Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES)

The Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) is a validated 30-item self-report instrument designed specifically to measure dissociative symptoms…

Questions: 30
Duration: 15 min
Original title: A-DES-II — Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale
Adaptation: Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES)
Authors: Armstrong, J.G., Putnam, F.W., Carlson, E.B., Libero, D.Z., & Smith, S.R.
Created: 1997

The Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale (A-DES) is a validated 30-item self-report instrument designed specifically to measure dissociative symptoms in youth. Unlike adult measures, it accounts for the unique developmental manifestations of dissociation during adolescence, distinguishing normal developmental detachment from pathological fragmentation. Clinicians use it to capture a broad spectrum of common reactions to trauma, ranging from benign daydreaming to profound identity alteration and memory loss.

By establishing a reliable baseline, the A-DES helps clinicians untangle complex presentations where dissociation might otherwise be misattributed to behavioral issues or mood instability. It is an essential, repeatable tool for trauma-informed practices aiming to quantify and monitor dissociative severity.

Example result

Fictitious result, computed from a sample set of answers.

Overall score

4.6/ 10

The A-DES is a 30-item self-report questionnaire for adolescents aged 11 to 18 years, designed to screen for and quantify normal and pathological dissociative experiences. It explores four domains: dissociative amnesia, absorption and imaginative involvement, depersonalization/derealization, and passive influence. Useful during initial assessment and for clinical monitoring of dissociative symptoms, particularly in post-traumatic contexts.

0–1.9

Low

2–2.9

Mild

3–3.9

Moderate

4–10

Pathological dissociation

4.6

The source specifies: "When the A-DES score exceeds 4.0, further assessment for a dissociative disorder is recommended, potentially including structured clinical interview." It also cautions that a strict cutoff at 4.0 may miss clinically significant cases (mean of 2.2 already observed in general psychiatry) and that a lowered cutoff in the 3.0-3.9 range increases sensitivity in the presence of a trauma history.

généralemixed · community sample · 11–16 years · United Kingdom · n = 768 · 2001 · Farrington et al. (2001)

010

4.6

M = 2.66 ± 1.81

généralecommunity sample · n = 331 · 2003 · Muris et al. (2003)

010

4.6

M = 1.27 ± 1.18

cliniquepathology: dissociative disorders · 1997 · Armstrong et al. (1997)

010

4.6

M = 4.8 ± 1.1

cliniquepathology: mixed psychiatric disorders (non-dissociative comparison group) · 1997 · Armstrong et al. (1997)

010

4.6

M = 2.2 ± 1.6

cliniquepathology: psychotic disorders · 1997 · Armstrong et al. (1997)

010

4.6

M = 3.7 ± 1.8

Scoring

Item mean (total score = sum / 30), total score from 0 to 10, each item is rated on an 11-point scale (from 0 to 10).

Dissociative amnesia

4.143/ 10

Dissociative amnesia (7 items): gaps in memory and awareness — having schoolwork returned or finding writings/drawings with no memory of having done them, being told of actions one does not remember, memory gaps in personal history or daily activities (from Armstrong et al., 1997).

items 2, 5, 8, 12, 15, 22, 27

généralecommunity sample · n = 331 · 2003 · Muris et al. (2003)

010

4.143

M = 1.36 ± 1.37

Absorption and imaginative involvement

4.5/ 10

Absorption and imaginative involvement (6 items): intense engagement in fantasy or an activity (television, reading, video games, daydreaming) with reduced awareness of the environment, and the ability to shut out real-world distractions (from Armstrong et al., 1997).

items 1, 7, 10, 18, 24, 28

généralecommunity sample · n = 331 · 2003 · Muris et al. (2003)

010

4.5

M = 1.79 ± 1.46

Passive influence

3.2/ 10

Passive influence (5 items): experiences of loss of voluntary control over one's actions, behaviors, or sensations — unexplained fluctuating abilities, feeling compelled to act without wanting to, sensations or behaviors experienced as involuntary or controlled by something else (from Armstrong et al., 1997).

items 4, 14, 16, 19, 23

généralecommunity sample · n = 331 · 2003 · Muris et al. (2003)

010

3.2

M = 1.58 ± 1.5

Depersonalization and derealization

5.5/ 10

Depersonalization and derealization (12 items): feeling disconnected from oneself or perceiving the world as unreal or distorted — feeling in a fog, observing oneself from outside one's body, body feeling alien, feeling like having multiple people inside oneself, relationships changing inexplicably. Includes items on dissociated identity and dissociated relationships specific to adolescence (from Armstrong et al., 1997).

items 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 17, 20, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30

généralecommunity sample · n = 331 · 2003 · Muris et al. (2003)

010

5.5

M = 0.82 ± 1.16

Have your patient take this test

Assign it in one click: your patient answers on their phone, you receive the score and its interpretation.

Assign this test to a patient

What the test measures

The Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale measures the frequency of dissociative experiences in youth, capturing both normative detachment and pathological dissociation. It organizes these experiences across four core dimensions to help clarify the symptom picture.

Dissociative amnesia: Gaps in memory, lost time, and finding evidence of forgotten actions.
Absorption and imaginative involvement: Becoming so deeply engrossed in a task or fantasy that awareness of the surrounding environment fades, often presenting as everyday 'unusual' experiences.
Depersonalization and derealization: Feeling detached from one's own body, mind, or surroundings, as though observing oneself from the outside, which is central to the depersonalization-derealization symptoms profile.
Passive influence: The sense of being compelled or controlled by internal forces, leading to actions or shifts in skill level outside of volitional control.

The A-DES is validated for adolescents aged 11 to 18 to explore trauma-related dissociation and atypical symptom presentations.

When and why to use it

Clinicians use the A-DES to screen for and monitor dissociative symptoms, particularly when an adolescent presents with trauma histories, erratic behavioral changes, or complex symptom pictures that do not fit a primary mood or anxiety disorder.

Intake baseline: To establish a comprehensive profile of dissociative tendencies early in treatment, ensuring severe dissociation is not overlooked when recognizing PTSD.
Screening and differential support: To help distinguish trauma-related dissociation from psychotic-spectrum experiences, allowing clinicians to cautiously navigate the psychosis differential in distressed adolescents.
Monitoring change: To track the frequency of dissociative experiences over time, evaluating whether grounding and emotion regulation interventions are effectively interrupting the depersonalization maintenance cycle.

A validated score provides a standardized metric of dissociative severity, moving beyond vague clinical impressions to concretely map how profoundly dissociation disrupts the adolescent's daily functioning and sense of self.

Clinical library

750+ clinical tools

A library built with and for clinicians, ready to use in session and extend between appointments.

Access all the tools

Several resource types

Psychoeducation handouts

Understand at a glance

Interactive exercises

To do and fill in

Interactive programs

A structured path

Audios

Meditation and relaxation

Psychometric tests

Automatic scoring

The questions

These questions ask about different kinds of experiences that people can have. For each question, circle the number that describes how much that experience happens to you. Circle "0" if it never happens to you and "10" if it always happens to you. If it happens sometimes but not all the time, circle a number between 1 and 9 that best describes how often it happens to you. When you answer, only tell how often these things happen when you HAVE NOT used alcohol or drugs.
1. I get so absorbed in watching TV, reading, or playing a video game that I'm no longer aware of what's happening around me.
Assesses deep cognitive absorption and a loss of environmental awareness during routine solitary activities.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
2. I get tests or homework back that I don't remember doing.
Explores significant episodic amnesia related to recent academic or daily tasks.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
3. I have strong emotions that don't seem to be mine.
Probes the experience of ego-dystonic or compartmentalized emotional states.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
4. I can do something very well one time, and then another time, I can't do it at all.
Evaluates profound, unexplained fluctuations in skill or competence levels.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
5. People tell me I do or say things that I don't remember doing or saying.
Assesses interpersonal feedback regarding actions occurring during dissociative amnesia.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
6. I feel like I'm in a fog or completely somewhere else, and things around me seem unreal.
Targets classic derealization, presenting as a subjective sense of environmental unreality.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
7. I'm not sure if I actually did something or if I only thought about doing it.
Explores difficulties with source monitoring and distinguishing thoughts from physical actions.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
8. I look at the time and realize that time has passed without me being able to remember what happened.
Identifies episodes of missing time or spontaneous temporal amnesia.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
9. I hear voices in my head that are not my own.
Assesses internal auditory phenomena often indicative of dissociated self-states rather than true psychosis.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
10. When I'm in a place I don't want to be, I can escape into my own head.
Probes deliberate or automatic psychological withdrawal from aversive environments.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
11. I lie and act so well that I end up believing it myself.
Evaluates a form of self-deception that borders on temporary identity alteration or compartmentalization.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
12. I sometimes 'wake up' in the middle of doing something.
Assesses sudden spontaneous returns of executive awareness during ongoing behavior.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
13. I don't recognize myself in the mirror.
Probes profound depersonalization characterized by a loss of visual self-recognition.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
14. I find myself going somewhere or doing something and I don't know why.
Explores the experience of passive influence driving complex physical actions.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
15. I find myself somewhere and I don't remember how I got there.
Targets dissociative fugue-like states involving spatial displacement and amnesia.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
16. I have thoughts that don't really seem to belong to me.
Assesses thought insertion or internal cognitive intrusions stemming from dissociated parts.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
17. I find that I can make physical pain go away.
Evaluates somatoform dissociation in the form of spontaneous or induced analgesia.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
18. I can't tell if things really happened or if I just dreamed about them or thought about them.
Probes significant impairment in reality testing regarding personal episodic memory.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
19. I find myself doing something I know is wrong, even when I really don't want to do it.
Assesses compulsive behavior driven by a sense of passive influence or alternate control.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
20. People tell me that I sometimes act so differently that I seem like another person.
Identifies external observations of overt switching between distinct personality states.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
21. I feel like there are walls inside my mind.
Explores the subjective experience of internal compartmentalization and structural dissociation.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
22. I find writings, drawings, or letters that I must have made but don't remember making.
Assesses the discovery of tangible evidence for actions completed during amnestic episodes.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
23. Something inside me seems to make me do things I don't want to do.
Probes the internal perception of being controlled by an alternate self-state or dissociated force.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
24. I can't tell if I'm just remembering something or if it's actually happening to me.
Evaluates severe temporal disorientation, often linked to immersive trauma flashbacks.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
25. I feel like I'm standing outside my body, watching myself as if I were someone else.
Targets autoscopic depersonalization and the classic out-of-body experience.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
26. My relationships with my family and friends suddenly change, and I don't know why.
Assesses interpersonal instability resulting from state-dependent changes in attachment and perception.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
27. I feel like my past is a puzzle with some pieces missing.
Probes overarching autobiographical amnesia and fragmentation of personal history.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
28. I get so absorbed in my toys, stuffed animals, or a game that they seem alive to me.
Evaluates intense imaginative involvement and developmentally specific magical thinking.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
29. I feel like there are different people inside of me.
Assesses the core structural dissociation experience of harboring distinct alternate identities.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always
30. My body feels like it doesn't belong to me.
Explores profound somatic depersonalization and alienation from the physical self.
- Never
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Always