Is this a multiple personality disorder test?

No. The DES-II is a screening for dissociative experiences, not a test for dissociative identity disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder). That rare condition cannot be established with a questionnaire; it requires a careful assessment by specialists.

Can a high DES-II score prove DID?

No. A high score only shows that dissociative experiences are pronounced. Such scores arise from very different burdens, including stress, anxiety, depression, or trauma. A score from about 30 is a signal to seek a professional assessment, not a diagnosis.

What is DPDR (depersonalization and derealization)?

Depersonalization is the sense of being estranged from yourself, as if standing beside yourself. Derealization is the same sense of unreality applied to your surroundings, which feel strange or as if seen through a fog. Brief episodes are common under heavy stress. If they persist or weigh heavily, talking to a professional is worthwhile.

Can stress trigger dissociation?

Yes. Dissociation is often a protective mechanism against overload. Brief dissociative moments under heavy stress, exhaustion, or tension are common and usually harmless. They matter when the states occur often, disrupt daily life, or connect with distressing memories.

medtests.de · Dissociation

Dissociation Test

Standing beside yourself, seeing the world as if through a fog, losing whole stretches of a journey: dissociation is the umbrella term for experiences where perception, memory, and the sense of self briefly come apart. This self-test uses the DES-II, a screening used worldwide, with 28 statements. It is not a diagnosis, but it shows you how pronounced such experiences are for you and whether a professional assessment would be worthwhile.

If this gets to be too much

Dissociation can be linked to distressing or traumatic experiences. If memories overwhelm you, you lose your grip on reality, or you have thoughts of ending your life, please do not stay alone with that. In the US, call or text 988. In the UK, Samaritans is free at 116 123. In Germany, TelefonSeelsorge is free and anonymous around the clock at 0800 111 0 111. In immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

Dissociative Experiences Scale II (DES-II), 28 items

The following 28 statements describe experiences that some people have in everyday life. For each one, please indicate what percentage of the time it applies to you, when you are not under the influence of alcohol or other substances. 0 percent means never, 100 percent means always. If a question becomes too much, you may pause at any time.

28 questions~5 minanonymous, scored in your browsernot a diagnosis

What the DES-II measures

The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II) asks about 28 experiences and what percentage of the time each applies to you when you are sober. It covers a wide range: everyday memory gaps, becoming deeply absorbed in fantasies or films, and experiences of feeling estranged from yourself and your surroundings. Your score is the average across all answers, from 0 to 100. A mean from about 30 marks the positive screening range, where a professional assessment makes sense. That is an orientation, not a diagnosis. A low score does not reliably rule out a burden, especially if you experience individual items very strongly.

Depersonalization and derealization (DPDR)

Two forms of dissociation are searched for most often. Depersonalization is the sense of being estranged from yourself: as if you were standing beside yourself, watching yourself from the outside, or your body did not belong to you. Derealization is the same sense of unreality turned outward: your surroundings feel strange, as if behind glass or through a fog. Together these are abbreviated DPDR. Brief episodes are familiar to many people under heavy stress or exhaustion. If the states occur often, last a long time, and weigh on you, talking to a professional makes sense. The DES-II includes several questions about exactly these experiences, but does not score them as a separate diagnosis.

What is OSDD?

OSDD stands for Other Specified Dissociative Disorder. The term is used when clear dissociative symptoms are present but not all criteria of a well-defined disorder such as dissociative identity disorder are met. OSDD is therefore explicitly a clinical diagnosis that a professional makes in conversation, not a result a questionnaire can deliver. At most, the DES-II can be a hint that a closer assessment is worthwhile.

Multiple personality and DID: why there is no self-test

What used to be called "multiple personality disorder" is now called dissociative identity disorder (DID). It is a rare, complex condition almost always linked to severe, early trauma. There is no online self-test that establishes DID, for good reason: the diagnosis requires a careful, often lengthy assessment by specialists, in part to distinguish it from other causes. A high DES-II score can arise from very different burdens and does not prove DID. The DES-II remains a screening for dissociative experiences, no more and no less.

Self-perception and perception disturbances in adults

People searching for a "self-perception disturbance" or "perception disturbances in adults" often mean exactly the experiences this test captures: feeling foreign to yourself, or perceiving your surroundings as altered. The key is telling them apart. Altered perception can also have physical or neurological causes, for example after migraine, with sleep deprivation, under certain medications, or with brain conditions. If perceptual changes appear suddenly, together with neurological signs such as weakness, speech or vision problems, or after a fall, that belongs in a prompt medical assessment, not in a self-test.

When support makes sense

Dissociation is often a protective mechanism the body uses to shield itself from overload. It becomes a problem when it occurs often, disrupts daily life, or comes with anxiety, low mood, or distressing memories. Because dissociation and trauma are closely linked, the PTSD test on this site can be a useful complement. Good places to turn to are a doctor or therapist experienced in trauma, a trauma clinic, or your family doctor. If you feel overwhelmed, lose your grip on reality, or have thoughts of ending your life, please do not stay alone with that. In Germany, TelefonSeelsorge is free and anonymous at 0800 111 0 111; in the US, call or text 988; in the UK, Samaritans: 116 123. In immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

Source

Carlson EB, Putnam FW. An Update on the Dissociative Experiences Scale. Dissociation, 1993;6(1):16-27. Earlier work: Bernstein EM, Putnam FW. Development, Reliability, and Validity of a Dissociation Scale. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1986;174(12):727-735. The English DES-II original was released by the authors for free use in research and clinical settings. Our German items are a non-normed translation of the English original, not the licensed German FDS edition.