Dissociative Experiences Scale

Dissociative Experiences Scale - II
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Dissociative Experiences Scale - II

Instructions: This questionnaire asks about experiences that you may have in your daily life. We are interested in how often you have these experiences. It is important, however, that your answers show how often these experiences happen to you when you are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. To answer the questions, please determine to what degree each experience described in the question applies to you, and circle the number to show what percentage of the time you have the experience.

For example: 0% (Never) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% (Always)

There are 28 questions. These questions have been designed for adults. Adolescents should use a different version.

Disclaimer: This self-assessment tool is not a substitute for clinical diagnosis or advice.
1. Some people have the experience of driving or riding in a car or bus or subway and suddenly realizing that they don’t remember what has happened during all or part of the trip. Circle the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
2. Some people find that sometimes they are listening to someone talk and they suddenly realize that they did not hear part or all of what was said. Circle the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
3. Some people have the experience of finding themselves in a place and have no idea how they got there. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
4. Some people have the experience of finding themselves dressed in clothes that they don’t remember putting on. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
5. Some people have the experience of finding new things among their belongings that they do not remember buying. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
6. Some people sometimes find that they are approached by people that they do not know, who call them by another name or insist that they have met them before. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
7. Some people sometimes have the experience of feeling as though they are standing next to themselves or watching themselves do something and they actually see themselves as if they were looking at another person. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
8. Some people are told that they sometimes do not recognize friends of family members. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
9. Some people find that they have no memory for some important events in their lives (for example, a wedding or graduation). Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
10. Some people have the experience of being accused of lying when they do not think that they have lied. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
11. Some people have the experience of looking in a mirror and not recognizing themselves. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
12. Some people have the experience of feeling that other people, objects, and the world around them are not real. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
13. Some people have the experience of feeling that their body does not seem to belong to them. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
14. Some people have the experience of sometimes remembering a past event so vividly that they feel as if they were reliving that event. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
15. Some people have the experience of not being sure whether things that they remember happening really did happen or whether they just dreamed them. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
16. Some people have the experience of being in a familiar place but finding it strange and unfamiliar. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
17. Some people find that when they are watching television or a movie they become so absorbed in the story that they are unaware of other events happening around them. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
18. Some people find that they become so involved in a fantasy or daydream that it feels as though it were really happening to them. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
19. Some people find that they sometimes are able to ignore pain. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
20. Some people find that they sometimes sit staring off into space, thinking of nothing, and are not aware of the passage of time. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
21. Some people sometimes find that when they are alone they talk out loud to themselves. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
22. Some people find that in one situation they may act so differently compared with another situation that they feel almost as if they were two different people. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
23. Some people sometimes find that in certain situations they are able to do things with amazing ease and spontaneity that would usually be difficult for them (for example, sports, work, social situations, etc.). Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
24. Some people sometimes find that they cannot remember whether they have done something or have just thought about doing that thing (for example, not knowing whether they have just mailed a letter or have just thought about mailing it). Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
25. Some people find evidence that they have done things that they do not remember doing. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
26. Some people sometimes find writings, drawings, or notes among their belongings that they must have done but cannot remember doing. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
27. Some people sometimes find that they hear voices inside their head that tell them to do things or comment on things that they are doing. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
28. Some people sometimes feel as if they are looking at the world through a fog, so that people and objects appear far away or unclear. Select the number to show what percentage of the time this happens to you.

0%102030405060708090100%
Total:
DES Score: (total/28)
Scoring the Dissociative Experiences Scale - II

The average of all the answers is the DES score, giving a maximum of 100. The questions are scored by dropping the zero on the percentage of each answer, e.g., 30% = 3; 80% = 8, these numbers are then added up give a total. The total is multiplied by 10 then divided by 28 (the number of questions) to calculate the average score.

Dissociative Experiences Scale Scores

High and Low DES Scores High levels of dissociation are indicated by scores of 30 or more, scores under 30 indicate low levels. [1]:22 Successful treatment of a dissociative disorder should reduce the DES score when compared to the result before treatment began. [1]:23 Very high scores do not necessarily mean a more severe dissociative disorder is present, this is because the scale measures both normal and pathological dissociation.[1]:18

Dissociative Identity Disorder and the DES

Only 1% of people with Dissociative Identity Disorder have been found to have a DES score below 30. A very high number of people who score above 30 have been shown to have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or a dissociative disorder other than Dissociative Identity Disorder. [1]

Clinical Uses of the Dissociative Experiences Scale

If a person scores in the high range (above 30) then the DES questions can be used as the basis for a clinical interview, with the clinician asking the client to describe examples of the experiences they have had for any questions about experiences which occur 20% of the time or more. Alternatively, the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule or

Structured Clinical Interview for Dissociative Disorders-Revised can be used to reach a diagnosis. [1]

Reference

1. Carlson, E.B. & Putnam, F.W. (1993). An update on the Dissociative Experience Scale. Dissociation 6(1), p. 16-27.

Note: Dissociative Experiences Scale-II included in Appendix.
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﻿Dissociative Experiences Scale - II

Dissociative Experiences Scale - II