28-item self-report measure of the frequency of dissociative experiences in adults, from everyday absorption to pathological amnesia and depersonalisation.
This questionnaire asks about experiences that you may have in your daily life. It is important that your answers show how often these experiences happen to you when you are NOT under the influence of alcohol or drugs. For each item, choose the percentage of the time the experience happens to you. Designed for adults (18+); adolescents should use a different version.
0% (never)0
10%10
20%20
30%30
40%40
50%50
60%60
70%70
80%80
90%90
100% (always)100
Score
01Some 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.
-
02Some 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.
-
03Some people have the experience of finding themselves in a place and have no idea how they got there.
-
04Some people have the experience of finding themselves dressed in clothes that they don't remember putting on.
-
05Some people have the experience of finding new things among their belongings that they do not remember buying.
-
06Some 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.
-
07Some 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.
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08Some people are told that they sometimes do not recognize friends or family members.
-
09Some people find that they have no memory for some important events in their lives (for example, a wedding or graduation).
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10Some people have the experience of being accused of lying when they do not think that they have lied.
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11Some people have the experience of looking in a mirror and not recognizing themselves.
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12Some people have the experience of feeling that other people, objects, and the world around them are not real.
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13Some people have the experience of feeling that their body does not seem to belong to them.
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14Some people have the experience of sometimes remembering a past event so vividly that they feel as if they were reliving that event.
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15Some people have the experience of not being sure whether things that they remember happening really did happen or whether they just dreamed them.
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16Some people have the experience of being in a familiar place but finding it strange and unfamiliar.
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17Some 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.
-
18Some people find that they become so involved in a fantasy or daydream that it feels as though it were really happening to them.
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19Some people find that they sometimes are able to ignore pain.
-
20Some people find that they sometimes sit staring off into space, thinking of nothing, and are not aware of the passage of time.
-
21Some people sometimes find that when they are alone they talk out loud to themselves.
-
22Some 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.
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23Some 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.).
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24Some 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).
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25Some people find evidence that they have done things that they do not remember doing.
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26Some people sometimes find writings, drawings, or notes among their belongings that they must have done but cannot remember doing.
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27Some people sometimes find that they hear voices inside their head that tell them to do things or comment on things that they are doing.
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28Some people sometimes feel as if they are looking at the world through a fog, so that people and objects appear far away or unclear.
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This questionnaire asks about experiences that you may have in your daily life. It is important that your answers show how often these experiences happen to you when you are NOT under the influence of alcohol or drugs. For each item, choose the percentage of the time the experience happens to you. Designed for adults (18+); adolescents should use a different version.
Scored locally - nothing leaves this page
01Some 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.
02Some 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.
03Some people have the experience of finding themselves in a place and have no idea how they got there.
04Some people have the experience of finding themselves dressed in clothes that they don't remember putting on.
05Some people have the experience of finding new things among their belongings that they do not remember buying.
06Some 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.
07Some 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.
08Some people are told that they sometimes do not recognize friends or family members.
09Some people find that they have no memory for some important events in their lives (for example, a wedding or graduation).
10Some people have the experience of being accused of lying when they do not think that they have lied.
11Some people have the experience of looking in a mirror and not recognizing themselves.
12Some people have the experience of feeling that other people, objects, and the world around them are not real.
13Some people have the experience of feeling that their body does not seem to belong to them.
14Some people have the experience of sometimes remembering a past event so vividly that they feel as if they were reliving that event.
15Some people have the experience of not being sure whether things that they remember happening really did happen or whether they just dreamed them.
16Some people have the experience of being in a familiar place but finding it strange and unfamiliar.
17Some 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.
18Some people find that they become so involved in a fantasy or daydream that it feels as though it were really happening to them.
19Some people find that they sometimes are able to ignore pain.
20Some people find that they sometimes sit staring off into space, thinking of nothing, and are not aware of the passage of time.
21Some people sometimes find that when they are alone they talk out loud to themselves.
22Some 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.
23Some 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.).
24Some 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).
25Some people find evidence that they have done things that they do not remember doing.
26Some people sometimes find writings, drawings, or notes among their belongings that they must have done but cannot remember doing.
27Some people sometimes find that they hear voices inside their head that tell them to do things or comment on things that they are doing.
28Some people sometimes feel as if they are looking at the world through a fog, so that people and objects appear far away or unclear.
The Dissociative Experiences Scale–II measures dissociative experiences in adults: disruptions in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity and perception. Its 28 self-report items span the breadth of dissociation, from common non-pathological absorption (becoming so involved in a film that the world outside disappears) through depersonalisation and derealisation to experiences characteristic of dissociative disorders, such as finding oneself somewhere with no memory of getting there. For each item, the respondent indicates what percentage of the time the experience happens to them when not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, from 0% to 100% in ten-point increments.
The DES-II is a trait measure with no fixed recall window - it asks about experience in daily life generally, not the past week or month. It is a screening and research instrument, not a diagnostic test: a high score signals that a structured diagnostic interview for dissociative disorders is warranted, it does not itself establish a diagnosis. It remains the most widely used self-report measure of dissociation, applied in well over a hundred published studies.
02 - Origin & purpose
Where it comes from.
The original DES was developed by Eve Bernstein Carlson and Frank Putnam and published in 1986 as the first standardised self-report measure of dissociation, at a time when the field lacked any quantitative screening tool. The DES-II, published by Carlson and Putnam in 1993, retains the same 28 items but replaces the original 100 mm visual-analogue response line with an 11-point percentage format (0%, 10%, 20% ... 100%), which made the scale far easier to score by hand without changing what it measures.
The authors placed the scale in the public domain, and it may be reproduced and used without permission - one reason for its ubiquity in trauma and dissociation research. A taxometric analysis by Waller, Putnam and Carlson (1996) later identified an eight-item subset (the DES-Taxon, DES-T) that isolates pathological dissociation from ordinary absorption, and this subset is sometimes scored alongside the full scale. 5
03 - Scoring & cutoffs
How scoring works.
The total score is the mean of the 28 item percentages, giving a range of 0-100. A score of 30 or above is the conventional screening threshold recommended by Carlson and Putnam: in the original multicentre validation it identified patients with dissociative identity disorder with a sensitivity of 74% and a specificity of 80%. 3 Non-clinical adults typically score well below this threshold, while samples with dissociative disorders average above it. A score of 30+ is a signal for structured diagnostic follow-up (for example a SCID-D interview), not a diagnosis; equally, because roughly one in four cases scores below the cutoff, a low score does not rule a dissociative disorder out where clinical suspicion is strong.
Score
Severity
Interpretation
0.0–20.0
General-population range
Consistent with levels of dissociation seen in general-population samples (general adult mean ≈ 5.4; Carlson & Putnam 1993).
20.0–30.0
Above general-population levels
Higher than typical non-clinical scores but below the screening threshold; interpret in clinical context.
30.0–100.0
High dissociation - further evaluation indicated
At a cutoff of 30, multicentre research found sensitivity 76% and specificity 76-85% for dissociative disorders (Carlson et al. 1993, Am J Psychiatry 150:1030-1036). A high score is not a diagnosis; structured clinical assessment is required. Around 1% of people with dissociative identity disorder score below 30.
The DES-II measures both everyday and pathological dissociation; a very high score does not by itself indicate a more severe disorder. Successful treatment of a dissociative disorder is expected to reduce the score over time. This tool is not a substitute for clinical diagnosis.
04 - Validation evidence
How well it performs.
The DES has been subjected to meta-analytic validation across more than one hundred studies (van IJzendoorn & Schuengel, 1996), showing excellent internal consistency and good temporal stability, with convergent validity against both interview-based and self-report measures of dissociation. 4 Sensitivity and specificity figures come from the multicentre study by Carlson and colleagues (1993) screening for what was then termed multiple personality disorder. 3
α ≈ 0.93
INTERNAL CONSISTENCY
0.79–0.84
TEST–RETEST, 4–8 WKS
74% / 80%
SENSITIVITY / SPECIFICITY (≥30)
r = .90 (MID)
CONVERGENT VALIDITY
05 - How it compares
How it compares to the alternatives.
Instrument
Items
Time
When to reach for it
DES-II
28
~10 min
The standard adult self-report screen for dissociation, spanning absorption, depersonalisation, derealisation and amnesia. Cutoff of 30 or above.
A-DES
30
~10 min
The adolescent adaptation (ages ~11-18); use instead of the DES-II for young people.
SDQ-20
20
~5-10 min
Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire - when the presentation is bodily (somatoform) dissociation rather than psychoform experiences.
MID
218
~30-90 min
Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation - comprehensive multiscale assessment when a full dissociation profile is needed rather than a screen.
DES-T
8
No extra time
An eight-item subset of the DES-II; use when you want to separate pathological dissociation from ordinary absorption within the same administration.
When the question is PTSD symptom severity rather than dissociation.
06 - When to use it
Right tool, wrong tool.
The DES-II earns its place when dissociation is the clinical question and you need a quantified, comparable starting point before a structured interview. It is well suited to adults in trauma-focused services, and it is not a substitute for diagnostic assessment.
Reach for it when
-Screening adults for pathological dissociation when a dissociative disorder is suspected.
-Routine screening in trauma-focused services before starting trauma work.
-It does not diagnose any disorder - high scores need a structured interview such as the SCID-D.
-Not validated for children or adolescents; use the A-DES.
-Not designed to capture somatoform dissociation; use the SDQ-20.
-Not a state measure - it will not track session-to-session fluctuation.
-Interpret with caution in acute intoxication or psychosis.
07 - Confidence & precision
Reading the score with care.
No formally established minimal clinically important difference has been published for the DES-II. Test-retest correlations of .79-.84 indicate the score behaves as a stable trait; small shifts of a few points should not be over-interpreted, and the scale was not designed as a session-by-session change measure. Where change tracking matters, pair it with a state-sensitive symptom measure.
08 - Limitations
What it cannot tell you.
Retrospective self-report, subject to the usual reporting biases. Absorption items can elevate scores in non-clinical populations, particularly younger respondents, without indicating pathology. Scores are also elevated in PTSD and borderline personality disorder in the absence of a dissociative disorder, so specificity in mixed clinical settings is imperfect. At the standard cutoff of 30 roughly one in four true cases is missed. It is a trait measure without a defined recall window, limiting its use for monitoring change. Cross-cultural score distributions vary, and the dimensional-versus-taxonic structure of dissociation remains debated.
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