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Epidemiology of Dissociative Identity Disorder

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Dissociative Identity Disorder

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Abstract

Dissociative identity disorder or DID is a mental health condition that has garnered more recognition in the past few years primarily due to sources such as television, comic books, and social media. DID has an estimated prevalence of 1.5% within the psychiatric world population; however, studies within the United States place this estimate closer to 1%, making it an exceedingly rare syndrome. Current evidence suggests a 2–5% prevalence among psychiatric inpatients, 2–3% among outpatients, and a 1% prevalence in the general population. Patients diagnosed with DID have a prevalence estimate of comorbidity with PTSD of 79–100%, MDD from 83 to 96%, and borderline personality disorder with a prevalence range of 31–83%. No one such cause has been identified as a definitive source of DID. Retrospective studies have formulated an association between patients diagnosed with DID and a history of severe chronic childhood trauma (usually physical or sexual abuse), in most cases beginning before age 6. Studies have shown that of patients diagnosed with DID, 60–100% have experienced some form of sexual, physical, or general trauma before age 6, with an average median of 86%. Current debate exists over whether dissociative identity disorder exists as a standalone diagnosis or as separate from trauma and PTSD. Current areas of debate also include the origin of the disease. More focus has been brought to previous studies regarding the pathogenesis and origin of the syndromes, and it has been postulated that the disease may be born out of therapeutic focus. Further research regarding the incidence and prevalence of DID within the entire population and subsets are required for more precise estimates regarding dissociative identity disorder.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Larkin Community Hospital, General Psychiatry Residency Program, South Miami, FL, USA

    José Hawayek

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  1. José Hawayek
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. California Institute Of Behavioral Neurosciences and Psychology, Fairfield, CA, USA

    Hassaan Tohid

  2. HCA - Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, Aventura, FL, USA

    Ian Hunter Rutkofsky

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Hawayek, J. (2023). Epidemiology of Dissociative Identity Disorder. In: Tohid, H., Rutkofsky, I.H. (eds) Dissociative Identity Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39854-4_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39854-4_7

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