Dissociation : Vol. 3, No. 3 (Sept. 1990)

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Browsing Dissociation : Vol. 3, No. 3 (Sept. 1990) by Author "Braun, Bennett G."

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    Dissociation : Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 144-150 : Unusual medication regimens in the treatment of dissociative disorder patients: part I: noradrenergic agents
    (Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociation, 1990-09) Braun, Bennett G.
    The noradrenergic agents propranolol and to a lesser extent, clonidine, are used in an experimental setting to reduce switching and anxiety in dissociative disorder patients, making them better candidates for psychotherapy. The rationale for this non-FDA-approved use of the drugs is founded in the James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories of emotion. It is hypothesized further that the mechanisms proposed by the two theories are reinforcing of one another via classical conditioning in the production and reinforcement of chronic, severe anxiety responses. The effect of propranolol and clonidine can complement the effect of benzodiazepines in these patients. In the experimental protocol described, propranolol or clonidine is sometimes used at ultrahigh doses, with patients always under close medical supervision.
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    Dissociation : Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 151-153 : The dissociative experiences scale: further replication and validation
    (Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociation, 1990-09) Frischholz, Edward J.; Braun, Bennett G.; Sachs, Roberta G.; Hopkins, Laura; Shaeffer, Denise; Lewis, Jennifer; Leavitt, Frank; Pasquotto, James N.; Schwartz, David R.
    The purpose of the present study was to provide further evidence in support of the validity of the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) as a reliable measure of dissociative psychopathology. The DES was administered to 259 college students, 33 patients with multiple personality disorder (MPD), and 29 patients with a dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS). The inter-rater reliability for the DES scoring procedure was excellent (coefficient of absolute agreement=.96; coefficient of relative agreement =.99). The test retest reliability of DES scores (within approximately one month) was also excellent (coefficient of absolute agreement =.93; coefficient of relative agreement=.96) and suggests that DES total scores are temporally stable and similar in absolute value across testings. Finally, the internal consistency of DES scores was also very high (alpha for students=.93; alpha for MPD patients =.94; alpha for DDNOS patients=.94; alpha for the combined total sample=.95). Both MPD (mean DES score =55.0) and DDNOS patients (mean DES score =40.8) earned significantly higher DES scores than students (mean DES score=23.8). In addition, MPD patients earned significantly higher DES scores than DDNOS patients. The results of the present study also suggest that a DES cutoff score of 45 to 55 maximizes the probability of correctly classifying students from dissociative disorder patients (87%) while minimizing the rates of false positive (2 to 6 %) and false negative errors (7 to 11%). Suggestions for further validation research are also made.