Canadian and American psychiatrists' attitudes toward dissociative disorders diagnoses. |
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| Authors: | J K Lalonde J I Hudson R A Gigante H G Pope |
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| Institution: | Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. biopsych@mclean.org |
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| Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: To compare the opinions of Canadian psychiatrists regarding dissociative disorder diagnoses with those of previously surveyed American psychiatrists. METHOD: We sent a 1-page questionnaire to a stratified representative sample of 550 Canadian psychiatrists. RESULTS: Eighty percent of Canadian psychiatrists responded. Fewer than one-third replied that dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder should be included without reservations in the DSM-IV; fewer than 1 in 7 felt that the validity of these diagnoses was supported by strong scientific evidence. French- and English-speaking Canadians had similar opinions. Overall, Canadians were significantly less accepting than Americans. CONCLUSION: Both Canadian and American psychiatrists show little consensus regarding the diagnostic status or scientific validity of dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder. |
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