Dissociative disorders among adults in the community, impaired functioning, and axis I and II comorbidity.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of dissociative disorder (DD) with impaired functioning and co-occurring Axis I and personality disorders among adults in the community.


METHODS
Psychiatric interviews were administered to a sample of 658 adult participants in the Children in the Community Study, a community-based longitudinal study.


RESULTS
Depersonalization disorder (prevalence: 0.8%), dissociative amnesia (prevalence: 1.8%), dissociative identity disorder (prevalence: 1.5%), and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (prevalence: 4.4%), evident within the past year, were each associated with impaired functioning, as assessed by the clinician-administered Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. These associations remained significant after controlling for age, sex, and co-occurring disorders. Individuals with anxiety, mood, and personality disorders were significantly more likely than individuals without these disorders were to have DD, after the covariates were controlled. Individuals with Cluster A (DD prevalence: 58%), B (DD prevalence: 68%), and C (DD prevalence: 37%) personality disorders were substantially more likely than those without personality disorders were to have DD.


CONCLUSIONS
DD is associated with clinically significant impairment among adults in the community. DD may be particularly prevalent among individuals with personality disorders.
Johnson
Jeffrey G
JG
Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, Box 47, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA. jjohnson@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
Cohen
Patricia
P
Kasen
Stephanie
S
Brook
Judith S
JS
D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D015897:Comorbidity; D003861:Depersonalization / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires