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Procedural memory in dissociative identity disorder: when can inter-identity amnesia be truly established?
Rafaële J C Huntjens1, Albert Postma, Liesbeth Woertman
1Department of Clinical Psychology, Research Institute for Psychology and Health, Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands. R.Huntjens@fss.uu.nl
Consciousness and Cognition
|June 14, 2005
Summary
Procedural memory in Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is difficult to assess. Simulation of DID amnesia by controls makes patient results unreliable for understanding memory in DID.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Memory Research
Background:
- Procedural memory is crucial for understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
- Previous studies on memory in DID lack robust control groups, specifically those simulating the disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate procedural learning and inter-identity transfer in individuals with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
- To compare memory performance in DID patients against normal controls and individuals simulating DID.
Main Methods:
- A serial reaction time task was employed to assess procedural memory.
- Thirty-one DID patients, 25 normal controls, and 25 simulators participated.
Main Results:
- DID patients showed potential patterns of inter-identity amnesia.
- Individuals simulating DID successfully mimicked inter-identity amnesia patterns.
- The results highlight the difficulty in distinguishing genuine amnesia from simulation in DID.
Conclusions:
- The study's findings suggest that results from studies lacking DID simulators or simulation-free tasks are inconclusive.
- Further research with appropriate controls is necessary to reliably assess memory deficits in Dissociative Identity Disorder.