Mood
Unwanted thoughts and rituals
20 questions · 7 min
Many people have unwanted thoughts or feel the urge to check, clean or arrange things now and then. This questionnaire looks at four common kinds: worries about germs, worries about causing harm, upsetting thoughts that pop into your head, and needing things to feel “just right”.
For each kind, it asks how much time it takes up, how much you avoid things because of it, how upset you get, how much it disrupts your day and how hard it is to set aside. You get a result for each kind and one for all four together.
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What it shows
How much four kinds of unwanted thoughts and repeated habits have affected you in the last month.
What it doesn’t
A diagnosis. Only a professional can assess obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Who it’s for
This check may help if unwanted thoughts, or urges to check, clean, arrange or repeat things, are taking up more of your time and energy than you’d like. It can also help you put words to experiences that can feel hard to talk about.
Because it looks at four kinds separately, you can see which ones affect you most. That can be useful to bring to a doctor or therapist, and to follow over time.
Questions people ask
What does the DOCS measure?
It looks at four kinds of unwanted thoughts and habits: germs and cleaning, causing harm or bad luck, upsetting thoughts that pop into your head, and needing things to feel “just right”. For each, it asks about time, avoidance, distress, disruption and how hard it is to set aside.
Is this an OCD test?
It asks about the kinds of thoughts and habits linked with obsessive-compulsive disorder, but it isn’t a diagnosis. Only a professional can assess obsessive-compulsive disorder.
How long does it take?
There are 20 questions, five for each kind, and it takes about 7 minutes. They’re about the last month.
How is the DOCS scored?
Each question is scored from 0 to 4. Each kind has a score from 0 to 20, and all four together give a total from 0 to 80. There are no official cut-off scores, so your result shows where you sit within the possible range rather than comparing you with other people.
What should I do if unwanted thoughts are affecting me?
A doctor or therapist can help with unwanted thoughts and habits, and there are treatments that work well. Having upsetting thoughts doesn’t mean you want them to happen.
How often can I retake it?
About once a month works well, as the questions cover the last month. Taking it again can show whether things are changing.
Where it comes from
Developed by psychologist Jonathan Abramowitz and colleagues in 2010.
Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale
On iPhone or iPad?
Sprout is an app there too, and this link opens the test straight away if you have it.
Coming soon to the App Store