Attitudes toward DSM-IV dissociative disorders diagnoses among board-certified American psychiatrists.
OBJECTIVE
The authors assessed the opinions of American psychiatrists regarding the diagnostic status and scientific validity of the DSM-IV categories of dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder.


METHODS
A one-page questionnaire was mailed to a random national sample of 367 board-certified American psychiatrists.


RESULTS
Three hundred one responses were received-a rate of 82%. Only about one-third of respondents replied that dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder should be included without reservations in DSM-IV; a larger proportion replied that these categories should be included only as proposed diagnoses. Only about one-quarter of respondents felt that diagnoses of dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder were supported by strong evidence of scientific validity.


CONCLUSIONS
Among board-certified American psychiatrists, there currently appears to be little consensus regarding the diagnostic status or scientific validity of dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder.
Pope
H G
HG
Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02178, USA.
Oliva
P S
PS
Hudson
J I
JI
Bodkin
J A
JA
Gruber
A J
AJ
D000647:Amnesia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009105:Dissociative Identity Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013044:Specialty Boards / Q000592:standards; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014481:United States