title: Self-mutilating behavior in patients with dissociative disorders: the role of innate hypnotic capacity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the fact that the assumption of a relationship between self-mutilation and dissociative disorders (DD) has a long history, there is little empirical evidence to support this premise. The present study examined this relationship and investigated whether this commonality is associated with innate hypnotic capacity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients diagnosed with DD and 50 control subjects with major depression were assessed by using a self-mutilation questionnaire, Dissociative Experiences Scale, Traumatic Experiences Checklist, and the Eye-Roll Sign for their self-mutilating behaviors, dissociative symptoms, early trauma, and innate hypnotic capacity, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have found that 82% of the present sample of patients with DD injured themselves. They had higher scores on trauma, dissociation and eye-roll measurements than controls. In addition, DD patients with self-mutilation were more likely to have high scores of trauma, dissociation and eye-roll than those without self-mutilation. Innate hypnotic capacity was a strong predictor of self-mutilating behavior in DD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study strongly supports the assumption that patients with DD are at high risk for self-mutilating behavior and points to the necessity of routine screening for self-mutilating behavior as well as the hypnotic capacity which may constitute a high risk for self-injury in this patient group.
authors.affiliation: GATA Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Servet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ebrinc
authors.forename: Umit B
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Semiz
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Basoglu
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cetin
authors.forename: Mehmet Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Agargun
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Algul
authors.forename: Alpay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ates
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003710:Demography; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020377:Self Efficacy; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*