Structured interview data on 35 cases of dissociative identity disorder in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe the clinical features of dissociative identity disorder in a group of Turkish patients as assessed with a structured interview.

METHOD

Thirty-five consecutive patients at the dissociative disorders program of a university psychiatric clinic who met the DSM-IV criteria for dissociative identity disorder were included in this study. The subjects were assessed with the Turkish versions of the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. A descriptive analysis of the clinical features was carried out.

RESULTS

Most (88.6%) of the patients were women. The mean age of the group was 22.8 years. Childhood physical or sexual abuse was reported by 77.1% of the patients. The mean Dissociative Experiences Scale score was 49.1. The patients reported an average of 12.5 somatic symptoms, 6.2 Schneiderian symptoms, 10.0 secondary features of the disorder, 3.8 borderline personality disorder criteria, and 4.1 extrasensory experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

Dissociative identity disorder has a stable, consistent set of features throughout North America, in the Netherlands, and in Turkey. Cross-cultural research using standardized assessment measures will be invaluable in further illumination of the validity of this widely neglected psychiatric category.