Psychiatry Investig.  2016 Mar;13(2):250-252. 10.4306/pi.2016.13.2.250.

Dissociative Identity Disorders in Korea: Two Recent Cases

• Kim I
• Kim D
• Jung HJ

• KMID: 2316624
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2016.13.2.250

Abstract

Although dissociative identity disorder (DID), the most severe of the dissociative disorders, has retained its own diagnostic entity since its introduction in the DSM-III, cases of DID are rarely seen in South and East Asia, likely due to the higher prevalence of possession disorder. We report two patients with DID who were recently admitted to our inpatient psychiatric unit and demonstrated distinct transitions to several identities. Their diagnoses were confirmed through a structured interview for dissociative disorders and possible differential diagnoses were ruled out by psychological, neuroimaging, and laboratory tests. The rapid transition to a Westernized, individualized society along with an increase in child abuse, might contribute to an increase in DID, previously under-diagnosed in this region.

Keyword

Dissociative identity disorder; Dissociative disorders; Culture; Asia; Childhood trauma

MeSH Terms

Asia
Child
Child Abuse
Diagnosis
Diagnosis, Differential
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Far East
Humans
Inpatients
Korea*
Multiple Personality Disorder
Neuroimaging
Prevalence