A cross-sectional survey on French psychiatrists' knowledge and perceptions of dissociative identity disorder

The aim of this study was to determine French psychiatrists' level of general knowledge about dissociative identity disorder and to evaluate their perceptions of this condition.

In this study, French psychiatrists were invited by e-mail to answer an online survey. The questionnaire asked about their general knowledge and perceptions of dissociative identity disorder.

We received 924 answers including 582 complete questionnaires. The survey revealed that almost two-thirds (60.8%) of psychiatrists working in France had never received any training on dissociative disorders and 62% had never managed patients suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Only 19.5% of them claimed to believe unreservedly in the existence of the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder. The psychiatrists' confidence in diagnosing or treating dissociative identity disorder was low (mean confidence in diagnosis: 3.32 out of 10 (SD 1.89), mean confidence in treatment: 3.1 out of 10 (SD 1.68)). Fifty percent believed that dissociative identity disorder is an entity created by cinema, medias or social networks. Seventy-seven point seven percent thought that confusion with borderline personality disorder is possible, and 41.3% with schizophrenia.

In France, there is a lack of training and knowledge about dissociative identity disorder, as well as persistent skepticism about the validity of the diagnosis. Specific training seems essential for a better understanding of dissociative identity disorder.