Dissociation : Vol. 3, No. 4, p. 179-187 : Adolescent MPD in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
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Date
1990-12
Authors
Bowman, Elizabeth S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ridgeview Institute and the International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociation
Abstract
Although modern literature refers to cases of adolescent MPD only since
1956, six cases were reported between 1823 and 1926. This article summarizes the case reports of these patients and compares them to modern reports of MPD in adolescence. The early patients were older, were 50 % female, and had a maximum of three reported personalities.
While some symptoms have remained constant over time, the symptom profiles of early and modern adolescent patients are somewhat different. Early patients frequently switched personalities upon awakening from sleep, had dramatic fainting spells, more complete mutual amnesias, more conversion symptoms, more prominent hazy trances, and less depression. Sexual abuse was reported in two cases but authors were very reticent to discuss it and did not recognize it as an etiologic factor. Even though early authors were neurologically focused, rarely explored psychodynamics, and offered mostly physical treatments, five of six patients had symptom remissions of greater than one year.
Description
p. 179-187