OCD traits
OCD stands for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Only a doctor or another qualified professional can diagnose it, after a full assessment that looks at a person's history and daily life, not just a questionnaire.
The traits linked with OCD, like needing things just right, checking more than once, thoughts that get stuck or worries about germs, are also things many people notice in themselves at times, especially when stressed. The MindScale quiz looks at how often you have noticed them over the past month, in four areas, as a starting point for reflection.
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Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Order and evenness
How strongly you need things lined up, even or arranged just right.
- Toward the high end
- For people here, things often need to feel just right: lined up, even or in their place.
- Around the middle
- People here like order in some areas and can leave things a little out of place in others.
- Toward the low end
- Things being uneven or out of place rarely bothers people here.
Checking
How often you go back to make sure doors, switches or messages are right.
- Toward the high end
- People here often check things more than once, even when part of them knows those things are fine.
- Around the middle
- People here double-check now and then, more when they're tired, rushed or worried.
- Toward the low end
- Once people here have done something, they trust it's done.
Sticky thoughts
How often unwanted thoughts or worries get stuck and keep coming back.
- Toward the high end
- For people here, unwanted thoughts often get stuck and replay, even when they know the thoughts don't make sense.
- Around the middle
- For people here, some worries get stuck for a while, especially at stressful times, then fade.
- Toward the low end
- For people here, unwanted thoughts usually pass without much of a grip.
Cleanliness worries
How much germs, dirt and contamination are on your mind.
- Toward the high end
- For people here, germs and dirt are often on their mind and can shape what they touch or how often they wash.
- Around the middle
- People here take care with cleanliness, with some situations that worry them more than others.
- Toward the low end
- Germs and dirt rarely worry people here beyond the usual.
How scoring works
Each statement has five response choices. A response contributes from 1 to 5 points to the scale it belongs to, and the points become a position from 0 to 100. Around 0–33 is the low third, 34–66 is around the middle and 67–100 is the high third.
Looking at the separate positions is more useful than treating them as one overall score: the profile shows where the answers sit on each scale.
What looking at these traits can help with
Seeing the four areas separately can help you describe what you notice more clearly: whether it's mostly order and evenness, mostly checking, mostly thoughts that get stuck or mostly worries about germs and cleanliness.
That description can be useful if you decide to talk to a professional. It is not a result to act on by itself.
These traits in everyday life
These traits can show up as going back to check the door, redoing a task until it feels exactly right or replaying a worry that seems small to others. Noticing when a habit stops helping and starts taking up time is a first step many people find useful.
If these traits worry you or get in the way of your life, talk to a doctor or another qualified professional.
How to take the test
MindScale's OCD traits test has 28 statements and no time limit. Choose the response that best matches how you usually are, not how you would like to be.
You can go back and change an answer. When you finish, you can unlock your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Conclusion
Common OCD traits fall into four areas: order and evenness, checking, sticky thoughts and cleanliness worries. Noticing some of them at times is common; only a qualified professional can say whether they add up to OCD.
If you'd like to look at how often these traits show up for you, the MindScale OCD traits quiz has 28 statements. It is not a diagnosis or a medical test, and the price is shown before you start.
See your own result
Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.