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The course of dissociation for patients with borderline personality disorder and axis II comparison subjects: a 10‐year follow‐up study
Author(s) -
Zanarini M. C.,
Frankenburg F. R.,
JagerHyman S.,
Reich D. B.,
Fitzmaurice G.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01247.x
Subject(s) - depersonalization , dissociative experiences scale , dissociative , dissociation (chemistry) , borderline personality disorder , amnesia , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , cognition , chemistry , emotional exhaustion , burnout , schizotypy
Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the severity of dissociation reported by borderline patients and axis II comparison subjects over 10 years of prospective follow‐up. Method: The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) – a 28‐item self‐report measure – was administered to 290 borderline in‐patients and 72 axis II comparison subjects during their index admission. It was also re‐administered at five contiguous 2‐year follow‐up periods. Results: The overall severity of dissociative experiences of those in both study groups decreased significantly over time but was discernibly greater in borderline patients (61% vs. 43%). The same pattern emerged for the subtypes of dissociation that were studied: absorption, depersonalization and amnesia. Conclusion: The severity of dissociation declines significantly over time for even severely ill borderline patients. However, it remains as a recurring problem for over a third of those with DES scores that initially were in the range associated with trauma‐spectrum disorders.