The Older Female Patient with a Complex Chronic Dissociative Disorder

SUMMARY

Dissociative disorders are rarely considered in the diagnostic assessment of older women, despite the fact that the existence, appearance and characteristics of certain dissociative disorders in older populations have been known and described since the 1980s. This communication reviews the core phenomena of Dissociative Identity Disorder and related forms of Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, the natural history of their phenomena from youth to old age, and describes common presentations of dissociative disorders in older women. It also reviews the treatment of complex chronic dissociative disorders and discusses alternative approaches to their psychotherapy in the older female patient. It is crucial to recognize and respect the importance of appreciating individual differences among older dissociative patients and to individualize their treatments accordingly.

KEYWORDS:

• Dissociation
• multiple personality disorder
• women
• aging
• DID
• MPD