Diagnostic tools for assessing dissociation in children and adolescents

The recent development of screening and diagnostic instruments specific to the dissociative disorders allows for effective early identification and proper treatment of patients with these disorders. These disorders have been under- and misdiagnosed in the child and adolescent population as well as in adults. This article reviews instruments that are currently in use in screening for or diagnosing dissociative disorders in children and adolescents, and it reports on the results obtained from administration of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders (SCID-D) to adolescent patients. It concludes with a summary of the clinical applications of the SCID-D in the adolescent population and a sample interview report on an adolescent diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder/multiple identity disorder.