Write down 'yes' or 'no' in answer to each of the following questions, based on your experiences in the past month.

Part One 1 Do you have concerns about contamination (dirt, germs, chemicals, radiation) or getting a serious illness such as Aids?

2Are you over-concerned with keeping objects (clothing, groceries, tools) in perfect order, or arranged exactly?

3Do you have personally unacceptable religious or sexual thoughts?

4Do you worry about harm coming to a loved one because you weren't careful enough?

5Are you concerned about physically harming a loved one; pushing a stranger in front of a bus;

steering your car into oncoming traffic; or poisoning dinner guests?

6Do you perform excessive or ritualised washing, cleaning or grooming rituals?

7Do you check light switches, taps, the oven, door locks or your car's hand brake?

8Do you collect useless objects, or inspect the rubbish before it is thrown out?

9Do you repeat routine actions (going through a doorway, relighting a cigarette) a certain number of times or until it feels 'just right'?

10Do you feel a need to repeatedly ask for reassurance that you said or did something correctly?

Part Two 1 Consider your experience of repeated thoughts, images, urges or behaviours during the past 30 days. Select the most appropriate response that applies to you.

1For how much of the day are you affected?

Mild (less than one hour) Moderate (one to three hours) Severe (three to eight hours) Extreme 2How much distress do they cause you?

None Mild Moderate Severe Extreme (disabling) 3How difficult is it for you to control these thoughts? Do you have:

Complete control Much control Moderate control Little control No control 4How much do they interfere with school, work or your social or family life?

None Slight interference Definitely interferes with functioning Much interference Extreme interference (disabling) The more questions you have answered 'yes' to in Part One, and the more extreme your experience as shown in Part Two, the more likely it is that you have OCD. If you are experiencing psychological distress, it might be advisable to see a clinician for evaluation. Most 'normal' people have some obsessive thoughts and ritualistic behaviour. It's only when their obsessions and compulsions start becoming an overwhelming primary focus in a person's life that a person has clinical OCD.