The Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) is a 20-item self-report measure of the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (usually associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD). The scale was developed and tested over the course of 5 years (2005 – 2010) and has been translated into a dozen languages as of January 2018.

There are many different types of obsessions and compulsions, and the DOCS assesses the severity of the most common clusters or dimensions of these symptoms: (a) contamination obsessions and de-contamination rituals (e.g., hand washing), (b) obsessions about responsibility for harm and mistakes and checking rituals, (c) symmetry/ordering and completeness obsessions and compulsions, and (d) obsessions about taboo or repugnant topics such as sex, violence, and blasphemy. Items on the DOCS measure the following parameters of these four symptom types: frequency of obsessions and compulsions, associated avoidance behavior, associated distress, and functional interference.

The DOCS takes about 5 minutes to complete and research shows that it has excellent reliability and validity as a measure of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in people with OCD, with other psychological disorders, and in non-clinical/non-treatment-seeking individuals.

This website provides information about the DOCS, why and how it was developed, its developers, and how you can use the scale. You can also download the numerous translations of the DOCS.