Checklist of Common OCD Symptoms

Y-BOCS Checklist

Check all symptoms that you are experiencing. Click on "Process List" to produce a summary report of target symptoms for you to print out. Please note that this report is for information only and will not be used to render a diagnosis. You are encouraged to share your report with your qualified mental health professional.

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Current 

Past Only 

Aggressive Obsessions
Fear might harm self
Fear might harm others
Violent or horrific images
Fear of blurting out obscenities or insults
Fear of doing something else embarrassing
Fear will act on unwanted impulses (e.g., to stab friend)
Fear will steal things
Fear will harm others because not careful enough (e.g., hit/run MVA)
Fear of being responsible for something else terrible happening (e.g., fire, burglary)
Other aggressive obsession(s)

Current 

Past Only 

Contamination Obsessions
Concerns or disgust with bodily waste or secretions (e.g., urine, feces, saliva)
Concern with dirt or germs
Excessive concern with of environmental contaminants (e.g., asbestos, radiation, toxic waste)
Excessive concern with household items (e.g., cleansers, solvents)
Excessive concern animals (e.g., insects)
Bothered by sticky substances or residues
Concerned will get ill because of contaminant
Concerned will get others ill by spreading contamination
No concern with consequences of contamination other than how it might feel
Other contamination concerns

Current 

Past Only 

Sexual Obsessions
Forbidden or unacceptable sexual thoughts/images/impulses
Content involves children or incest
Content involves homosexuality
Sexual behavior toward others (aggressive)
Other sexual obsessions

Current 

Past Only 

Hoarding/Saving Obsessions
Hoarding or saving (not hobbies or concern with objects with monetary or sentimental value)
Fears of mistakenly discarding important things along with unimportant items

Current 

Past Only 

Religious Obsessions/Scrupulosity
Excessive concern with sacrilege or blasphemy
Excessive concern with right/wrong, morality
Other religious or moral obsessions

Current 

Past Only 

Obsession with Symmetry or Exactness
Accompanied by magical thinking (e.g., concerned that mother will have accident unless things are in the right place)
Not accompanied by magical thinking (just feels uncomfortable)

Current 

Past Only 

Somatic Obsessions
Concern with illness or disease
Excessive concern with body part or aspect of appearance (e.g., body dysmorphic disorder)
Other bodily obsessions

Current 

Past Only 

Miscellaneous Obsessions
Need to know or remember
Fear of saying certain things
Fear of not saying just the right thing
Fear of losing things
Intrusive non-violent images
Intrusive nonsense sounds, words, or music
Bothered by certain sounds/noises
Lucky/unlucky numbers
Colors with special significance
Superstitious fears
Other obsession

Current 

Past Only 

Cleaning/Washing Compulsions
Excessive or ritualized handwashing
Excessive or ritualized showering, bathing, tooth brushing, grooming, or toilet routine
Excessive cleaning of household items or other inanimate objects
Other measures to prevent or remove contact with contaminants
Other cleaning compulsion

Current 

Past Only 

Checking Compulsions
Checking locks, stoves, appliances, etc.
Checking that did/will not harm others
Checking that did/will not harm self
Checking that nothing terrible did/will happen
Checking that did not make mistakes
Checking tied to somatic obsessions
Other checking compulsion

Current 

Past Only 

Repeating Rituals
Re-reading or re-writing
Need to repeat routine activities (in/out door, up/down chair)
Other repeating compulsion

Current 

Past Only 

Counting Compulsions
Counting Compulsions

Current 

Past Only 

Ordering/Arranging Compulsions
Compulsive ordering or arranging

Current 

Past Only 

Hoarding Collecting Compulsions
Compulsive hoarding or collecting (e.g., carefully reads junk mail, piles up old newspapers, sorts through garbage, collects useless objects.)

Current 

Past Only 

Mental Compulsions
Special words, images, numbers, repeated mentally to neutralize (e.g., lucky numbers)
Special prayers (short and long) repeated in a set manner (e.g. "God is good")
Mental counting
Mentally listmaking
Mental reviewing (e.g., reviewing conversations)
Other mental compulsion

Current 

Past Only 

Miscellaneous Compulsions
Excessive list making (writing or verbalizing aloud)
Urges to ask, tell, or confess
Urges to touch, tap, or rub
Rituals involving blinking or staring
Other measures (not checking) to prevent harm to self or others, or to prevent terrible consequences
Ritualized eating behaviors
Superstitious behaviors
Trichotillomania (hair pulling)
Other self-damaging or self-mutilating behaviors (skin picking)
Other compulsion

 

Source: Goodman, W.K., Price, L.H., Rasmussen, S.A. et al. "The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale." Arch Gen Psychiatry 46:1006-1011,1989

The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: I. Development Use and Reliability, Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989; 46:1006-1011 (pdf)

The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: II. Validity, Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989; 46:1012-1016. (pdf)

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Tourette Syndrome
Hypochondria
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Depersonalization Disorder
Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling)
Compulsive Skin Picking
Nail Biting
Olfactory Reference Syndrome
Sexual Compulsions
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Kleptomania
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Autistic Disorder

ob·ses·sion n. 1. Compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea or an unwanted feeling or emotion, often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety. 2. A compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion.

com·pul·sion n. 1. a. The act of compelling. b. The state of being compelled. 2. a. An irresistible impulse to act, regardless of the rationality of the motivation. b. An act or acts performed in response to such an impulse.

anx·i·e·ty n. 1. a. A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties. b. A cause of anxiety: For some people, air travel is a real anxiety. 2. Psychiatry: A state of intense apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a threatening event or situation, often to a degree that the normal physical and psychological functioning of the affected individual is disrupted.

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