Multiple personality disorder.
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Diagnosis, Differential↗
Biomedical subjects
G A Fraser
Publications and source records attributed to G A Fraser.
Abuse histories in 102 cases of multiple personality disorder.
The authors interviewed 102 individuals with clinical diagnoses of multiple personality disorder at four centres using the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule. The patients reported high rates of childhood trauma: 90.2% had been sexually abused, 82.4% physically abused, and 95.1% subjected to one or both forms of child abuse. Over 50% of subjects reported initial physical and sexual abuse before age five. The average duration of both types of abuse was ten years, and numerous different perpetrators were identified. Subjects were equally likely to be physically abused by their mothers or fathers. Sexual abusers were more often male than female, but a substantial amount of sexual abuse was perpetrated by mothers, female relatives, and other females. Multiple personality disorder appears to be a response to chronic trauma originating during a vulnerable period in childhood.
Adolescent↗
Structured interview data on 102 cases of multiple personality disorder from four centers.
Patients with multiple personality disorder (N = 102) at four different centers were interviewed with the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule. The presenting characteristics of the patients at all four centers were very similar. The clinical profile that emerged included a history of childhood physical and/or sexual abuse in 97 (95.1%) of the cases. The subjects reported an average of 15.2 somatic symptoms, 6.4 Schneiderian symptoms, 10.2 secondary features of the disorder, 5.2 borderline personality disorder criteria, and 5.6 extrasensory experiences; their average score on the Dissociative Experiences Scale was 41.4. The results indicate that multiple personality disorder has a stable, consistent set of features.
Borderline Personality Disorder↗
Lumbar intervertebral disc prolapse in teenage twins. A case report and review of the literature.
We report the cases of teenage twin girls presenting within months of each other with severe symptoms from lumbosacral disc prolapses, requiring laminectomy in one and chemonucleolysis in the other. CT scans showed similarities in spinal configuration, including the presence of disc bulges at the L4-5 level. This suggests a strong hereditary factor in prolapse of intervertebral discs, but a review of the literature showed little information on that aspect.
Adolescent↗
Septic arthritis in childhood.
In the first 4 years (1974 to 1978) of operation of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, in Ottawa, 50 children were treated for septic arthritis. The neonatal group (birth to 6 months) of three patients had the most severe involvement and the worst prognosis. The early childhood group (6 months to 4 years) of 15 patients was characterized by sepsis due to Hemophilus influenzae. The 32 older children (4 to 16 years), more susceptible to staphylococcal infections, commonly presented with atypical and unusual symptoms. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was the most reliable laboratory investigation. Positive joint cultures were obtained in 66% of patients. Arthrotomy with drainage was the most reliable form of treatment, particularly in cases of hip joint sepsis. Six patients have substantial residual joint damage with some degree of permanent disability. Early diagnosis of the condition and rapid removal of pus are mandatory for the survival of the joint.
Adolescent↗
A short encounter with Anna Freud at Berggasse 19.
This article discusses a short encounter with Dr. Anna Freud in her former consulting office in Vienna at 19 Berggasse in May 1977. Dr. Freud had gone to Vienna for the laying of a marble plaque at the site of the former BelleVue Hotel where Sigmund Freud had first started his work on the 'interpretation of dreams'. In 1900 Dr. Sigmund Freud had written to Wilhelm Fliess "Do you suppose that some day a marble tablet will be placed on the house, inscribed with the words: 'in this house on July 24, 1895, The Secret of Dreams was revealed to Dr. Sigmund Freud' At this moment I see little prospect of it". This request was realized on 6 May 1977 and the author who was present at the ceremonies, describes some of the events.
Austria↗
Schneiderian symptoms in multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia.
We report structured interview data from a series of 102 cases of multiple personality disorder (MPD) diagnosed in four centers. Schneiderian first-rank symptoms of schizophrenia were equally common in all four centers. The average MPD patient had experienced 6.4 Schneiderian symptoms. When these 102 cases are combined with two previously reported series of MPD cases, an average of 4.9 Schneiderian symptoms in 368 cases of MPD is noted. This compares with an average of 1.3 symptoms acknowledged by 1,739 schizophrenics in 10 published series. Schneiderian symptoms are more characteristic of MPD than of schizophrenia.
Adult↗