-Caveat Lector- Hi ! Here's some information about research and memory. Sincerely, Neil Brick quotes from http://idealist.com/tat/98-07-02-did.shtml DID: Research and Pseudoscience by Stephanie Dallam RN, MSN, FNP Treating Abuse Today Vol 8 No 3 May - June, 1998 pp. some of the most egregious abuses of science have come from those who attack the validity of the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (formally called multiple personality disorder or MPD). Below are some examples of how bias and personal opinion can masquerade as serious research. Harold Merskey, a Canadian psychiatrist and vocal critic of MPD. In his paper titled "The Manufacture of Personalities: The Production of Multiple Personality Disorder," Dr. Merskey (1992) contends that all MPD is artifactual, caused either by publicity or by therapists, and that MPD is a form of malingering. Merskey does not, however, provide empirical data to support these contentions. In a critique of Merskey's thesis, Charles Barton (1994) pointed out that MPD skeptics have failed to generate a significant body of scientific evidence in support of their claims, and are not able to cite scientific reasons for rejecting a particular notion.. Barton specifically notes that Merskey failed to critically examine the research supporting the existence of MPD and offered no systematic criticism of MPD. Merskey (1994) responds to Barton's critique by claiming that he is aware of the MPD literature; however, the evidence is "not impressive, not carrying conviction, and lacks validity." In one sentence, Merskey dismisses years of scientific research, thus leveling the debate to one man's opinion against another's Dr. Paul R. McHugh (1995), head of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, maintains that the majority of MPD patients "do not come to treatment reporting a sexual assault in childhood." According to McHugh, "Only as the therapy is developed is the possibility that they were sexually abused as children suggested to them." In addition, McHugh contends that some therapists read more into these symptoms than they warrant, and suggest to patients that their symptoms represent the subtle actions of alternative personalities. Suddenly, according to McHugh, the patient is transformed into "odd people with repeated shifts of demeanor and deportment that they display on command." McHugh does not cite any data to support these assertions. Nor does he acknowledge the numerous studies which refute his characterization of MPD patients. A cursory review of the literature reveals abundant studies utilizing reliable diagnostic instruments which have documented a significant relationship between childhood sexual abuse and dissociative symptoms. In addition, several studies present objective verification of both dissociative symptoms and severe abuse during childhood in a both adults and children subsequently diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID). a study by Dr, Philip M. Coons and others (1988) assessed 50 consecutive adults with MPD using clinical history, psychiatric interview, neurological examination, EEG, MMPI, intelligence testing, and a variety of psychiatric rating scales. The data suggested that the etiology of MPD was strongly related to childhood trauma and was not an underlying neurologic dysfunction Coons (1994) sought to determine, whether external corroboration of child abuse could be found in a group of children diagnosed with MPD and Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS). In a retrospective chart review of 31 subjects, ranging in age from 5- to 17-years of age, child abuse was confirmed in eight of 9 patients with MPD and in all 12 cases of DDNOS many of the individuals who argue that DID is an iatrogenic creation. Since there is scant literature to support this contention, they often cite a handful of experiments with college students in which hypnotized students were successfully encouraged to act as if they had a secondary personality. DID critics claim that these studies prove that multiple personalities can be created experimentally-which, in turn, proves MPD is an iatrogenic creation of the treating therapist...In actuality, none of the experiments with normal college students have resulted in the creation of anything even remotely resembling full clinical DID. As DID expert Colin Ross (1997, p. 234) notes, none of the analogs created in college students meet the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS) or Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Dissociative Disorders (SCID-D) profile of DID. None of the students were asked to complete the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) or other standard measures used to screen for DID. In addition, none of the role enactments of DID persisted outside of the laboratory, and none of the student subjects required treatment for their DID. An example of over-generalizing from research and over-stating conclusions can be found in the paper "Creating False Memories: Remembering Words Not Presented in Lists" by experimental psychologists Henry L. Roediger, III & Kathleen B. McDermott. This paper reports the results of two laboratory experiments on normal memory..... The researchers then took a giant leap and concluded that their study the results offered evidence that it is easy to get people to remember events that never happened. Roediger and McDermott suggest that this finding is generalizable to the current controversy surrounding contested memories of child abuse A critique by Jennifer J. Freyd and David H. Gleaves urged strong caution in making such a generalization. They argued that there are critical differences between a list of words and memories of abuse. Ridicule and name calling have been frequently used by skeptics to place professionals who work with DID on the defensive. Research by Dr. Paul Dell (1988) documents the extreme skepticism and harassment endured by those who treat DID patients. A survey of therapist members of the International Society of the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociation (now known as ISSD) revealed that 98% of the respondents had encountered skepticism from fellow professionals and 78% had encountered intense skepticism. Among the psychiatrists responding to the survey, 32% reported encountering aggression against an MPD patient or the diagnosing therapist by professional colleagues. Another 32% reported interference in their patients' treatment by other staff members (e.g., staff members would try to "prove" to the patients that they did not have MPD and accused MPD patients of being "liars," of "manipulating," and of having "made the whole thing up just to get attention." More than 50% of the survey respondents reported that they and their patients had repeatedly been subjected to malicious harassment, ridicule, and deliberate interference in medical care. A recent study by Lewis and others (1997) confirms the results found in previous studies. This study consisted of a review of the clinical records of 11 men and one woman with DSM-IV-defined DID who had committed murder. Data were gathered from medical, psychiatric, social service, school, military, and prison records and from records of interviews with subjects' family members and others. Signs and symptoms of DID in childhood and adulthood were corroborated independently and from several sources in all 12 cases; objective evidence of severe abuse was obtained in 11 cases. The subjects had amnesia for most of the abuse and underreported it. The authors conclude: "This study establishes, once and for all, the linkage between early severe abuse and dissociative identity disorder." 2. Ross (1997) p 77. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! 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