Does Diagnosis Matter?
Diagnosis can guide treatment and accommodations, but it is not the only path to useful support. 1 2 3
Main ideas
- A diagnosis can help clinicians choose safer pacing and avoid treatments that ignore dissociation.
- Some people need diagnosis for documentation, insurance, disability, school, or medical coordination.
- Others may focus first on symptoms and safety if diagnosis would create practical risk.
Questions for reflection
- What would a diagnosis make easier?
- What could a diagnosis make riskier?
- Can care improve now using symptom-focused language?
Clinical note
The label should serve the person. The person should not be forced to serve the label.
Footnotes
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International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. (2011). Guidelines for treating dissociative identity disorder in adults, third revision. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 12(2), 115-187. pp. 115-187. Full adult DID treatment guideline PDF. ↩
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Pietkiewicz, I. J., Banbura-Nowak, A., Tomalski, R., & Boon, S. (2021). Revisiting false-positive and imitated dissociative identity disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. Differential diagnosis article. Open access diagnostic caution article. ↩
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Van der Hart, O., et al. (2012). The use of imagery in phase 1 treatment of clients with complex dissociative disorders. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 3. Phase 1 treatment article. Open access stabilization and imagery article. ↩