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University of Hamburg Obsession-Compulsion Inventory Screening Form

1. Do you wash your hands after you feel you have come too close to an animal or dirty object?   True False
2. Do you reposition tablecloths or rugs because you think they are not exactly right?   True False
3. Are there days when you have to think about certain words or images so much that you are unable to do anything else?   True False
4. Is it often impossible for you to stop repeating (if only to yourself) a sentence already spoken?  True False
5. During the day do you think several times about work you have already finished?    True False
6. Do you find that you cannot stop counting during certain activi­ties?    True False
7. Do you sometimes try to distract yourself from a thought about your partner doing something he or she would not want you to know about?    True False
8. Are there any activities you cannot finish before having counted to a certain number?   True False
9. Do you sometimes consciously distract yourself from the thought of hurting or killing yourself?   True False
10. During the course of the day, do you often remember a certain word, picture, or sentence? True False
11. Do you check the cleanliness of public seats, such as those in buses or taxis, before you sit down?   True False
12. Do you sometimes repeat aloud what has already been spoken, although you try to prevent yourself from doing it?  True False
13. Having left your home, do you constantly have to think about whether everything is in order there?     True False
14. Before starting to dress, do you think about exactly how to do it?   True False
15. Did you ever find yourself counting things for no reason?  True False
16. Was there ever a day when you could not think about anything else except hurting or killing yourself? True False
17. Do you wash your hands after reading the newspaper?     True False
18. Did you ever notice that you touch things several times before or after you have used them?     True False
19. Have you ever touched switches on electric devices several times and counted despite trying not to?    True False
20. Do you check books or magazines for dog-ears and straighten them immediately?     True False
21. Do you fold newspapers back to the original way after reading them?      True False
22. Does the thought often occur to you that you might get sick or go blind or crazy?  True False
23. Are there days when you can think only about hurting or killing someone?  True False
24. After going to bed, do you get up again to check all electrical devices?   True False
25. Does counting the number of times you touch switches of electri­cal devices interfere with your everyday activities? True False
26. Do you rearrange objects on your desk, in your cupboard, or other places repeatedly, even though nothing's been touched since you last arranged them?    True False
27. Do you check the return address immediately before you mail a letter?  True False

SCORING

A.      Calculate the total number of answers circled true for questions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 22, and 23. These are obsessions.

If the total number of true answers circled for these questions is:

§         1 or 2: You probably do not have clinically significant obsessions.

§         3, 4, 5, or 6: You probably have obsessions that are clinically sig­nificant.

§         7-14: You definitely have obsessions that are clinically significant.

B.    Calculate the total number of answers circled true for questions 1, 2,11,12,17,18,19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, and 27. These are compulsions.

If the total number of true answers circled for these questions is:

§         1, 2, or 3: You probably do not have clinically significant compul­sions.

§         4, 5, 6, or 7: You probably have clinically significant compulsions.

§         8-13: You definitely have compulsions that are clinically significant.

Source: Dr. Iver Hand and Dr. Rudiger Klepsch, University of Hamburg, Germany.

If you want further information on OCD, please contact the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation National Headquarters, P.O. Box 70, Milford, CT 06460, a nonprofit organization, at (203) 878-5669; fax (203) 874-2826.