Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale

The Y-BOCS is the criterion-standard 10-item clinician-administered OCD severity scale measuring obsession and compulsion severity (0–20 each) with a total score (0–40). Primary endpoint in all major OCD trials. Goodman et al. (1989).

What is the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale?

The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) is the internationally recognized criterion-standard scale for assessing the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), developed by Wayne Goodman and colleagues (1989) at Yale and Brown Universities. It is a semi-structured clinician-administered interview that assesses symptom severity independently of symptom content, providing a dimensional measure of illness burden rather than a symptom checklist.

The Y-BOCS has 10 items divided into two 5-item subscales: Obsession Severity (time occupied, interference, distress, resistance, control) and Compulsion Severity (same five domains for compulsions). Each item is rated 0–4 by a trained clinician. The Y-BOCS is administered alongside the Y-BOCS Symptom Checklist which identifies the patient's specific obsession and compulsion subtypes prior to rating severity.

The Y-BOCS is the primary endpoint in virtually all OCD pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy clinical trials, including those supporting FDA approval of SSRIs for OCD. The Y-BOCS-II (Storch et al., 2010) is a revised version with improved psychometric properties and slightly modified anchor points. A self-report version (OBQ-44) is also used in research settings.

Y-BOCS Score Interpreter

Enter your Y-BOCS Obsession and Compulsion subscale scores (0–20 each) to interpret OCD severity.

Sum of 5 obsession items (time, interference, distress, resistance, control), 0–20

Sum of 5 compulsion items (time, interference, distress, resistance, control), 0–20

Y-BOCS © Goodman et al. (1989). Available for clinical/research use. This interpreter does not replace clinician-administered assessment.

Y-BOCS Score Interpretation Reference

Goodman et al. (1989). Severity applies to both the total score (0–40) and proportionally to each subscale (0–20). Treatment response = ≥35% reduction; remission = total ≤12.

Total Score (0–40)

Each Subscale (0–20)

Y-BOCS Ten Items, Five Dimensions Each

Each dimension is rated 0–4 by the clinician, applied identically to both obsessions and compulsions.

OCD Assessment Tools Comparison

OCD Outcome Tracking in HiBoop

Y-BOCS alongside GAD-7, PHQ-9, and PCL-5, integrated OCD and anxiety disorder outcome monitoring for outpatient, intensive outpatient, and residential programs.