[Luce]

Blah. We had to do some questionnaires for the assessment process in T yesterday, including the DES. I hate that test. How the heck are you supposed to answer any of those stupid questions? "What *percentage of the time do you find yourself wearing different clothes?" (or however they word it)
Ummm, how do you answer that? If there are 24 hours in a day and that particular thing only happens to me about twice a month or so, and each time 'finding myself....' in that particular situation only lasts for a second or two, I would answer <0.000001% of the time, right? Right??

I was so confused by not knowing how to quantify the answers we had to give it up and now have to do it next time. I hate that stoopid thing!

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Luce

Blah. We had to do some questionnaires for the assessment process in T yesterday, including the DES. I hate that test. How the heck are you supposed to answer any of those stupid questions? "What *percentage of the time do you find yourself wearing different clothes?" (or however they word it)
Ummm, how do you answer that? If there are 24 hours in a day and that particular thing only happens to me about twice a month or so, and each time 'finding myself....' in that particular situation only lasts for a second or two, I would answer <0.000001% of the time, right? Right??

I was so confused by not knowing how to quantify the answers we had to give it up and now have to do it next time. I hate that stoopid thing!

the DES is meant to be vague, its not only used for dissociative disorders now. many mental disorders here in america now contain dissociative symptoms as does normal situations. it doesnt diagnose a person with a dissociative disorder. just lets the test taker know where their level of dissociation is at during general non triggering, non dissociative disorder situations.

the percentages are mostly for those who's mind works in percentages. (for example...people who think things like on a scale of 1- 10 I put myself at 2 for my ability to what ever)

for this test the test score circles are in increments of 10. for example when I was not integrated I found that my finding things i didnt remember buying was at never but after integration I found many things around the house I didnt remember buying, and just didnt notice them before integration because I was so dissociated with my surroundings. therefore after integration I marked 90 because there was that rare day that went by that I did not find things I had bought before integration.

where as someone else I know their scoring was the opposite. their awareness of their surroundings before integration was so keen that they repeatedly found new items they did not remember buying.

my point dont worry so much about trying to score the test perfect. there is no such thing as a perfect scoring one way or the other. usually a perfect score points to not having a dissociative problem\being normal or trying to manipulate the test.

the best thing to do is just go on your gut of what your own problems feel like.

[Luce]

Thanks AL. I get so tied up on what is the 'correct' way to interpret the percentages. Do they mean the percentage of the 24 hours in a day? In that case I would score very, very low. Or do they mean how 'often' something happens? In that case I would score something more highly.
I just wish the scale used was something more like never, seldom, occasionally, often, always. That would be soooo much more straightforward. Then I would answer that I find myself wearing different clothes occasionally rather than <00001% of the time (equating it to 24 hours).
Anyway the T said we would do it together next time and discuss examples of each thing as we go. So hopefully she has a better idea than me!
I need to have a consult with a psychiatrist for a med review and we are going to do the SCID-D with her for the formal diagnosis part anyway. I've done it before in another country but they need it again. All seems like such a waste of time to me. Although I know why they are doing it - we need a current diagnosis in order to get my therapy fully funded.

[yagr]

Oh my, do I understand Luce. I have Aspergers - and for those who might take the time to point out that Aspergers isn't a 'thing' any longer it's now called 'high functioning autism', thanks but I know.

Anyway, even the simplest questions on psych tests send me reeling. Take for instance this one from the MCMI (though it could have been any test): "Lately, my strength seems to be draining out of me, even in the mornings." First, let's define 'lately'. No, it isn't what the word 'lately' means to me because it is meaningless to me. I think in terms of concrete or objective terms. If I wake up with no strength, is it because it drained out of me or because there was nothing to drain in the first place? Since the goal of the test is to communicate, then what the test administrator thinks and how he or she interprets my answer is crucial...so let me try to ascertain how they think before I answer.

Or a more technical example from the MMPI-2... these answers are suppose to vary; they are part of a subscale called the K-test designed to identify lying.

Q157 (T) What others think of me does not bother me.
The question is too vague. What you think of me is none of my business is usually a good policy and my personal pov. But if the administrator of this test thinks I'm lying, it will effect my disability and as a result, my ability to survive.
Q158 (T) It makes me uncomfortable to pull a stunt at a party even when others are doing the same sort of things.
I am uncomfortable at parties period. I go only when they are unavoidable. Whether others are doing something or not is a non-issue – I don't care.
Q83 (T) I have very few quarrels with members of my family.
I don't speak to the vast majority of my family so there are no quarrels.


Anyway...do hate psych tests. Give me a structured interview every time.

[Luce]

You get it, yagr! I am not on the spectrum but feel pretty darned close to it at times.
Still, you get me. Thanks. It's the curse of the spectrummy / high intelligence/ overthinking group, I think.
It didn't help matters when I explained my line of reasoning about the <0.00001% answer and the T said "well put that, then." I realllly don't think that is how the questions are supposed to be interpreted (and thus will give a meaningless result), but that is what the wording leads to.

Originally Posted by Luce

Blah. We had to do some questionnaires for the assessment process in T yesterday, including the DES. I hate that test. How the heck are you supposed to answer any of those stupid questions? "What *percentage of the time do you find yourself wearing different clothes?" (or however they word it)
Ummm, how do you answer that? If there are 24 hours in a day and that particular thing only happens to me about twice a month or so, and each time 'finding myself....' in that particular situation only lasts for a second or two, I would answer <0.000001% of the time, right? Right??

I was so confused by not knowing how to quantify the answers we had to give it up and now have to do it next time. I hate that stoopid thing!

I know it, right? Like what is the scale like really based on? I pretty much settled on left-middle-right (never-some-fer sure)....and the others are in between.

[Luce]

I think that is what I will end up doing, AC, because anything else is going to do my head in.

[yagr]

Originally Posted by Luce

You get it, yagr! I am not on the spectrum but feel pretty darned close to it at times.
Still, you get me. Thanks. It's the curse of the spectrummy / high intelligence/ overthinking group, I think.

I agree, with one caveat... I reject other peoples interpretation of my thinking as 'overthinking'. It is normal to me. I spend an awful lot of time using the tools I have to not judge, berate, and belittle people who 'underthink' by trying to remind myself that it is the proper level of thinking for them. But yeah, I get it.

Originally Posted by Luce

It didn't help matters when I explained my line of reasoning about the <0.00001% answer and the T said "well put that, then." I realllly don't think that is how the questions are supposed to be interpreted (and thus will give a meaningless result), but that is what the wording leads to.

Have you been sitting in some of my sessions...cause I have heard that verbatim. Not with my latest T, but every one before that.

[Luce]

The over-thinking part in there was about me. I sometimes over-think things to a degree that is damaging for me.
Sometimes it I okay to let things simply be simple.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Luce

The over-thinking part in there was about me. I sometimes over-think things to a degree that is damaging for me.
Sometimes it I okay to let things simply be simple.

sorry I havent been back to this thread you asked if the questions on the DES want to know it its per 24 hours or day, the new versions does take into consideration time frames like per day, per hour. it is a self evaluation what the test taker feels. then the test takers responses are compared to other test results. the newest version also has a long form and a short form. the short form is not that long and is not the percentages form. you might want to ask your treatment provider for the short one instead.

the SCID-D here in america we are not on the SCID-D. the SCID -D is dated 1994. in may 2013 the american psychiatric association put out new versions that with completely different worded interview questions. The new test questions are not found online for people to take a free test online. it is a manual \ book that treatment providers buy in a book format for 80 to 100 dollars.

this newer test is for many mental disorders and has many different versions. the test taker never knows ahead of time which version of the new SCID test they are taking. the test is usually given more than once... first when the test taker does not realize they are being tested to get an impartial non biased non manipulated result then to get the comparison result scores. things this test looks for is AD/HD, bipolar, depression, anxiety, and psychotic schizophrenic disorders, all the mental disorders america now lists in the personality disorder category... the questions on dissociation in this test are not related to the severe forms of dissociation like DID. many mental disorders now include dissociative like symptoms.

to prepare for it you can contact your treatment provider and ask if you can take a sample test. the treatment provider will pull out her book and read you the sample test questions to you. the sample questions are basic daily living oral type questions.

[ThisWayOut]

I just took that with t yesterday, and I had similar problems quantifying my experiences. T suggested I look at it along a spectrum of "never" to "always". That made it easier to pick answers...