[en] Stark splitting and quantum interference effects in the absorption spectrum of a probe field in coherently driven closed upper coupled three level atomic schemes ($\mathrm{\Lambda <!--\; ??\; -->}$ and upper-cascade), which are created by a strong driving field are studied using the dressed state representation. In the dressed representation, the absorption due to the Stark splitting can be separated from the absorption due to the interference effects. We explicitly show the presence of both destructive and constructive interference in upper coupled three level atomic schemes. The interference in these atomic schemes is due to the coupling of the two dressed states by the same vacuum modes and the probe. We show that the dephasing rates can change the nature of the interference from constructive to destructive and vice versa, resulting in increased or decreased resonant absorption of the probe field. (invited comment)