Dissociative identity disorder: The abused child and the spurned diagnosis

For the past fifteen years I have been working with patients suffering with Dissociative Identity Disorder. During that time, I have encountered clinicians who have accepted this diagnosis as legitimate, others who ran the gamut from skeptical to critical, disbelieving, and shaming of patients and therapists who work so hard to help them. I chose to present the work with my patient, Yolanda, in the hopes of informing and enlightening clinicians about the reality of this disorder. To that end, a panel, and now chapter, entitled “Dissociative Identity Disorder: The Abused Child and the Spurned Diagnosis” was created.