(Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, 1996-12) Nijenhuis, Ellert R.S.
Criminal acts can be performed in a dissociative state. Since a percentage of male and female patients with dissociative disorders act out aggression and display criminal behaviors, some of them may be found in the criminal justice system. This case report demonstrates that the long-term failure to diagnose dissociative identity disorder in a forensic psychiatric patient permitted the continued existence of highly aggressive dissociative identity states, and near-relapses into homicidal behavior. The author concludes that careful screening for dissociative disorders and the provision of treatment for dissociative disorders in forensic settings is necessary. The risks of both false negative and false positive diagnoses should both be recognized.
