• 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. Under 18s should use the Adolescent DES.

    Disclaimer: This self-assessment tool is not a substitute for clinical diagnosis or advice.

  • Scoring the DES-II

    The DES score is the average of all the questions, so the minimum score is 0 and the maximum score is 100.[2] To calculate this yourself, all 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. The total is then multiplied by 10 and divided by 28 (the number of questions) to calculate your average score. 

  • Dissociative Experiences Scale Scores Explained

    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.

    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 (DDIS) or Structured Clinical Interview for Dissociative Disorders (SCID-D) can be used to reach a diagnosis. 

     

    Average DES Scores in research [1]

    General Adult Population  5.4
    Anxiety Disorders 7.0
    Affective Disorders 9.35
    Eating Disorders 15.8
    Late Adolescence 16.6
    Schizophrenia 15.4
    Borderline Personality Disorder 19.2
    Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 31
    Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (OSDD & Partial DID) 36
    Dissociative Identity Disorder (MPD) 48
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