Dissociative identity disorder: an attempt to understand the disorder in Malaysian context
- Author:
Stephen T Jambunathan
;
Jesjeet Singh Gill
;
Sharmilla Kanagasundram
;
Koh Ong Hui
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
dissociative identity disorder, multiple personality disorder, culture bound syndromes.
- From:ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry
2007;8(1):118-125
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Dissociation, including multiple personality disorder, has long been a controversial topic. Patients
with suggestive symptoms are often misdiagnosed as malingering or even having
schizophrenia. The former as a result of the overlooking of a clinician on the fact that suggestibility
itself plays a key role in the emergence and perpetuation of this illness and the latter
due to the lack of knowledge of the whole dissociative disorder spectrum, often resembling
that of a psychotic disorder. Another contributing factor to the small number of patients with
this diagnosis is due to the reluctance of a psychiatrist to do so because of his/her lack of experience
and also fear of humiliation of being accused of seeking fame from diagnosing this
somewhat glamorous phenomenon. In Malaysia, various culture bound syndromes often present
with similar symptoms too. This article will attempt to understand this dissociation on the
local context using case studies as a reference point.
