Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) Diagnosis in Adolescents and Young Adults

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a diagnosis that has been mired in controversy even before social media has broadened awareness of it in recent years. Research has encompassed empirical investigation into its etiology, including trauma-dissociation and malingering/suggestion models. With more adolescents and young adults presenting with traits of DID, it is imperative for clinicians to have the tools for accurate assessment and diagnosis and for supporting our clients in engaging in evidence-based treatment.

This talk will address barriers to accurate DID diagnosis, including limitations in research on BIPOC and minority populations, tools to support DID assessment that address potential malingering, and strategies for communicating case conceptualizations to clients, who may have a strong attachment to a DID diagnosis.

This talk will also provide a brief overview of evidence-based intervention for individuals with DID and individuals with traits of dissociation, but who do not necessarily fit a DID diagnosis.

Learning Statement:

At the conclusion of this presentation, attendees should be able to describe barriers to accurate DID assessment, identify tools in the research for accurate assessment and diagnosis, and identify evidence-based interventions to support individuals with dissociation.

Learning Objectives:

• List evidence for proposed etiology models of DID
• Describe at least 3 barriers to accurate DID diagnosis
• List 3 assessment tools that have research-supported specificity and sensitivity for DID
• Describe the basic principles for at least 2 evidence-based interventions for DID

References:

Brand, B. L., Barth, M., Schlumpf, Y. R., Schielke, H., Chalavi, S., Vissia, E. M., Nijenhuis, E. R. S., Jäncke, L., & Reinders, A. A. T. S. (2021). The utility of the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology for distinguishing individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) from DID simulators and healthy controls. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021...

Brand, B. L., Webermann, A. R., Snyder, B. L., & Kaliush, P. R. (2019). Detecting clinical and simulated dissociative identity disorder with the Test of Memory Malingering. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(5), 513 520. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000405

Krüger, C. (2019). Culture, trauma and dissociation: A broadening perspective for our field. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 21(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2020...

Pietkiewicz, I. J., Bańbura-Nowak, A., Tomalski, R., & Boon, S. (2021). Revisiting False-Positive and Imitated Dissociative Identity Disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.63...

Reinders, A. A. T. S., & Veltman, D. J. (2020). Dissociative identity disorder: out of the shadows at last? The British Journal of Psychiatry, 219(2), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.168

Wilkinson, S., & DeJong, M. (2020). Dissociative identity disorder: a developmental perspective. BJPsych Advances, 27(2), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2020.35

About the presenter:

Laura Rowley, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist. Laura obtained her doctorate from Wayne State University. She completed her APA-accredited internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Primary Children’s Hospital. Laura is currently the Program Director for the Assessment and Testing Team at Utah Center for Evidence Based Treatment. Her expertise in assessment includes assessment and differentiating diagnosis of developmental vulnerabilities, complex trauma and dissociation, and personality disorders. https://ucebt.com/about-us/primary-st...

Triona McMaster, LCSW is the Executive Clinical Director at Life Stone Counseling Centers. Triona received her Master's of Social Work from the University of Utah and has worked in both the inpatient and outpatient settings for over a decade. She is an approved EMDRIA Consultant and Trauma Recovery/HAP Facilitator and provides consultation to other clinicians as they work to improve their knowledge and practice in EMDR. She is passionate about working with those who suffer from anxiety, depression, dissociation, and who have experienced trauma; and has extensive training in these areas. http://www.lifestonecenter.com/triona...

Dr. Rowley, Triona McMaster, and UCEBT have not received any commercial support for this program or its contents and will not receive any commercial support prior to or during this program.

https://ucebt.com/