Founder
Dr. Roland Segal is a leading psychiatrist with extensive experience and is the Managing Partner and MD Psychiatrist at Legacy Recovery Center. After earning his medical degree from the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, he completed general psychiatry training at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and advanced his expertise through a forensic psychiatry fellowship at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.
With over a decade of diverse experience in clinical, administrative, and forensic psychiatry, Dr. Segal is double board-certified in General and Forensic Psychiatry. His previous roles include Chief Medical Officer at Valley Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, and president of the Arizona Psychiatric Society. He has also served as the legislative committee chair and contributed to numerous state and national boards, committees, and organizations. Additionally, Dr. Segal teaches as a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, mentoring medical students and residents.
Dr. Segal acts as an expert psychiatry consultant for multiple superior and regional courts, including those in Maricopa and Yuma counties, Salt River, as well as city governments like Phoenix, Lake Havasu, and Mesa. He also consults for prominent organizations such as the United States Postal Service, Social Security Administration, Immigration Health Services, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.
Guided by principles of objectivity, ethics, mindfulness, and cultural awareness, Dr. Segal remains dedicated to providing compassionate, inclusive psychiatric care, impacting lives across Arizona and beyond.
Do you triple-check to make sure the stove is off before you leave the house, even though you just checked it? Or perhaps you are well-known for keeping an extremely neat and tidy workspace?
While these are common things many of us do, they don’t add up to a diagnosis of OCD. So if you’re curious whether you or a loved one has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) you may want to try an online test to see.
It’s important to know that most online OCD “tests” are just brief screening tools that flag possible OCD symptoms and impairment, then guide whether you should have a full diagnostic evaluation with a clinician. They don’t diagnose OCD by themselves, but help decide if more assessment is warranted.
OCD is a serious mental health condition characterized by uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that significantly impair daily life. In this article, I explain the test procedures that are typically used by mental health professionals.
What Are Symptoms of OCD?
OCD is sometimes called the “doubting disease” because pathological doubt fuels the symptoms for most people with the disorder. OCD has a two-part cycle: obsessions and compulsions. Some of the main symptoms include:
Obsessions
These are intrusive, unwanted, and persistent thoughts, images, or urges that cause intense anxiety or distress. They may be of these types [1] [2]:
- Symmetry
- Aggressive
- Sexual
- Religious
- Somatic
- Washing
- Checking
- Ordering
- Counting
- Repeating
Examples include:
- Fear of contamination
- Fear of harming others
- Fear of losing control over one’s behavior
- Fear of losing, misplacing, or forgetting something
- Desire to have things in perfect order or symmetrical
Compulsions
These are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession. The goal is to reduce the anxiety or prevent a feared event, but this relief is only temporary. Compulsions include:
- Excessive washing and cleaning
- Overchecking situations to make sure that you did not harm others
- Rearranging things until they feel right
- Counting while doing a task
What Is An OCD Screening? More Than a “Yes/No” Test
There is no single, definitive biological “test” for OCD (like a blood test). Instead, diagnosis relies on a structured clinical screening and evaluation, including these components:
- Screening Tools: Standardized questionnaires that help identify the likely presence and severity of symptoms. They are a starting point, not an endpoint.This is usually a short questionnaire or interview that asks about intrusive thoughts (obsessions), repetitive behaviors/mental rituals (compulsions), and how much time they take or how much they interfere with life. It may include the following questions [1]:
- “Do you experience unwanted thoughts, images, or impulses that repeatedly enter your mind, despite trying to get rid of them?” (Screening for obsessions)
- “Do you ever feel driven to repeat certain acts over and over? (Screening for compulsions)
- “Does this waste significant time or cause problems in your life? (This helps to decide whether the severity of obsessive and compulsive symptoms in questions 1 and 2 meets the threshold for DSM-5 criteria.)
- Clinical Interview: A comprehensive discussion with a qualified clinician that provides context and confirms a diagnosis based on established criteria (the DSM–5-TR, the manual used by mental health professionals to diagnose).
- Core Purpose: The goal of a screening is to systematically assess the nature, frequency, and impact of a person’s obsessions and compulsions. The screening can help show if what you are experiencing looks consistent enough with OCD to justify a full assessment using formal diagnostic criteria (for example, DSM‑5‑TR).
Common Screening Tools and Questionnaires
These ask you to rate the severity or frequency of key symptom clusters (washing, checking, ordering, doubts, intrusive thoughts). These screening tools are evidence-based assessments that are scientifically validated and used globally. Some of these include [3].
Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS):
This is the most widely used and respected interview tool, administered by a clinician [4]:
- Checklist of Symptoms: The clinician will ask questions from a detailed list of common obsessions, such as contamination and harm, and compulsions like washing or checking. This identifies the scope of the OCD.
- Severity Scale: This rates on a scale, the time consumed in obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and the distress, interference, and resistance related to the symptoms.
Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI-R):
This is a self-report alternative with a shorter questionnaire that individuals can fill out themselves [5]. It is used for initial screenings to assess the need for a more in-depth evaluation.
Dimensional Y-BOCS
This is an adaptation of the gold-standard Y-BOCS for OCD assessment [6]. In place of a symptom checklist, it measures the severity of five core OCD dimensions:
- Harm-related obsessions
- Symmetry/order
- Contamination/cleaning
- Hoarding
- Pure obsessions (aggressive, sexual, religious).
The Dimensional Y-BOCS is a more fine-grained assessment of a patient’s symptom themes. It is very useful for developing personalized treatment plans.
The Step-by-Step Diagnostic Process
Conducted by a qualified clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, a full evaluation includes the following steps:
- Initial Discussion: The clinician will ask open-ended questions about your thoughts, fears, and behaviors. Often, they will do a brief physical/medical review to rule out substances, medications, medical or neurological conditions that might better explain the symptoms.
- Use of Screening Tools: If the screen is positive, the clinician may use longer structured interviews or scales (for example, the Yale‑Brown Obsessive‑Compulsive Scale). These help to rate the severity of OCD as well as inform treatment planning. The clinician may ask you to complete a self-report screening assessment like the OCI-R.
- Applying Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-5): The clinician will verify your symptoms against the official criteria, including:
- The presence of obsessions, compulsions, or both.
- How time-consuming the obsessions/compulsions are (e.g., take more than one hour per day)
- Whether the symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment.
- Whether or not the symptoms are due to another medical condition or substance use.
- Differential Diagnosis: This step rules out other conditions with overlapping symptoms. These include anxiety, PTSD, or tic disorders.
Online Quizzes vs. Professional Diagnosis: A Critical Distinction
Many people look up online “OCD tests.” These are informal, non-diagnostic checklists. Online quizzes are useful as a potential first step that might encourage you to seek professional help, not as a diagnostic tool.
Online OCD quizzes on reputable clinical or advocacy sites use similar question sets as the more detailed questionnaires listed above, but in self‑report format [7] [8]. They provide feedback like “symptoms may be consistent with OCD; consider a professional evaluation.”
These tools are best seen as education, not a diagnosis. They cannot rule OCD in or out, cannot identify related conditions (such as other anxiety disorders, autism, or psychosis), and cannot assess risk or nuance like a clinician can.
They can create awareness but are not a substitute for a clinical evaluation. Their use can lead to misinterpretation, increased anxiety, or failure to identify a different, treatable condition.
When To Seek a Full Evaluation
You should seek a full diagnostic assessment if:
- Obsessions or compulsions take an hour or more per day, are hard to control, and are not enjoyable.
- Symptoms cause noticeable distress, avoidance, or problems at school, work, or in relationships, regardless of whether an online test calls them “mild.”
- There is uncertainty about whether symptoms fit OCD versus another disorder, or there are co‑occurring issues such as depression, tics, or suicidal ideation.
Taking the Next Step
An OCD screening is a collaborative, multi-step process designed to understand your unique experience, not just to label it.
Receiving a clear diagnosis is the first and most powerful step toward effective treatment and reclaiming control over your life.
If you see yourself in these descriptions, speak with a qualified mental health professional, such as a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist to arrange a professional assessment and diagnosis [9].
Get Expert Help at Legacy Recovery Center
Legacy Recovery Center is a highly rated, premier addiction and mental health treatment center in Arizona. Legacy is owned and operated by two psychiatrists with over 40 years of combined experience, as well as a robust therapeutic team.
We’re unique among residential treatment centers thanks to our ability to help people suffering from mental health and/or substance abuse issues. Our expert psychiatric team is equipped to treat multiple issues concurrently, focusing on your specific needs. Contact us today!
Sources
[1] CAMH. nd. OCD: Screening and Assessment.
[2] Cleveland Clinic. 2022. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
[3] Rapp, A. et al. (2016). Evidence-Based Assessment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Journal of Central Nervous System Disease, 8, 13–29.
[4] Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)
[5] Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R).
[6] Moritz, S. et al. 2002. Dimensional structure of the Yale–Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). Psychiatry Research, Volume 109, Issue 2, 2002, Pages 193-199,
[7] Psychology Today. nd. OCD Test.
[8] The International OCD Foundation. OCD Screener.
[9] MedlinePlus. nd. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Test.
