Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

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Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale – sometimes referred to as Y-BOCS – is a test to rate the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. The scale, which was designed by Dr. Wayne Goodman and colleagues, is used extensively in research and clinical practice to both determine severity of OCD and to monitor improvement during treatment. This scale, which measures obsessions separately from compulsions, specifically measures the severity of symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder without being biased towards the type of obsessions or compulsions present.

The scale is a clinician-rated, 10-item scale, each item rated from 0 (no symptoms) to 40 (extreme symptoms). The scale includes questions about the amount of time the patient spends on obsessions, how much impairment or distress they experience, and how much resistance and control they have over these thoughts. As well, the same types of questions are asked about compulsions (i.e., time spent, interference, etc). The results can be interpreted based on the score. A score of 0-7 is subclinical; 8-15 is mild; 16-23 is moderate; 24-31 is severe; and 32-40 is extreme. Patients scoring in the mild range or higher should consider professional help in alleviating obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

[edit] See also

  • Goodman WK, Price LH, Rasmussen SA, Mazure C, Fleischmann RL, Hill CL, Heninger GR, Charney DS. (1989). The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, I: development, use, and reliability. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 46:1006–1011.
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