Use of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders for systematic assessment of dissociative symptoms in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Abstract

This study compared dissociative symptom areas in Vietnam combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and in Vietnam combat veterans without PTSD. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders (SCID-D) was used to compare dissociative symptoms in 40 Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD and 15 Vietnam combat veterans without PTSD. The SCID-D yields a total score and scores in five symptom areas: amnesia, depersonalization, derealization, identity confusion, and identity alteration. The PTSD patients had more severe dissociative symptoms in each of the five symptom areas of the SCID-D and higher total symptom scores. Amnesia was the symptom area with the greatest difference in scores between the PTSD patients (mean = 3.68, SD = 0.73) and the non-PTSD veterans (mean = 1.06, SD = 0.26). The finding of higher levels of dissociative symptoms in Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD than in Vietnam veterans without PTSD is consistent with a level of dissociative symptoms in PTSD similar to that in dissociative disorders.