Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154:832-839
Copyright © 1997 by American Psychiatric Association
Two-year follow-up of inpatients with dissociative identity disorder
JW Ellason and CA Ross
University of Texas at Arlington, TX, USA.
OBJECTIVE: A group of 135 inpatients with dissociative identity disorder
was followed for 2 years to monitor treatment outcome. METHOD: Fifty-four
of the patients were located and reassessed after a 2-year period through
the use of the same self-report measures and structured clinical interviews
that had been initially administered. RESULTS: The patients showed marked
improvement on Schneiderian first-rank symptoms, mood and anxiety
disorders, dissociative symptoms, and somatization, with a significant
decrease in the number of psychiatric medications prescribed. Patients who
were treated to integration were significantly more improved than those who
had not yet reached integration. CONCLUSIONS: These findings, although
preliminary, provide empirical validation of previous clinical impressions
that patients with dissociative identity disorder may respond well to
treatment.
