Updated
Original VAYEMA symptom and impact self-check – not a validated scale
Depersonalisation and derealisation
Answer the symptom statements below to see which experiences and areas of daily life you report as most affected. These are original VAYEMA questions, not a validated diagnostic scale. No clinical severity or probability score is calculated.
Answers are processed only in this page by this assessment. They are not submitted, monitored or automatically saved. No name, email or account is required. Use a private device and clear your answers when finished.
For adults aged 18 and over. This self-check cannot diagnose or rule out a condition. Concerns about a child require an age-appropriate professional assessment.
Thinking about the past four weeks, how well does each statement describe your experience?
Additional context – not included in any questionnaire score
These are original VAYEMA questions, not a diagnostic instrument or a validated severity scale. They summarise the experiences you select and do not predict a diagnosis or future harm. Background condition information; this source does not endorse this self-check.
Begin with a description rather than a diagnostic label
A person may say they feel distant from themselves, that surroundings seem dreamlike or that ordinary emotions feel less accessible. Those descriptions are useful even when they do not match a textbook phrase. A clinician can ask what is altered, what remains familiar and how you understand the experience.
The NHS overview describes depersonalisation and derealisation within dissociative disorders. Reading it may give you words for an experience, but it cannot determine its cause. You do not need to decide that you have a dissociative disorder before requesting an assessment or distinguish every possible explanation on your own.
Explain the timing and pattern across situations
The clinician may ask whether symptoms are brief, recurrent or continuous and what was happening when they began. A change in sleep, health, medication, substances or stress may be relevant. Approximate timing is useful; it does not need to be perfectly reconstructed before the appointment.
Choose a small number of representative situations rather than monitor every moment. You may notice differences when engaged in a task, resting or feeling anxious. Such observations help describe the pattern but do not prove a cause. If keeping notes becomes another repeated attempt to test whether things feel real, pause and discuss that difficulty with the clinician.
Describe your understanding of the experience
In depersonalisation-derealisation disorder, people generally recognise the sense of unreality as an experience rather than a literal transformation of the world. The MSD Manual guidance discusses intact reality testing as part of diagnosis. A professional assesses that distinction in context rather than infer it from one phrase.
Explain whether you recognise the feeling as unusual, what you fear it means and whether other experiences such as voices, confusion or memory changes are present. You should not have to rehearse the right answer to fit a category. The clinician’s task is to consider what information is relevant and whether a different or more urgent assessment is needed.
Medical and substance-related information is important
An assessment can consider neurological conditions, head injury, seizures, medicines or substances where the history suggests them. The presence of anxiety does not automatically exclude another cause. A clinician may recommend examination or targeted investigations for a specific question rather than use a questionnaire as proof that symptoms are psychological.
Tell the professional about prescribed medicines, non-prescription products, alcohol and other substances honestly. Mention the timing of any changes, without stopping or adjusting a prescription on your own to test a theory. The purpose is safe interpretation and appropriate care, not judgement. A brief private description is preferable to unnecessary detailed health information in an ordinary website inquiry.
Identify when routine preparation is not the priority
Sudden neurological changes, severe confusion, loss of consciousness or another acute medical concern needs prompt appropriate assessment. Do not assume that a familiar feeling of unreality explains every new symptom. A website tool cannot examine you, monitor awareness or determine that it is safe to wait for a routine appointment.
If attention or awareness is impaired, avoid driving or other hazardous tasks and seek appropriate advice. Immediate danger or inability to remain safe requires urgent local services. These prompts do not transmit an alert when an urgent concern is written down. Contact the relevant professional directly rather than expect a response to information entered on this page.
Consider panic, trauma-related symptoms and other concerns
Detachment can occur with different mental-health difficulties, including panic, depression or trauma-related symptoms. The American Psychiatric Association overview describes the importance of considering the broader clinical picture. An assessment should not assume that every experience has the same psychological meaning or requires the same treatment.
Our panic assessment and PTSD preparation guides cover related questions. You do not need to complete additional tools before being seen. Explain the symptoms that matter to you and let the clinician clarify which distinctions affect care rather than accumulate labels from online descriptions.
Memory uncertainty should not be filled with assumptions
Some people become concerned that symptoms mean something important must have happened outside their memory. The experience of detachment does not establish an unremembered event. A professional can ask about known history and current concerns without suggesting a particular cause or requiring an account you cannot provide.
State what you know and what remains uncertain. The worksheet is not designed to recover memories or explore separate identities. If memory changes are present, they deserve their own assessment, including medical possibilities where appropriate. You can receive support without accepting an explanation based on suggestion, and uncertainty should be documented rather than replaced with a more complete-sounding story.
Functional impact and useful goals belong in the discussion
A clinician should understand how the experience affects work, relationships, concentration and ordinary tasks. The degree of distress may not be visible to other people. You might continue responsibilities while spending considerable effort monitoring symptoms or avoiding situations that feel unsettling.
Describe what you would like more freedom to do and what helps even slightly. These goals can guide treatment without demanding that you prove the experience has vanished before progress counts. A useful assessment includes strengths and practical supports as well as difficulties, so the recommendation fits your life rather than an abstract symptom score.
Why the preparation tool has no diagnostic score
Formal questionnaires can contribute to assessment or monitoring when selected and interpreted appropriately. They cannot independently exclude medical causes, determine reality testing or decide what treatment is safe. A clinician needs the history, context and individual answers alongside any numerical result.
These prompts are original and unscored. They are not the Cambridge Depersonalisation Scale or another validated dissociation measure. There is no threshold, severity category or probability estimate. Repeating the worksheet will not establish certainty about the diagnosis. You can leave fields blank or explain the concern verbally; the tool is an optional communication aid, not an entry requirement for care.
Ask for a clear recommendation and protect your notes
The assessment should explain the working understanding, any medical questions, suitable options and the first review point. Ask what the proposed therapy will address and who is responsible for any medication decisions. The treatment guide provides background without selecting an approach for you.
You can contact VAYEMA through the assessment pathway or read the understanding guide. Nothing entered here is submitted, interpreted or stored in a client record. Reviewing repeats your words, and an optional downloaded file remains on your device. Keep it private and share relevant information only through an appropriate clinical channel you have agreed.
Frequently asked questions about depersonalisation assessment
Can the questions tell me whether I have depersonalisation-derealisation disorder?
No. The prompts are unscored and cannot diagnose the cause of detachment or unreality. A clinician needs the pattern, impact, medical history and other explanations. You can seek an assessment without a particular score or deciding beforehand whether the experience is mainly physical or psychological.
Is this the Cambridge Depersonalisation Scale?
No. It is an original preparation tool and does not reproduce that instrument or provide an equivalent result. A professional may use an appropriate formal measure for a defined purpose, but its score still needs clinical interpretation. These notes only help organise what you choose to discuss.
Should I keep testing whether my surroundings feel real?
Repeated checking can become burdensome and may not provide lasting certainty. A few observations about timing and functioning are enough to begin. Discuss the checking itself with the clinician if it is taking over your attention. The worksheet does not require you to provoke or intensify the experience.
Do the symptoms prove that an unknown event occurred?
No. Detachment or unreality does not establish a hidden trauma. A clinician can consider known history, stress, health and other factors without suggesting an event you do not remember. You should not fill gaps with guesses or accept a particular explanation merely to make the assessment feel complete.
What if I recently changed medication or used a substance?
Tell the clinician, including the timing and any other symptoms. The information may affect the assessment and should be discussed without judgement. Do not alter a prescription independently or use another substance to test the explanation. An appropriate medical professional can advise on necessary review and safety.
Will the tool alert anyone to an urgent symptom?
No. Entries are not transmitted or monitored. New neurological symptoms, severe confusion, loss of consciousness or immediate safety concerns require direct appropriate medical or emergency help. Do not wait for a response to worksheet notes or treat a private self-assessment as clearance to continue a hazardous task.
Resources and references
[1] NHS: dissociative disorders and assessment
[2] MSD Manual Professional: diagnostic criteria and exclusion of other causes
[3] American Psychiatric Association: clinical context for dissociative experiences