A Systematic Chart Review of Inpatient Population with Childhood Dissociative Disorder

Abstract

Objective: To study the socio-demographic factors, clinical characteristics, and long-term outcome of dissociative disorders in inpatient children and adolescents. Methods: Chart data of forty-four subjects (8-15 years) with a diagnosis of dissociative disorder admitted to a specialist Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) unit between September 2001 and August 2002 were reviewed. Results: Eighty-nine percent of the subjects were above 10 years of age, and 61% were females. Difficult or anxious temperament was found in half of the subjects. Precipitating stressors were present in a majority (82%) and half of the subjects had an acute onset of symptoms. Mean duration of illness was 3.6 weeks. The most common symptom was pseudoseizure. Sixty-eight percent of patients had a co-morbid psychiatric diagnosis, the commonest being a depressive disorder. Remission in symptoms was seen in about 80% of subjects at the time of discharge. Two-thirds of the twenty-four subjects available for follow-up had resumed academics and had good global functioning. Conclusions: Inpatient children and adolescents with dissociative disorders had an acute onset, with obvious precipitating stressors and had a favourable short- and medium-term outcome. Majority of the subjects had psychiatric co-morbidity. Early diagnosis and presence of precipitating factors determined a favourable outcome.