According to DSM-IV, dissociative identity disorder is characterized by the existence within the person of two or more distinctly different identities or personality states that from time to time take executive control of the person's body and behavior, with accompanying amnesia (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). By retrospective patient report, dissociative identity disorder usually occurs in conjunction with severe childhood trauma (Kluft 1985; Putnam et al. 1986; Ross 1989; Ross et al. 1989a, 1990a). The disorder appears to be the most severe form of disturbance on the dissociative disorders continuum (Boon and Draijer 1993; Coons 1992; Ross 1985; Ross et al. 1992). There is evidence that dissociative identity disorder may be more prevalent than once believed in the general population (Ross 1991) and among general adult psychiatric inpatients (Latz et al. 1995; Ross et al. 1991; Saxe et al. 1993).

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144 psychiatric inpatients who reported childhood physical or sexual trauma were administered the Symptom Check List-90-Revised, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule. There was a significant association of reported childhood abuse with psychotic and other symptoms. The findings support the hypothesis that experience of trauma may precede psychiatric symptoms, perhaps including positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

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