Assessing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): A review of self-report measures

Publication year: 2012
Source:Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Mathilde K. Overduin, Adrian Furnham

Approximately 2–2.5% of the adult population suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as defined by the DSM, while many people in the general population experience subclinical symptoms. The disorder is both a public health concern and causes significant impairment in functioning for the individual. Measuring OCD is complicated by its own heterogeneity and its high diagnostic comorbidity with other mental disorders. Improving assessment and diagnosis of OCD therefore remains an important area of focus for research and clinical practice. Key in this is having an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of measures of OCD symptoms. This article provides a critical and thorough review of self-report measures commonly used to assess such symptoms in adults. The measures are evaluated based on their psychometric properties and practical utility, providing a resource for clinicians and researchers to facilitate their selection of OCD measures. The conclusion provides a summary of the review and an evaluation of current self-report measures for OCD in adults.

Highlights

► OCD is a heterogeneous disorder that tends to be comorbid with other mental disorders. ► Assessment tools of OCD need to take these diagnostic complexities into account. ► Measures also need to be compatible with the multidimensional symptom structure of OCD. ► This paper provides a critical review of 10 self-report OCD measures used with adults. ► Hence, this is a resource for researchers and clinicians for optimal selection of OCD measures.