Dissociation refers to disruptions in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, and bodily experience. These processes range from mild and transient experiences, such as absorption or temporary detachment, to severe and persistent disturbances affecting memory, self-continuity, and sense of reality.
A central distinction separates detachment, such as depersonalization and derealization, from compartmentalization, such as dissociative amnesia or identity fragmentation. Dissociation may occur in response to stress or trauma, but it can also appear in non-clinical populations as a transient or context-dependent phenomenon.
These measures assess a broad range of dissociative experiences, from absorption and temporary detachment to clinically significant disruptions in memory, awareness, identity, and self-continuity. Some instruments are designed for adults, while others are adapted for adolescents or children.
The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II, DES-T) is among the most widely used measures of dissociation. They assess experiences such as absorption, memory lapses, depersonalization, derealization, and identity-related discontinuities.
The Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) adapts dissociation assessment for adolescents.
The Child Dissociative Checklist (CDC) assesses dissociative behaviors in children based on caregiver report.
The Dissociative Symptoms Scale (DSS, DSS-B) assess clinically relevant dissociative symptoms, including depersonalization, derealization, gaps in awareness or memory, and dissociative reexperiencing.
The Detachment and Compartmentalization Inventory (DCI) assesses dissociative symptoms across two broad domains: detachment from self or surroundings and compartmentalization of mental processes, memory, identity, or control.
The Multiscale Dissociation Inventory (MDI) assesses dissociative symptoms across six domains: disengagement, depersonalization, derealization, emotional constriction, memory disturbance, and identity dissociation.
The Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID) provides a comprehensive assessment of dissociative symptoms, including amnesia, depersonalization, derealization, identity disturbance, and related trauma symptoms. n/a
These measures assess specific forms of dissociation involving altered self-experience, unreality of the environment, emotional or bodily disconnection, and disruption in the integration of bodily and perceptual experience.
The Cambridge Depersonalisation Scale (CDS) assesses experiences such as feeling detached from one's body, perceiving the world as unreal, emotional numbing, and altered subjective experience.
The Depersonalization-Derealization Inventory (DDI) assesses symptoms of depersonalization and derealization, including feelings of detachment from oneself, emotional numbing, unreality of the external world.
The Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20, SDQ-5) assesses dissociative phenomena expressed through physical symptoms, such as sensory disturbances, motor disruptions, pain, and altered bodily awareness.
These measures assess dissociative states occurring at a particular moment, in a specific situation, or during and shortly after traumatic events. They are useful when dissociation is acute, stress-linked, fluctuating, or closely connected with trauma exposure.
The State Scale of Dissociation (SSD) assesses current dissociative symptoms and is useful when dissociation is expected to fluctuate across situations or experimental conditions.
The Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) assesses present-state dissociative symptoms using clinician-rated items. It is often used in clinical and trauma-related research.
The Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ) assesses dissociative experiences during or immediately after trauma, such as altered time perception, emotional numbing, derealization, and disconnection from the body.
These measures assess dissociative or dissociation-like processes that appear in specific psychological contexts, such as excessive immersion in fantasy or reduced presence, intimacy, and emotional connection in close relationships.
The Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16) assesses excessive and difficult-to-control daydreaming, including immersion, urge to continue, impairment, and distress.
The Dissociation of Intimacy Questionnaire (DIQ) assesses disruptions in emotional closeness and relational engagement associated with dissociation.
⇒ Trauma and PTSD. Dissociation often overlaps with trauma through peritraumatic detachment, memory disruption, shutdown responses, and altered self-experience after overwhelming stress.
⇒ Psychosis Spectrum. Dissociative symptoms may resemble psychotic-like experiences through altered perception or unreality, but dissociation usually involves detachment or disrupted integration rather than fixed delusional beliefs.