Dissociation a New Diagnosis in China

For the first time, researchers have attempted to gauge the rates of pathological dissociation in China. Four hundred and twenty-three inpatients, 304 outpatients, and 618 factory workers with no recorded mental disorders were administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS). Twenty-four probands were diagnosed with a dissociative disorder by the DDIS and 15 by the DES. Rates were highest among outpatients, who also reported higher rates of childhood abuse. Noting that previous popular and professional knowledge of dissociative disorder in China was almost nonexistent, the authors suggested that their findings did not conform with the contamination, iatrogenic, or sociocognitive models of the disorder. This study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/163/8/1388