Ten-Year Follow-Up Study of Patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder

Abstract

Lit tie fol low-up data has been pub lished on in di vid u als with dissociative iden tity dis or der (DID). In this study, DID was di agnosed in 25 pa tients by two sea soned dissociative dis or der clinician/researchers be ginning in 1986. The initial evaluationin cludedacomprehensive med i cal and psy chi at ric eval u a tion and Min ne sota Multiphasic Per sonal ity In ven tory (MMPI). A ten-year fol low-up eval u a tion in eluded the Dissociative Experi ences Scale, Ci vil ian Mis sis sippi PTSD Scale, Beck Inventory for De pres sion, Life Ex pe ri ences Sur vey, the MMPI Hypochondriasis scale, and a dissociative dis or ders fol low-up ques tion naire. The pa tients were also asked to write a nar ra tive about their life and treatment since intake. Twelve patients provided follow-up data. Of these twelve, six ul ti mately achieved full in te gra tion of their per son al ity states, although two of them subsequently dissociated into alter personality states again. The two teen-aged pa tients achieved full in te gra tion within two years, while the older pa tients took con sid er ably Ion ger. Of the patients who elected to con tinue in treat ment for their dissociative dis or der and who con tinued to dis so ci ate into al ter per son al ity states, all have experienced major symptomatic improvement in both dissociative and non-dissociative symptomatology. Of the two therapy dropouts, both con tinue to have dissociative symp toms at fol low-up. We con elude that treatmentforDIDfollowingtreatmentguidelinespromulgated by the International Societyforthe Study of Dis so ciation brings about symptomatic im prove merit in both dissociative and non-dissociative symp toms. Ig noring symp toms of dis so ci a tion, as has been ad vo cated by some, resuits in no im prove ment.

Key Words:

• Dissociative identity dis or der
• fol low-up stud ies