Psychopathology: Theory and Practice

Who done it, actually? The meaning of truth in Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (American Psychiatric Association 2013) is examined in this presentation from the perspective of its relevance to the criminologist. As this psychiatric condition is linked to severe and prolonged childhood abuse, accounts of DID patients inevitably involve reports of serious crimes, in which the person was the victim, perpetrator or witness. These reports can thus contain crucial information for criminal investigations by the police or for court proceedings. However, due to the person’s dissociative states, such reports are often very confusing, hard to follow or believe and difficult to obtain. Through the analysis of clinical examples, Dr Adah Sachs explores how decisions are made by a person with DID, the notions of choice and’competent reasoning’, and the practical and ethical ways for interviewing a person with DID who has witnessed or participated in a crime.
(A version of this presentation was published (2015) at the International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy)