Dissociative disorders among adults in the community, impaired functioning, and axis I and II comorbidity.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of dissociative disorder (DD) with impaired functioning and co-occurring Axis I and personality disorders among adults in the community.

METHOD

Psychiatric interviews were administered to a sample of 658 adult participants in the Children in the Community Study, a community-based longitudinal study.

RESULTS

Depersonalization disorder (prevalence: 0.8%), dissociative amnesia (prevalence: 1.8%), dissociative identity disorder (prevalence: 1.5%), and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (prevalence: 4.4%), evident within the past year, were each associated with impaired functioning, as assessed by the clinician-administered Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. These associations remained significant after controlling for age, sex, and co-occurring disorders. Individuals with anxiety, mood, and personality disorders were significantly more likely than individuals without these disorders were to have DD, after the covariates were controlled. Individuals with Cluster A (DD prevalence: 58%), B (DD prevalence: 68%), and C (DD prevalence: 37%) personality disorders were substantially more likely than those without personality disorders were to have DD.

CONCLUSIONS

DD is associated with clinically significant impairment among adults in the community. DD may be particularly prevalent among individuals with personality disorders.