Thought Control Questionnaire, TCQ

Test scores

Intrusive and subjectively uncontrollable thoughts are a central feature of numerous anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. They also occur in other disorders such as depression and hypochondriasis. The concept of controlling one's thoughts effectively is implicit in several treatment approaches for these problems such as thought stopping, controlled worry periods, cognitive re-appraisal and the use of distraction techniques. However several studies have suggested that some strategies produce an increase in the frequency of suppressed thoughts which would play an important role in the maintenance of the disorders. Hence the need for an instrument capable of measuring which strategies produce effective control of intrusive thoughts.