Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

DID and Diagnosis

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Dissociative Identity Disorder

Abstract

Despite past controversy about the etiology and diagnosis of DID, extensive research has established the condition as a true psychiatric pathology that can be reliably diagnosed. The prevailing understanding of DID accepts that the development of dissociative identities is a consequence of previous trauma and its subsequent effects on a patient’s emotions, relationships, cognitive processes, and neurobiology. Validated diagnostic measures of DID include two structured clinical interviews (the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders [SCID-D]/SCID-D-Revised and Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule [DDIS]) and one self-report assessment scored by clinicians (the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation [MID]). Multiple self-report questionnaires are also available for screening purposes: the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Dissociation Questionnaire (DIS-Q), and Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire-20 (SDQ-20). Challenges in diagnosis remain, and further clarification may be needed to more definitively discriminate DID from diagnoses with overlapping symptoms and differing etiologies. While there is some research on neurobiological markers of DID, existing diagnostic measures are the most effective methods of identifying DID in patients and subsequently treating the underlying etiology in each case.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Dorahy, M. J., Brand, B. L., Sar, V., Krüger, C., Stavropoulos, P., Martínez-Taboas, A., Lewis-Fernández, R., and Middleton, W. (2014). Dissociative identity disorder: An empirical overview. Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 48(5), 402–417.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5 Task Force. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5™, vol. 5. 5th ed. American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 2013. p. 5.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  3. Wang P. What Are Dissociative Disorders? American Psychiatric Association. 2018, August. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/dissociative-disorders/what-are-dissociative-disorders

  4. Reed GM, First MB, Kogan CS, Hyman SE, Gureje O, Gaebel W, Maj M, Stein DJ, Maercker A, Tyrer P, Claudino A, Garralda E, Salvador-Carulla L, Ray R, Saunders JB, Dua T, Poznyak V, Medina-Mora ME, Pike KM, et al. Innovations and changes in the ICD-11 classification of mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders. World Psychiatry. 2019;18(1):3–19.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Nakdimen K. Renaming multiple personality disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1995;152(7):1104. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.152.7.1104a.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Waugaman RM. Multiple personality disorder and one analyst’s paradigm shift. Psychoanal Inq. 2000;20(2):207–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Spiegel D, Lewis-Fernández R, Lanius R, Vermetten E, Simeon D, Friedman M. Dissociative disorders in DSM-5. Ann Rev Clin Psychol. 2013;9:299–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Foote, B. (1999). Dissociative identity disorder and pseudo-hysteria. Am J Psychother, 53(3), 320–343.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gleaves DH. The sociocognitive model of dissociative identity disorder: a reexamination of the evidence. Psychol Bull. 1996;120(1):42–59.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Şar, V., Dorahy, M. J., and Krüger, C. (2017). Revisiting the etiological aspects of dissociative identity disorder: a biopsychosocial perspective. Psychol Res Behav Manag, 10, 137–146.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Ross, C. A. (2015). When to suspect and how to diagnose dissociative identity disorder. J EMDR Pract Res, 9(2), 114–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Ross, C. A., and Ellason, J. W. (2005). Discriminating among diagnostic categories using the dissociative disorders interview schedule. Psychol Rep, 96(2), 445–453.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Mychailyszyn MP, Brand BL, Webermann AR, Şar V, Draijer N. Differentiating dissociative from non-dissociative disorders: a meta-analysis of the structured clinical interview for DSM dissociative disorders (SCID-D). J Trauma Dissoc. 2021;22(1):19–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Steinberg. Advances in the clinical assessment of dissociation: The SCID-DR. BULLETIN-MENNINGER CLINIC. 2000. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marlene-Steinberg/publication/12476744_Advances_in_the_clinical_assessment_of_dissociation_The_SCID-D-R/links/54832b300cf2f5dd63a90fcd/Advances-in-the-clinical-assessment-of-dissociation-The-SCID-D-R.pdf

  15. Gleaves DH, May MC, Cardeña E. An examination of the diagnostic validity of dissociative identity disorder. Clin Psychol Rev. 2001;21(4):577–608.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Dell PF. The multidimensional inventory of dissociation (MID): A comprehensive measure of pathological dissociation. J Trauma Dissoc. 2006;7(2):77–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Korzekwa MI, Dell PF, Links PS, Thabane L, Fougere P. Dissociation in borderline personality disorder: a detailed look. J Trauma Dissoc. 2009;10(3):346–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Saggino A, Molinengo G, Rogier G, Garofalo C, Loera B, Tommasi M, Velotti P. Improving the psychometric properties of the dissociative experiences scale (DES-II): a Rasch validation study. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Nijenhuis ER, Spinhoven P, Van Dyck R, Van der Hart O, Vanderlinden J. The development and psychometric characteristics of the somatoform dissociation questionnaire (SDQ-20). J Nerv Ment Dis. 1996;184(11):688–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Matsui, Y., Naito, K., Matsuishi, K., Kato, H., Maeda, K., and Tanaka, K. (2011). Assessment of dissociation symptoms in patients with mental disorders by the dissociation questionnaire (DIS-Q). Kobe J Med Sci, 56(6), E263–E269.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Bowman, E. S. (2006). Why conversion seizures should be classified as a dissociative disorder. Psychiatr Clin North Am, 29(1), 185–211, x.

  22. Nijenhuis ER, van Dyck R, Spinhoven P, van der Hart O, Chatrou M, Vanderlinden J, Moene F. Somatoform dissociation discriminates among diagnostic categories over and above general psychopathology. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1999;33(4):511–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Mitra P, Jain A. Dissociative identity disorder. In StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2021.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Reinders AATS, Marquand AF, Schlumpf YR, Chalavi S, Vissia EM, Nijenhuis ERS, Dazzan P, Jäncke L, Veltman DJ. Aiding the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder: pattern recognition study of brain biomarkers. Br J Psychiatry J Ment Sci. 2019;215(3):536–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Lotfinia, S., Soorgi, Z., Mertens, Y., and Daniels, J. (2020). Structural and functional brain alterations in psychiatric patients with dissociative experiences: a systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging studies. J Psychiatr Res, 128, 5–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Lebois LAM, Harnett NG, van Rooij SJH, Ely TD, Jovanovic T, Bruce SE, House SL, Ravichandran C, Dumornay NM, Finegold KE, Hill SB, Merker JB, Phillips KA, Beaudoin FL, An X, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, et al. Persistent dissociation and its neural correlates in predicting outcomes after trauma exposure. Am J Psychiatry. 2022;179(9):661–72.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Grand Blanc, MI, USA

    Shivani Kaushal

  2. Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, Overland Park, KS, USA

    Jordan Calabrese

  3. Windsor University School of Medicine, Santa Fe, NM, USA

    Anam Roy

  4. Saint George’s University School of Medicine, Miramar, FL, USA

    Jose Isaac Reyes

Authors
  1. Shivani Kaushal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jordan Calabrese
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anam Roy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jose Isaac Reyes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. California Institute Of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology, Fairfield, CA, USA

    Hassaan Tohid

  2. HCA - Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, Aventura, FL, USA

    Ian Hunter Rutkofsky

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kaushal, S., Calabrese, J., Roy, A., Reyes, J.I. (2023). DID and Diagnosis. In: Tohid, H., Rutkofsky, I.H. (eds) Dissociative Identity Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39854-4_27

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39854-4_27

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-39853-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-39854-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation