Trauma and dissociation among inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: The overlapping symptoms of schizophrenia and dissociation have been increasingly recognized. This paper explains why it is reasonable to expect that there would be a substantial subgroup of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) who suffer from pathological dissociation. Objective: As little is known about the prevalence of dissociative disorders and symptoms among patients with SSDs, we investigated the prevalence of dissociative disorders and symptoms among patients with SSDs. Method: We used both self-report measures and structured interviews to examine dissociative disorders and symptoms in a randomly recruited sample of inpatients with a clinical diagnosis of SSDs in Taiwan (N = 100). Results: Over 60% of participants exhibited pathological dissociation, and 54% had a dissociative disorder according to structured interview data; three participants met the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for dissociative identity disorder. The concurrent validity of pathological dissociation in this sample was similar to that of depression among patients with schizophrenia reported in the literature. Participants with a dissociative disorder were more likely to report high-betrayal traumas and meet DSM-5 criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder; they also reported more psychotic symptoms than those without a dissociative disorder. Conclusions: This was one of very few studies that used structured interviews to examine pathological dissociation in patients with SSDs. The results indicate that pathological dissociation in SSDs is not uncommon. Clinical assessment should include measures of dissociation to facilitate early identification.

Keywords

• dissociative disorders
• psychosis
• schizophrenia
• trauma
• mental health