Discontinuation-Emergent Signs and Symptoms Inventory – Polish translation of the discontinuation signs and symptoms checklist

A number of preclinical and clinical studies are focused on mechanisms of SSRI discontinuation syndrome as well as the patient populations and agents that are most affected by this phenomenon. Characteristics of onset, duration, and severity of any discontinuation symptoms and spontaneous reports of taper/poststudy-emergent adverse events should be compared with those of the active comparator in these studies. Besides, common clinical practice supplies a number of problems associated with SSRI discontinuation syndrome as related to treatment planning and management. The recommended instrument for evaluating SSRI discontinuation syndrome symptoms is the Discontinuation-Emergent Signs and Symptoms (DESS) inventory. DESS is a 43-item checklist that can be administered in a clinician-rated form, a self-rated form, or an interactive voice-response form. The paper presents the Polish version of DESS inventory along with its application and interpretation instructions. DESS inventory is of substantial advance in common psychiatric practice as it enables effective SSRI discontinuation management on drug tapering and in case of the non-compliance with the treatment. Its use in the systematic studies facilitates conclusive outcome results and is of prime importance as being comparable with literature outcomes.