The DOI matches its Crossref record; 23 of the 23 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Objective Documentation of Child Abuse and Dissociation in 12 Murderers With Dissociative Identity Disorder
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The skepticism regarding the existence of dissociative identity disorder as well as the abuse that engenders it persists for lack of objective documentation. This is doubly so for the disorder in murderers because of issues of suspected malingering. This article presents objective verification of both dissociative symptoms and severe abuse during childhood in a series of adult murderers with dissociative identity disorder. METHOD: This study consisted of a review of the clinical records of 11 men and one woman with DSM-IV-defined dissociative identity disorder who had committed murder. Data were gathered from medical, psychiatric, social service, school, military, and prison records and from records of interviews with subjects' family members and others. Handwriting samples were also examined. Data were analyzed qualitatively. RESULTS: Signs and symptoms of dissociative identity disorder in childhood and adulthood were corroborated independently and from several sources in all 12 cases; objective evidence of severe abuse was obtained in 11 cases. The subjects had amnesia for most of the abuse and underreported it. Marked changes in writing style and/or signatures were documented in 10 cases. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes, once and for all, the linkage between early severe abuse and dissociative identity disorder. Further, the data demonstrate that the disorder can be distinguished from malingering and from other disorders. The study shows that it is possible, with great effort, to obtain objective evidence of both the symptoms of dissociative identity disorder and the abuse that engenders it.
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In the citing paper
“Cognitively, DID is associated with atypical information processing and altered reality perception, though much evidence relies on self -report, raising validity concerns given trauma survivors ' tendencies toward mistrust and low self -con fi dence (Dorahy et al. 2016; Lewis et al. 1997).”
From Examining the linguistic and behavioural patterns of gender identity in women with dissociative identity disorder (2025) · cites this paper as Lewis et al. 1997
In the citing paper
“The strengthening of feelings subtheme captured emotionally charged expressions, aligning with evidence of emotion regulation dif fi culties in trauma-affected populations (Dorahy et al. 2016; Lewis et al. 1997).”
From Examining the linguistic and behavioural patterns of gender identity in women with dissociative identity disorder (2025) · cites this paper as Lewis et al. 1997
In the citing paper
“In the context of DID, intensi fi ers appear to serve as emphatic tools -amplifying speech to convey urgency, conviction, or unresolved trauma (Dorahy et al. 2016; Lewis et al. 1997).”
From Examining the linguistic and behavioural patterns of gender identity in women with dissociative identity disorder (2025) · cites this paper as Lewis et al. 1997
Citations
Cites
The clinical phenomenology of multiple personality disorder: review of 100 recent cases.
Putnam, F. W., Guroff, J. J., Silberman, E. K., Barban, L., & Post, R. (1986) · PubMed · Cited by 747
Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder
Putnam, F. W. (1989) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 607
Making monsters: false memories, psychotherapy, and sexual hysteria
(1995) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.32-4184 · Cited by 346
Violent juvenile delinquents: psychiatric, neurological, psychological, and abuse factors.
Lewis, D. O., Shanok, S. S., Pincus, J. H., & Glaser, G. (1979) · Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0002-7138(09)61045-1 · Cited by 315
Self-citationMultiple Personality Disorder: An Analysis of 236 Cases
Ross, C. A., Norton, G. R., & Wozney, K. A. (1989) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674378903400509 · Cited by 295
Dissociative Identity Disorder: Diagnosis, Clinical Features, and Treatment of Multiple Personality
Ross, C. A. (1996) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 271
Lewis, D. O., Pincus, J. H., Bard, B., Richardson, E., Prichep, L. S., Feldman, M., & Yeager, C. L. (1988) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.145.5.584 · Cited by 250
Self-citationCoons, P. M., Bowman, E. S., & Milstein, V. (1988) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-198809000-00001 · Cited by 246
Multiple personality disorder. A clinical investigation of 50 cases.
Coons, P. M., Bowman, E. S., & Milstein, V. (1988) · PubMed · Cited by 218
Lewis, D. O., Pincus, J. H., Feldman, M., Jackson, L., & Bard, B. (1986) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.143.7.838 · Cited by 205
Self-citation
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- McHugh PR: Psychiatric misadventures. Am Scholar 1992; 61:497–510
- Barton C: Backstage in psychiatry: the multiple personality disorder controversy. Dissociation 1994; 3:167–172
- Loewenstein RJ, Putnam FW: The clinical phenomenology of males with multiple personality disorder. Dissociation 1990; 3:135–143
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Evaluation of the evidence for the trauma and fantasy models of dissociation.
Dalenberg, C. J., Brand, B. L., Gleaves, D. H., Dorahy, M. J., Loewenstein, R. J., Cardeña, E., Frewen, P. A., Carlson, E. B., & Spiegel, D. (2012) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0027447 · Cited by 667
Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults, Third Revision
International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociati (2011) · Journal of Trauma & Dissociation · doi:10.1080/15299732.2011.537247 · Cited by 374
MacDonald, K. S., Thomas, M. L., Sciolla, A., Schneider, B., Pappas, K., Bleijenberg, G., Bohus, M., Bradley, B., Carpenter, L. L., Carr, A., et al. (2016) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146058 · Cited by 374
A meta‐analytic examination of the relationship between child sexual abuse and eating disorders
Smolak, L., & Murnen, S. K. (2002) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.10008 · Cited by 311
Hippocampal and Amygdalar Volumes in Dissociative Identity Disorder
Vermetten, E., Schmahl, C., Lindner, S., Loewenstein, R. J., & Bremner, J. D. (2006) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.630 · Cited by 296
Metadata
- Authors
- Lewis, D. O., Yeager, C. A., Swica, Y., Pincus, J. H., & Lewis, M.
- Affiliations
- NYU Langone Health (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Published
- 1997-12-01
- Volume
- 154
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1703-1710
- ISSN
- 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-7228
- OpenAlex
- W2012699209
- Cited by
- 179
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 5.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Keywords
- dissociative identity disorder, child abuse, murder, malingering, handwriting analysis, amnesia, dissociation, forensic psychiatry
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Sexual, Diagnosis, Differential, Dissociative Disorders, Female, Forensic Psychiatry, Handwriting, Homicide, Humans, Male, Malingering, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Prisoners, Comorbidity
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