of clocks ticking loudlyor voices in another room that may interfere withsleepingI have lucky and unlucky numbersWorries about common numbers (like thirteen)that may cause you to perform activities a certainnumber of times or to postpone an action until acertain lucky hour of the dayCertain colors have special significance tomeFear of using objects of certain colors (e.g. blackmay be associated with death, red with blood orinjury)I have superstitious fearsFear of passing a cemetery, hearse, or black cat;fear of omens associated with death32333435SOMATIC OBSESSIONS#PastCurrent3637ExamplesI am concerned with illness or diseaseWorries that you have an illness like cancer, heartdisease or AIDS, despite reassurance from doctorsthat you do notI am excessively concerned with a part ofmy body or an aspect of my appearance(dysmorphophobia)Worries that your face, ears, nose, eyes, oranother part of your body is hideous, ugly,despite reassurances to the contraryCLEANING/WASHING COMPULSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI wash my hands excessively or in aritualized wayWashing your hands many times a day or for longperiods of time after touching, or thinking that youhave touched, a contaminated object. This mayinclude washing the entire length of your arms39I have excessive or ritualized showering,bathing, tooth brushing, grooming, or toiletroutinesTaking showers or baths or performing otherbathroom routines that may last for several hours.If the sequence is interrupted, the entire processmay have to be restarted40I have compulsions that involve cleaninghousehold items or other inanimate objectsExcessive cleaning of faucets, toilets, floors,kitchen counters, or kitchen utensilsI do other things to prevent or removecontact with contaminantsAsking family members to handle or removeinsecticides, garbage, gasoline cans, raw meat,paints, varnish, drugs in the medicine cabinet, orkitty litter. If you can’t avoid these things, you maywear gloves to handle them, such as when using aself-service gas pump3841HEALTH CENTER AT AURARIA4
CHECKING COMPULSIONS#PastCurrent42ExamplesI check that I did not harm othersChecking that you haven’t hurt someone withoutknowing it. You may ask others for reassurance or callor text someone to make sure everything is all rightI check that I did not harm myselfLooking for injuries or bleeding after handlingsharp or breakable objects. You may frequently goto doctors to ask for reassurance that you haven’thurt yourselfI check that nothing terrible happenedSearching the newspaper or listening to the radioor television for news about some catastrophethat you believe you caused. You may also askpeople for reassurance that you didn’t cause anaccidentI check that I did not make a mistakeRepeated checking of door locks, stoves,electrical outlets, before leaving home; repeatedchecking while reading, writing, or doing simplecalculations to make sure that you didn’t make amistake (you can’t be certain that you didn’t)I check some aspect of my physicalcondition tied to my obsessions aboutmy bodySeeking reassurance from friends or doctorsthat you aren’t having a heart attack or gettingcancer; repeatedly taking pulse, blood pressure,or temperature; checking your appearance in amirror, looking for ugly features43444546REPEATING RITUALS#PastCurrentExamplesI reread or rewrite thingsTaking hours to read a few pages in a book orto write a short letter because you get caught ina cycle of reading and rereading; worrying thatyou didn’t understand something you just read;searching for a “perfect” word or phrase; havingobsessive thoughts about the shape of certainprinted letters in a bookI need to repeat routine activitiesRepeating activities like turning appliances onand off, combing your hair, going in and out of adoorway, or looking in a particular direction; notfeeling comfortable unless you do these things the“right” way or the “right” number of times4748COUNTING COMPULSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI have counting compulsions49Counting objects like ceiling or floor tiles, books ina bookcase, nails in a wall, or even grains of sandon a beach; counting when you repeat certainactivities, like washingORDERING/ARRANGING COMPULSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI have ordering or arranging compulsions50HEALTH CENTER AT AURARIAStraightening paper and pens on a desktop orbooks in a bookcase, wasting hours arrangingthings in your house in “order” and thenbecoming very upset if this order is disturbed5
HOARDING/COLLECTING COMPULSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI have compulsions to hoard or collectthings51Saving old newspapers, notes, cans, paper towels,wrappers and empty bottles for fear that if youthrow them away you may need them; picking upuseless objects from the street or from garbagecansMISCELLANEOUS COMPULSIONS#PastCurrentExamplesI have mental rituals (other than checking/counting)Performing rituals in your head, like sayingprayers or thinking a “good” thought to undoa “bad” thought. These are different fromobsessions, because you perform these ritualsintentionally to reduce anxiety or feel betterI need to tell, ask, or confessAsking other people to reassure you, confessingto wrong behaviors you never even did, believingthat you have to tell other people certain words tofeel betterI need to touch, tap, or rub thingsGiving in to the urge to touch rough surfaces, likewood, or hot surfaces, like a stove top; giving into the urge to lightly touch other people; believingyou need to touch an object like a telephone toprevent an illness in your familyI take measures (other than checking) toprevent harm or terrible consequences tomyself or familyStaying away from sharp or breakable objects,such as knives, scissors, and fragile glassI have ritualized eating behaviorsArranging your food, knife, and fork in a particularorder before being able to eat, eating according toa strict ritual, not being able to eat until the handsof a clock point exactly at a certain timeI have superstitious behaviorsNot taking a bus or train if its number contains an“unlucky” number (like thirteen), staying in yourhouse on the thirteenth of the month, throwingaway clothes you wore while passing a funeralhome or cemeteryI pull my hair out (trichotillomania)Pulling hair from your scalp, eyelids, eyelashes, orpubic areas, using your fingers or tweezers. Youmay produce bald spots that require you to weara wig, or you may pluck your eyebrows or eyelidssmooth52535455565758Acknowledgments: The Y-BOCS was developed by Goodman, W.K., Price, L.H., Rassmussen, S.A., et al. (1989). The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale(Y-BOCS) Part 1: Development, use and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry,46 1006-1011. It was modified for computer administration by John Greist andassociates, (1992). A computer administered version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale. Psychological Assessment, 4 329-332. The self- reportversion contained herein was developed by Lee Baer (1991).Getting Control: Overcoming your obsessions and compulsions. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co. TheY-BOCS Symptom Checklist was also developed by Dr. Wayne Goodman and associates. We extend our appreciation to Dr. Goodman and Dr. Baer for granting uspermission to use these materials for clinical and research purposesHEALTH CENTER AT AURARIA6
Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)Part 2Thank you for completing the Y-BOCS checklist. Please circle the most upsetting obsessionsand compulsions that you currently experience. Remember the definitions of obsessions andcompulsions and the examples of each that you may have noted on the checklist, and place a checkmark by the appropriate number from 0-4 under each question below.OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS: Review the obsessions you checked on the Y-BOCS Symptom Checklist tohelp you answer the first five questions. Please think about the times when these symptoms were attheir worst in the last 3-6 months (including today), and check one answer for each question.1. TIME OCCUPIED BY OBSESSIVE THOUGHTSHow much of your time was occupied by obsessive thoughts? How frequently did these thoughts occur?0 None1 Less than 1 hour per day, or occasional intrusions (occur no more than 8 times a day)2 1-3 hours per day, or frequent intrusions (most hours of the day are free of obsessions)3 More than 3 hours and up to 8 hours per day, or very frequent intrusions4 More than 8 hours per day, or near-constant intrusions2. INTERFERENCE DUE TO OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS:How much did these thoughts interfere with your social or work functioning? Is there anything that you didn’t do because of them?0 No interference1 Mild, slight interference with social or occupational performance, but still performance not impaired2 Moderate, definitive interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageable3 Severe interference, causes substantial impairment in social or occupational performance4 Extreme, incapacitating interference3. DISTRESS ASSOCIATED WITH OBSESSIVE THOUGHTSHow much distress did your obsessive thoughts cause you?0 None1 Mild, infrequent, and not too disturbing distress2 Moderate, frequent, and disturbing distress, but still manageable3 Severe, very frequent, and very disturbing distress4 Extreme, near-constant, and disabling distressHEALTH CENTER AT AURARIA7
4. RESISTANCE AGAINST OBSESSIONSHow much effort did you make to resist the obsessive thoughts? How often did you try to disregard or turn your attention awayfrom those thoughts as they entered your mind?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 (e.g. more than half the time I tried to resist)2 I made some effort to resist3 I allowed all obsessions to fill my mind without attempting to control them, but I did so with some reluctance4 I completely and willingly gave in to all obsessions5. DEGREES OF CONTROL OVER OBSESSIVE THOUGHTSHow much control did you have over your obsessive thoughts? How successful were you in stopping or diverting yourobsessive thinking?0 Complete control1 Much control; usually I could stop or divert obsessions with some effort and concentration2 Moderate control; sometimes I could stop or divert obsessions3 Little control; I was rarely successful in stopping obsessions and could only divert attention with great difficulty4 No control; I was rarely able to even momentarily ignore the obsessionsOBSESSION SUBTOTAL (Add items 1-5)COMPULSIONS: Review the compulsions you checked on the Y-BOCS Symptom Checklist to help youanswer these five questions. Please think about the times when these symptoms were at their worstin the last 3-6 months (including today), and check one answer for each question.6. TIME SPENT PERFORMING COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORSHow much time did you spend performing compulsive behaviors? How frequently did you perform compulsions?0 None1 Less than 1 hour per day was spent performing compulsions, or occasional performance of compulsivebehaviors (no more than 8 times per day)2 1-3 hours per day was spent performing compulsions, or frequent performance of compulsive behaviors(most hours were free of compulsions)3 More than 3 hours and up to 8 hours per day were spent performing compulsions, or very frequentperformance of compulsive behaviors (during most hours of the day)4 More than 8 hours were spent performing compulsions, or near-constant performance of compulsivebehaviors (hour rarely passes without several compulsions being performed)7. INTERFERENCE DUE TO COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORSHow much did your compulsive behaviors interfere with your social or work functioning?0 No interference1 Mild, slight interference with social or occupational activities, but overall performance not impaired2 Moderate, definite interference with social or occupational performance, but still manageable3 Severe interference, substantial impairment in social or occupational performance4 Extreme, incapacitating interferenceHEALTH CENTER AT AURARIA8
8. DISTRESS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORSHow would you have felt if prevented from performing your compulsions? How anxious would you have become?0 Not at all anxious1 Only slightly anxious if compulsions prevented2 Anxiety would mount but remain manageable if compulsions prevented3 Prominent and very disturbing increase in anxiety if compulsions interrupted4 Extreme, incapacitating anxiety from any intervention aimed at reducing the compulsions9. RESISTANCEHow much effort did you make to resist the compulsions? Or how often did you try to stop the compulsions?0 I made 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 (e.g. more than half the time)2 I made some effort to resist3 I yielded to almost all compulsions without attempting to control them, but I did so with some reluctance4 I completely and willingly yielded to all compulsions10. DEGREES OF CONTROL OVER COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORSHow much control did you have over the compulsive behaviors? How successful were you in stopping the ritual(s)?0 I had complete control1 Usually I could stop compulsions or rituals with some effort and willpower2 Sometimes I could stop compulsive behaviors, but only with difficulty3 I could only delay the compulsive behaviors, but eventually they had to be carried out to completion4 I was rarely able to even momentarily delay performing the compulsive behaviorsCOMPULSIVE SUBTOTAL (Add items 6-10)11. Do you think your obsessions or compulsions are reasonable or rational? Would there be anything besides anxiety to worryabout if you resisted them? Do you think something would really happen?0 I think my obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive1 I think my obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive, but I’m not completely convincedthat they aren’t necessary2 I think my obsessions or compulsions may be unreasonable or excessive3 I don’t think my obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive4 I am sure my obsessions or compulsions are reasonable, no matter what anyone saysHEALTH CENTER AT AURARIA9
Yale Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist (Goodman, Rasmussen, et al.) AGGRESSIVE OBSESSIONS # Past Current Examples 1 I fear I might harm myself Fear of eating with a knife or fork, fear of handling sharp objects, fear of walking near glass windows 2 I fear I might harm ot
obsessive-compulsive disorder scale: The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 10(3), 206-214. Page 5 of 5 The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI) was developed to help determine the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The scale is copyright and is reproduced here with the permission of the authors.
the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI), and describe the OCI's psychometric properties.1 The OCI was developed to ad-dress various limitations of the available instruments. One of the most commonly used assessments for measuring the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in re-search studies is the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Substance Use Disorders. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by intrusive, obsessive thoughts and compulsive, repetitive behaviors that often significantly interfere with work, school, relationships, and other activities and responsibilities. 1. In fact, the
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Objective: To examine the psychometr ic properties of the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scales (CYBOCS) modified for pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). Method: Raters from five Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmaco logy (RUPP) Autism Network were trained to reliability.
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling and prevalent disorder with a variety of clinical presentations and obsessional themes. Recently, research has begun to investigate relationship-related obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms including relationship-centered and partner-focused OC symp-toms.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: When Unwanted Thoughts or Irresistible Actions Take Over Author: National Institute of Mental Health Subject: Brochure focuses on obsessive-compulsive disorder \(OCD\), its signs and symptoms, causes, and treatment including cognitive behavioral therapy and medication. Keywords
BEC Preliminary involves three papers, for BEC Vantage and BEC Higher you need to sit four. The BEC Preliminary papers are: Reading and Writing (1 hour and 20 minutes – Reading includes seven tasks, like a multiple choice test and a gap-filling exercise; in the Writing test you’ll be asked to produce two short pieces relating to business); Listening (around 40 minutes – based on input .
