Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale – Self-Report

What it measures

The gold-standard measure of OCD symptom severity in clinical trials, assessing time spent, interference, distress, resistance, and control for both obsessions and compulsions. The self-report version (Y-BOCS-SR) closely mirrors the clinician-administered version and is widely used as a primary outcome in OCD RCTs.

Response format

Likert (0–4 per item); Obsession subscale (items 1–5) and Compulsion subscale (items 6–10); total 0–40

Representative items

• How much of your time is occupied by obsessive thoughts? (0=none to 4=extreme, >8hr/day)
• How much do your obsessive thoughts interfere with your work, school, or social activities?
• How much distress do your obsessive thoughts cause you?
• How much of an effort do you make to resist the obsessive thoughts?
• How much control do you have over your obsessive thoughts?

Usage notes & scoring

Score ranges: 0–7 subclinical, 8–15 mild, 16–23 moderate, 24–31 severe, 32–40 extreme. Primary outcome measure in most OCD clinical trials. Self-report version (Y-BOCS-SR) is freely available and psychometrically comparable to the clinician version. Must be preceded by a symptom checklist to identify the patient's primary obsessions and compulsions.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Goodman, W.K., Price, L.H., Rasmussen, S.A., et al. (1989). The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale: I. Development, use, and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46(11), 1006–1011.

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