Experiences of living with a controversial diagnosis : a qualitative study of dissociative identity disorder

• Main Author: Floris, Jessica C.
• Published: University of Essex 2012
• Subjects: 616.8523
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.589425

Rationale: Research into patient's lived experiences of diagnosis is an important and emerging area of research. There are no studies on the diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder in this regard which represents a significant gap in the research. This research examines how individuals diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) construe their experiences of being given what remains to be, a controversial diagnosis. Method: A qualitative approach was adopted for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five women and two men diagnosed with DID. A Framework Analysis of the data was conducted. Findings: Analysis identified two overarching themes: "Diagnosis cross-examined" and "Navigating care systems". These were comprised of further themes which reflected the positive and negative aspects of living with the diagnosis, as well as the challenges encountered before, during and after diagnosis whilst seeking help for their distress. Discussion: The findings indicated that individuals diagnosed with DID had similar experiences of being stigmatised and issues accessing care, to the experiences reported by research into other contentious diagnoses. Furthermore, participants diagnosed with DID encountered additional difficulties which were particular to the controversy that surrounds this diagnosis and made accessing services more problematic.