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Do dissociative disorders exist in Northern Ireland?: Blind psychiatric - structured interview assessments of 20 complex psychiatric patients

2006; Elsevier BV; Volume: 20; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4321/s0213-61632006000300005

0213-6163

Martin J. Dorahy, Heather Mills, Catherine Taggart, Maria O'Kane, Ciaran Mulholland,

Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies

Background and objectives: Dissociative disorders remain relatively controversial diagnoses in British psychiatry.The aim of the current paper was to assess Northern Irish psychiatric patients with complex clinical presentations for dissociative disorders.Method: Twenty patients meeting operationally defined criteria for psychiatric complexity were blindly assessed by a psychiatrist in a diagnostic interview followed by a clinical psychologist in a structured interview.Results: Thirteen of the 20 participants were positive for at least one dissociative disorder.Those with a dissociative disorder had a range of co-morbid problems and all reported histories of childhood trauma and neglect. Conclusion:The psychiatric symptom profiles of dissociative disorders in Northern Ireland are similar to those reported in the literature.Complex psychiatric presentations offer a potential diagnostic clue for such conditions.