Somatoform dissociation in depersonalization disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Background:

• Somatoform dissociation is a proposed core aspect of dissociative states, potentially as reliable as psychoform dissociation for screening.
• Depersonalization disorder (DPD) is a significant dissociative disorder characterized by persistent feelings of detachment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and correlates of somatoform dissociation in adults with DPD.
• To compare somatoform dissociation levels in DPD patients versus healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ), Dissociative Experiences Scale, Cambridge Depersonalization Scale, and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form.
• Compared 54 adults with DPD against 47 healthy controls without lifetime Axis I or II disorders.

Main Results:

• Somatoform dissociation scores were significantly, though modestly, higher in the DPD group compared to controls.
• Elevated SDQ items in the DPD group were primarily perceptual.
• Depersonalization scores correlated with somatoform dissociation, but absorption and amnesia did not.
• Childhood emotional abuse linked to depersonalization severity, but not somatoform dissociation.

Conclusions:

• Somatoform dissociation plays a modest role in DPD.
• The SDQ demonstrates limited utility for screening dissociation in DPD, identifying only a third of cases using a cutoff score of 30.