Dissociative Identity Disorder (cont.)
How is dissociative identity disorder diagnosed?
There is no specific definitive test, like a blood test, that can accurately
assess that a person has dissociative identity disorder. Therefore,
practitioners conduct a mental-health interview that looks for the presence of
the signs and symptoms previously described. They usually ask questions to
explore whether the symptoms that the client is suffering from are not better
accounted for by another mental disorder, dissociative or otherwise. Other
dissociative disorders include depersonalization disorder (feeling detached from
themselves or surroundings), dissociative amnesia (memory problems associated
with a traumatic experience), dissociative fugue (abandonment of familiar
surroundings and memory lapse for the past), and dissociative disorder, not
otherwise specified (episodes of dissociation that do not qualify for one of the
specific dissociative disorders just described). As part of the assessment,
mental-health professionals also usually ask about other mental conditions and
ensure that the client has recently received a comprehensive physical
examination so that any physical conditions that may mimic symptoms of DID are
identified and addressed.
Dissociation, a major symptom of DID, is known to occur in a number of other
mental illnesses. For example, an individual with this disorder may seek to
relieve overwhelming memories of trauma by engaging in the self-mutilation that
tends to be found in those with borderline personality disorder. Also, feelings
and behaviors that may appear to be caused by dissociation, but are not, make it
all the more difficult to distinguish DID from other conditions. Somatization
disorder, psychogenic amnesia, psychogenic fugue, conversion disorder, and
schizophrenia are just a few such disorders. Rape and other adult trauma victims
have been found to be quite vulnerable to developing dissociative symptoms. The
controversy about whether DID exists, as well as the overlap of symptoms it has
with a number of other conditions, sometimes results in misdiagnosis.
DID often co-occurs with other emotional conditions, including posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and a number of
other personality disorders, as well as conversion disorder. This diagnosis is sometimes feigned by individuals
who may be seeking attention, as in Munchausen's syndrome. It has also been
appropriately diagnosed as well as feigned in individuals involved in the
criminal justice and civil or family court systems (for example, forensic cases). Adding
to the diagnostic difficulty is that people like pedophiles and other sex
offenders, who may legally stand to gain from having DID, genuinely suffer from
significant dissociative symptoms, as well as full-blown DID. In cases where
there may be an ulterior motive for being diagnosed with DID, studies show that
using a structured interview tool may be the best way to determine if the person
truly suffers from this condition.
Next: What are the treatments for dissociative identity disorder? »
- Psychotherapy - Mental Health: Psychotherapy To Treat Depressionin teens and adults
- Anxiety - Read about anxiety (generalized anxiety disorder, GAD) causes, physical symptoms and signs, medications and treatment. Learn about symptoms (worry, fear) and other types of anxiety disorders.
- Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) -
Latest Medical News
Mental Health RSS