Dissociative Assessment
Dissociative Assessment

Private Dissociative Disorder Assessment in London

A specialist assessment for memory gaps, detachment, feelings of unreality and identity confusion, led by consultant psychiatrist Prof. Ahmed El-Missiry, FRCPsych. In person in London, or by secure video anywhere in the UK.

A dissociative assessment is a detailed clinical evaluation that finds out whether symptoms such as losing time, feeling detached from yourself or feeling that the world isn’t real are caused by a dissociative disorder, and how severe they are. At BritMed Healthcare, it is carried out by Prof. Ahmed El-Missiry, a private psychiatrist with more than 30 years’ experience.

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What is Dissociative Assessmentand When Should You Consider It?

Dissociation is a disconnection between things that are normally joined up: your thoughts, memories, feelings, surroundings, body and sense of who you are. Mild, brief dissociation is common. Most people have “zoned out” on a familiar journey, or felt slightly unreal when exhausted or under great stress.

It becomes a concern when it happens often, lasts a long time, or gets in the way of daily life. For many people, dissociation began as the mind’s way of coping with something overwhelming, often trauma, and carried on long after the danger passed.

Dissociative Assessment

Dissociative Disorders Assessment

Professional evaluation and personalized support for dissociative symptoms.
£ 300
  • 45–50 min
  • Remote Sessions
  • Symptom and history evaluation
  • Personalized treatment plan
  • Trauma-focused therapy and CBT
  • Remote pre-session screening

Note

How the Dissociative Assessment Process Works

Complete pre-assessment questionnaires and short risk evaluation

Schedule consultation in person or via secure video conferencing

Discuss symptoms and experiences in detail with the clinician

Receive a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs

Access ongoing guidance and support for symptom management

Private Consultant Psychiatrist

Why Chooseprof. Ahmed EL-Missiry?

Dissociative Assessment Frequently Asked Questions

This is a clinical evaluation used to identify disruptions in a person’s consciousness or identity:

  1. Specialist Interview: Conducted by a psychiatrist or psychologist trained in trauma.
  2. Standardised Tools: Often involves the SCID-D or Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES).
  3. Clinical Objective: To differentiate between temporary “spacing out” and a complex mental health condition.

These are mental health conditions characterised by a disconnection between thoughts, surroundings, and identity:

  1. Coping Mechanism: Usually develops as a subconscious way to survive significant trauma.
  2. Symptoms: Include memory loss and feeling detached from oneself.
  3. Diagnosis: They are clinically distinct from psychosis or personality disorders.
  • Developed by Dr Marlene Steinberg, this model identifies five core symptoms for clinical diagnosis:

    1. Amnesia: Specific gaps in personal memory.
    2. Depersonalisation: Feeling detached from your body.
    3. Derealisation: Feeling the environment is “unreal.”
    4. Identity Confusion: Inner struggle over who you are.
    5. Identity Alteration: Behaving like a different person.

In clinical practice, dissociation typically manifests in these five functional areas:

  1. Memory: Forgetting appointments or significant life events.
  2. Identity: Feeling like a stranger to yourself.
  3. Perception: Changes in how you see or hear the world.
  4. Emotion: Feeling “numb” or disconnected from your feelings.
  5. Body: Feeling physical sensations (or lack thereof) that aren’t medically explained.

The primary classifications used by specialists in London clinics include:

  1. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Having multiple distinct identities.
  2. Dissociative Amnesia: Inability to recall important traumatic information.
  3. Depersonalisation/Derealisation Disorder: Chronic feelings of unreality.
  4. Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD): For symptoms that don’t fully meet the criteria of the other three.