Different DSM-IV Diagnoses

SITE MAP DID : Description DID : For Survivors : Q & A : Survivors’ Stories :

symptoms : missed and misdiagnosed : Why is DID misdiagnosed? : common misdiagnoses : Why the reluctance to accept the diagnosis? :

ADHD

Bipolar affective disorder

There are a number of Bipolar Affective Disorders based on the latest episode of manic, hypomanic, and depressive episodes.

See:
http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-md02.html

Note that DID is not listed among the differential diagnoses, even though DID symptoms can include manic, hypomanic, and depressive episodes.

Society for Neuroscience information on Bipolar

Borderline Personality Disorder

Schizophrenia

According to the Society for Neuroscience: "Schizophrenia is a devastating brain disorder that torments sufferers with hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking patterns, and memory deficits. It is especially tragic because it usually strikes during the late teens, 20s, or early 30s. In the past, many individuals with schizophrenia became permanently lost to the social withdrawal and other behavioral
problems characteristic of this disease."

Unfortunately, this definition fails to differentiate between schizophrenia and DID. One of the important differences is that schizophrenics perceive their hallucinations as having an external origin, while those with DID perceive their voices and flashbacks as having an internal origin. Thought disturbance is prominent in schizophrenia, while any apparent thought disturbance in DID results from intrusions by alters' thoughts.