Y-BOCS Scale — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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ModerateAnxiety & Stress-Related DisordersY-BOCS ScaleMRCPsych Paper B

Which clinician-rated scale comprises 10 items scored from 0 to 4 and measures the severity of obsessions and compulsions by assessing time occupied, interference, distress, resistance and control?

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Correct answer: B — Y-BOCS

The correct answer is B, the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). It is a clinician-rated measure of OCD symptom severity containing 10 items, each scored 0–4, giving a total score of 0–40. It generates separate obsession and compulsion severity subtotals and assesses time occupied, interference, distress, resistance and control. The PHQ-9 measures depressive symptoms, while the GAD-7 assesses generalised anxiety symptoms. PANSS evaluates positive, negative and general psychopathology symptoms in psychotic disorders. MADRS is a clinician-rated depression severity scale. The original explanation’s statement that a 35% reduction necessarily defines response was removed because this threshold is not established by the cited 1989 development paper and is unnecessary to identify the scale.

Reference: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Outcome measures in psychiatry, CR240, section “Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS)”, 2024. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/better-mh-policy/college-reports/college-report-cr240-outcome-measures-in-psychiatry.pdf?sfvrsn=3d5adc4e_5