Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)
Assess the severity of obsessions and compulsions
Do you have recurring thoughts or behaviors you cannot control? The Y-BOCS assesses OCD symptom severity. 10 items, about 5-10 minutes.
Uncontrollable Thoughts and Behaviors
Ever found yourself checking the door lock three times, washing your hands until they're raw, or stuck on a thought that just won't leave? Obsessions and compulsions are more common than most people realize. Clinicians routinely use the Y-BOCS to assess OCD severity.
Developed by Goodman et al. (1989), it has 10 core items split into two subscales: obsessions (items 1-5) and compulsions (items 6-10). Each item is rated 0-4, with a total range of 0-40. Clinical cutoffs: 0-7 subclinical, 8-15 mild, 16-23 moderate, 24-31 moderate-severe, 32-40 severe.
A note: Y-BOCS was originally designed as a clinician-administered interview. This self-report version is for screening and educational purposes only. If your symptoms are interfering with daily life, please consult a mental health professional.
Reference
Goodman, W. K., et al. (1989). The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: I. Development, use, and reliability. <em>Archives of General Psychiatry</em>, 46(11), 1006-1011.
Result Interpretation
After completing the 10 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Dimension breakdown — separate scores for each sub-scale
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.