Patients with multiple personality disorder (N = 102) at four different
centers were interviewed with the Dissociative Disorders Interview
Schedule. The presenting characteristics of the patients at all four
centers were very similar. The clinical profile that emerged included a
history of childhood physical and/or sexual abuse in 97 (95.1%) of the
cases. The subjects reported an average of 15.2 somatic symptoms, 6.4
Schneiderian symptoms, 10.2 secondary features of the disorder, 5.2
borderline personality disorder criteria, and 5.6 extrasensory experiences;
their average score on the Dissociative Experiences Scale was 41.4. The
results indicate that multiple personality disorder has a stable,
consistent set of features.Abstract Teaser