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Published on: June 3, 2013
Dissociative Identity Disorder and Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder
Stefan Roepke1,2, Kathlen Priebe3,4, Christian Schmahl5
1Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Berlin, Germany
Deutsches Arzteblatt International
|February 19, 2026
Summary
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and partial DID lack empirical validation and evidence-based treatments. Dissociative symptoms are better explained by complex PTSD and BPD, which have established treatments.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), replacing multiple personality disorder in ICD-11, is characterized by distinct personality states and amnesia.
- Partial DID involves less marked discontinuities in self-experience and agency.
- Empirical studies on DID and partial DID are limited and often methodologically flawed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and discuss empirical studies on DID and partial DID.
- To derive potential clinical practice approaches for these diagnoses.
Main Methods:
- A narrative review of pertinent publications.
- PubMed search for relevant studies.
Main Results:
- Few empirical studies on DID exist, with major methodological limitations.
- Robust data for partial DID are lacking.
- Significant overlap exists between DID and trauma-associated disorders like complex PTSD (cPTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD).
- Central DID constructs, such as amnesia between states, are not supported by available data.
- No specific treatment for DID has robust evidence of efficacy.
Conclusions:
- DID and partial DID are insufficiently validated diagnoses.
- There is no evidence-based treatment for DID or partial DID.
- Dissociative symptoms can be addressed by better-researched conditions like cPTSD and BPD, which have validated treatments.
- Diagnoses of DID and partial DID should only be made after excluding alternative explanations.
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