title: The course of dissociation for patients with borderline personality disorder and axis II comparison subjects: a 10-year follow-up study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the severity of dissociation reported by borderline patients and axis II comparison subjects over 10 years of prospective follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) - a 28-item self-report measure - was administered to 290 borderline in-patients and 72 axis II comparison subjects during their index admission. It was also re-administered at five contiguous 2-year follow-up periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall severity of dissociative experiences of those in both study groups decreased significantly over time but was discernibly greater in borderline patients (61% vs. 43%). The same pattern emerged for the subtypes of dissociation that were studied: absorption, depersonalization and amnesia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The severity of dissociation declines significantly over time for even severely ill borderline patients. However, it remains as a recurring problem for over a third of those with DES scores that initially were in the range associated with trauma-spectrum disorders.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Study of Adult Development, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. zanarini@mclean.harvard.edu
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Zanarini
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Frankenburg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jager-Hyman
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fitzmaurice