Dissociation in Major Depressive Disorder: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of various dissociative phenomena in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their possible implications in manifestation and course of depression. We administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and a self-questionnaire of life events to 27 patients with MDD and to 40 healthy participants in order to collect information on traumatic events. Patients who scored >or= 20 on the DES were also assessed to determine the presence of dissociative disorder. Patients with MDD reported a significantly higher mean score on the DES than the comparison healthy participants. In all, 12 out of 27 patients with MDD reported childhood trauma, and their mean score on the DES representing absorption and imaginative involvement was significantly higher than that of participants without childhood trauma. Also, 7% of our MDD patients were diagnosed with dissociative disorder during this study. The principal limitations of the study were its small sample size and the use of a nonstandardized trauma measure. These findings indicate that dissociative phenomena should not be overlooked in MDD. Screening methods and structured interview for dissociative disorders are useful in psychiatric and psychological practice. Further studies should analyze the role and clinical consequence of different forms of dissociation experiences.

Predictive Factors of Excessive Online Poker Playing

“…The redundancy between negative emotions and dissociation is explained by the finding that depressed individuals tend to dissociate as a method of coping. 41,42 There are several limitations present in this study. First, due to the self-selected nature of the recruitment, the respondents were overwhelmingly male, and accordingly, these findings may not generalize to female Texas Hold'em players.…”

An exploration of the role of defensive psychopathology in adolescent suicidal ideation and behavior

“…Dissociative symptoms are highly related to depression and suicidality (Foote, Smolin, Neft, & Lipschitz, 2008;Maaranen et al, 2005) and to substance use and borderline traits in youth (Chabrol, Rodgers, & Ducongé, 2005). Dissociation is generally regarded as a defense against painful affects, including depressive feelings (e.g., Molina-Serrano, Linotte, Amat, Souery, & Barreto, 2008). Among adolescents, substance use has been put forward as an important risk factor for suicidal ideation and behavior (Beautrais, 2000;Fergusson, Beautrais, & Horwood, 2003).…”

Association of peritraumatic dissociation with symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.

“…It has been suggested that the presence of PD and concomitant neurological changes may increase an individual’s risk of PTSD or depression (Hodgson & Webster, 2011; Inslicht et al, 2010; Johnson et al, 2001; Marmar et al, 1996; Ozer, Best, Lipsey, & Weiss, 2003). However, these relationships are inconsistently shown, possibly due to risk factors that modify the relationship between PD, PTSD, and depression (Molina-Serrano et al, 2008). Prior trauma may be one of these risk factors.…”