Comparing the symptoms and mechanisms of "dissociation" in dissociative identity disorder and borderline personality disorder.

A total of 75 patients were diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders-Revised as having dissociative identity disorder (DID), and 100 patients were diagnosed with the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality as having borderline personality disorder (BPD). Both groups were administered the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID). DID patients had significantly higher MID scores than BPD patients, different distributions of MID scores, and different MID subscale profiles in 3 ranges of MID scores (0-15, 15-30, 30-45). The core MID symptoms-exhibited at all ranges of MID scores-for DID patients (the presence of alters, identity confusion, and memory problems) and BPD patients (flashbacks, identity confusion, and memory problems) were ostensibly similar but were considered to be mostly produced by different underlying processes. Multiple regression analyses showed that the core MID symptoms of DID patients had different predictors than did the core MID symptoms of BPD patients. Alter identities seemed to generate most-but not all-dissociative phenomena in DID patients, whereas only the 24% highest scoring BPD patients (MID ≥45) seemed to manifest alter-driven dissociative experiences. Most BPD dissociative experiences appeared to be due to 5 other mechanisms: (a) BPD-specific, stress-driven, rapid shifts of self-state; (b and c) nondefensive disruptions of the framework of perceptual organization with or without an accompanying BPD-specific, dissociation-like disintegration of affective/neurocognitive functioning; (d) a defensive distancing or detachment from distress (i.e., simple depersonalization); and (e) Allen, Console, and Lewis's (1999) severe absorptive detachment.

Separating Fact from Fiction: An Empirical Examination of Six Myths About Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a complex, posttraumatic, developmental disorder for which we now, after four decades of research, have an authoritative research base, but a number of misconceptualizations and myths about the disorder remain, compromising both patient care and research. This article examines the empirical literature pertaining to recurrently expressed beliefs regarding DID: (1) belief that DID is a fad, (2) belief that DID is primarily diagnosed in North America by DID experts who overdiagnose the disorder, (3) belief that DID is rare, (4) belief that DID is an iatrogenic, rather than trauma-based, disorder, (5) belief that DID is the same entity as borderline personality disorder, and (6) belief that DID treatment is harmful to patients. The absence of research to substantiate these beliefs, as well as the existence of a body of research that refutes them, confirms their mythical status. Clinicians who accept these myths as facts are unlikely to carefully assess for dissociation. Accurate diagnoses are critical for appropriate treatment planning. If DID is not targeted in treatment, it does not appear to resolve. The myths we have highlighted may also impede research about DID. The cost of ignorance about DID is high not only for individual patients but for the whole support system in which they reside. Empirically derived knowledge about DID has replaced outdated myths. Vigorous dissemination of the knowledge base about this complex disorder is warranted.

Dissociation in borderline personality disorder: a detailed look.

The objective of the present study was to assess in detail the whole spectrum of normal and pathological dissociative experiences and dissociative disorder (DD) diagnoses in borderline personality disorder (BPD) as diagnosed with the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines. Dissociation was measured comprehensively in 21 BPD outpatients using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders-Revised, the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID), the Dissociative Experiences Scale pathological taxon analysis, and the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire. The frequencies of DDs in this BPD sample were as follows: 24% no DD, 29% mild DD (dissociative amnesia and depersonalization disorder), 24% DD Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS), and 24% dissociative identity disorder. With regard to the dissociative experiences endorsed, almost all patients reported identity confusion, unexplained mood changes, and depersonalization. Even those BPD patients with mild DD reported derealization, depersonalization, and dissociative amnesia. BPD patients with DDNOS reported frequent depersonalization, frequent amnesia, and notable experiences of identity alteration. BPD patients with dissociative identity disorder endorsed severe dissociative symptoms in all categories. Analysis of the MID pathological dissociation items revealed that 32% of the items were endorsed at a clinically significant level of frequency by more than 50% of our BPD patients. In conclusion, the frequencies of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) DDs in these patients with BPD were surprisingly high. Likewise, the "average" BPD patient endorsed a wide variety of recurrent pathological dissociative symptoms.

Dissociation and borderline personality disorder: an update for clinicians.

Dissociation occurs in about two thirds of people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) but is still not well understood by clinicians. In the past decade, however, research has used new measures of dissociation that provide some of the detail that clinicians need to understand and treat the dissociative symptoms of patients with BPD. In particular, this review examines BPD's comorbidity with the dissociative disorders, the neurobiology of dissociation in BPD, the role of trauma and disorganized attachment in the etiology of dissociation in BPD, and the clinical assessment and treatment of dissociation in BPD.

Estimating the prevalence of borderline personality disorder in psychiatric outpatients using a two-phase procedure.

The prevalence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in outpatient clinics varies greatly (7%-27%) depending on the setting and methodology. We examined the cross-sectional rate of BPD in a general adult outpatient university clinic using a 2-phase procedure: (1) we screened all registered patients with the self-report SCID-II-PQ and (2) we administered the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R). Sixty-six percent (239/360) of the clinic patients completed the screening: About 72.4% (173/239) (95% confidence interval [CI] = 66.7%, 78.1%) were positive for BPD on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders-Patient Questionnaire (SCID-II-PQ), and 22.6% (54/239) (95% CI = 17.3%, 27.9%) were positive for BPD on the DIB-R. Our BPD rate was somewhat higher than recent semistructured interview studies (9%-18%). We believe this is due, in part, to our cross-sectional design and our decision not to exclude acute Axis I disorders. Mostly, however, we believe that our 22.6% incidence of BPD arises from the high morbidity of our sample. Demographic data from 130 of 131 DIB-R completers reveal the following: mean age was 40.2 years, 75.4% were female, most patients were unable to work, and they averaged 3.8 lifetime hospitalizations.

Affective instability and suicidal ideation and behavior in patients with borderline personality disorder.

This study employed an Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) to test whether various elements of affective instability can predict future suicide ideation in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and a history of recurrent suicidal behavior. Eighty-two individuals with BPD and a history of recurrent suicidal behavior were followed prospectively for one month during which time they recorded their current mood states, 6 times daily over three weeks. Accounting for a set of robust suicide risk factors in multiple regression analyses, only negative mood intensity was significantly related to intensity of self-reported suicide ideation and to number of suicidal behaviors over the past year. Other elements of affective instability examined (e.g., mood amplitude, dyscontrol, and reactivity) were not associated with future suicide ideation or with recent suicidal behavior. Affective instability in patients with BPD is highly variable from one individual to another and is characterized by high levels of intense negative mood. These negative mood states, versus other aspects of mood variability, seem to be more closely tied to the occurrence of suicidal ideation and behavior.