title: Empirical testing of criteria for dissociative schizophrenia.
abstract: This study examined the validity of dissociative schizophrenia diagnostic criteria. In the first phase, 50 participants with a psychotic disorder were administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to identify those with dissociative characteristics. In the second phase, we selected those who had a score of 15 or above on the Dissociative Experiences Scale. Fifteen of these participants were evaluated thoroughly with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II, and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders to determine whether they met the criteria for dissociative schizophrenia and to generate a clinical description. Our results indicated that 24% of the individuals we tested met these criteria. We propose making mandatory 1 of the 3 dissociative symptoms of the criteria to eliminate people with only nonspecific symptoms (e.g., extensive comorbidity). According to this modified criterion, 14% of our sample would receive a diagnosis of dissociative schizophrenia. However, a more comprehensive look at the clinical picture begs the question of whether dissociative schizophrenia is truly present in every person meeting the criteria. We discuss the relevance of creating a new schizophrenia subtype and offer recommendations for clinicians.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Laferrière-Simard
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lecomte
authors.forename: Lola
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ahoundova
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult