Frequency of dissociative disorders among psychiatric outpatients in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of dissociative disorders among psychiatric outpatients in Turkey. One hundred fifty consecutive outpatients admitted to the psychiatry clinic of a university hospital were screened with the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). Twenty-three patients (15.3%) with a DES score greater than 30 and a comparison group selected from the same outpatient population who scored less than 10 on the scale were then interviewed with the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS) in a blind fashion. According to the DDIS, 18 patients (12.0%) received a diagnosis of dissociative disorder; 83.3% (n = 15) of the dissociative patients reported neglect, 72.2% (n = 13) emotional abuse, 50.0% (n = 9) physical abuse, and 27.8% (n = 5) sexual abuse during childhood. Dissociative disorders are not rare among psychiatric outpatients. Self-rating instruments and structured interviews can be used successfully for screening dissociative disorders, which are usually underrecognized. Neglect was the most frequently reported type of childhood trauma, suggesting the importance of other childhood experiences in addition to sexual and/or physical abuse in the development of dissociative psychopathology.