Back to Journals » Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment » Volume 4 » Issue 5

Validity and reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for Depersonalization–Derealization Spectrum (SCI-DER)

Authors Mula M, Pini S, Calugi S, Preve M, Masini M, Giovannini I, Conversano C, Rucci P, Cassano GB

Published 10 October 2008 Volume 2008:4(5) Pages 977—986

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S3622

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 4



Marco Mula, Stefano Pini, Simona Calugi, Matteo Preve, Matteo Masini, Ilaria Giovannini, Ciro Conversano, Paola Rucci, Giovanni B Cassano

Department of Psychiatry, Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Biotechnologies, University of Pisa, Italy

Abstract: This study evaluates the validity and reliability of a new instrument developed to assess symptoms of depersonalization: the Structured Clinical Interview for the Depersonalization-Derealization Spectrum (SCI-DER). The instrument is based on a spectrum model that emphasizes soft-signs, sub-threshold syndromes as well as clinical and subsyndromal manifestations. Items of the interview include, in addition to DSM-IV criteria for depersonalization, a number of features derived from clinical experience and from a review of phenomenological descriptions. Study participants included 258 consecutive patients with mood and anxiety disorders, 16.7% bipolar I disorder, 18.6% bipolar II disorder, 32.9% major depression, 22.1% panic disorder, 4.7% obsessive compulsive disorder, and 1.5% generalized anxiety disorder; 2.7% patients were also diagnosed with depersonalization disorder. A comparison group of 42 unselected controls was enrolled at the same site. The SCI-DER showed excellent reliability and good concurrent validity with the Dissociative Experiences Scale. It significantly discriminated subjects with any diagnosis of mood and anxiety disorders from controls and subjects with depersonalization disorder from controls. The hypothesized structure of the instrument was confirmed empirically.

Keywords: depersonalization, derealization, mood disorders, anxiety disorders

Creative Commons License © 2008 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.