Obsessive-Compulsive Load (OCI-R)

The OCI-R — eighteen statements developed by Foa and colleagues in 2002. Used in research and clinics worldwide. Screening, not diagnosis.

For each one, pick how much it applies to you. There's no score until you've done all eighteen.

My Score

I scored an 9. Below the threshold for clinical OCD.

OCD might not be a disorder of content so much as a disorder of flexibility — a mind that can't let go of a thought once it's got hold of it. The scale counts how many kinds of obsessing you do. But it misses other kinds of obsessing.

For example, I used to find myself worried about how others would perceive me, other guys who had attributes I felt I didn't etc. It's curious that OCD shows up in higher rate for those who are same-sex attracted. Even at sub-clinical levels, I wonder how it's part of the puzzle piece.

My read is that obsessing and attraction share a fair bit — intrusive thoughts, urgency, checking. Though I don't think anyone has fully worked out how the two interact yet.

Where to Go from Here

• Homosexuality and OCD
• On Attention and Arousal
• The Art of Not Thinking About It
• 'Incessant Sexual Thoughts'

Foa, E. B., Huppert, J. D., Leiberg, S., Langner, R., Kichic, R., Hajcak, G., & Salkovskis, P. M. (2002). The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory: Development and validation of a short version. Psychological Assessment, 14(4), 485–496.