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Handbook of Dissociation pp 251–267Cite as

The Psychological Assessment of Dissociation

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Abstract

The five dissociative disorders included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) [dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, depersonalization disorder, dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder), and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS)] are characterized by disturbances in the integrative functions of memory, consciousness, and/ or identity (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In recent years, mental health professionals and researchers have found that dissociative disorders occur frequently in psychiatric patients, and comprise as much as 10% of inpatient psychiatric populations (Bliss & Jeppsen, 1985). Moderate-to-severe dissociative symptoms are also common in patients with other psychiatric disorders, particularly the anxiety disorders (including posttraumatic stress disorder), mood disorders, eating disorders, and borderline personality disorder (Coons, 1984; Fink, 1991; Horevitz & Braun, 1984; Kluft, 1987c; Putnam, Guroff, Silberman, Barban, & Post, 1986; Schultz, Braun, & Kluft, 1989; Torem, 1986; Steinberg, 1995).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, USA

    Marlene Steinberg

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  1. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Larry K. Michelson  & William J. Ray  & 

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Steinberg, M. (1996). The Psychological Assessment of Dissociation. In: Michelson, L.K., Ray, W.J. (eds) Handbook of Dissociation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0310-5_12

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