Here, I list articles about dissociative disorders in the academic literature that I find interesting. This page is a work in progress and is updated periodically.

As an academic myself, I believe that it is important acknowledge that academia is inherently political, even though it’s not often presented as such. Even papers that make it through peer review often include bias and findings subject to interpretation, especially in softer sciences like psychology. Many dissociative experiences cannot be validated by traditional scientific techniques, thus leading to further division in the field about how to understand dissociation. This is, of course, one of the reasons why DID is considered to be a controversial diagnosis. The papers on this page are ones I’ve found interesting, but are not necessarily ones I fully agree with.

1

Are there two qualitatively distinct forms of dissociation? A review and some clinical implications

Emily A. Holmes et al., 2005


This paper discusses two distinct forms of dissociation—detachment and comparmentalization. This is how I like to think about my dissociative experiences.

3

Trauma-related Structural Dissociation of the Personality

Ellert Nijenhuis, Onno van der Hart, and Kathy Steele, 2010


This is a core paper about the theory of structural dissociation, which underlies many peoples' understanding of DID.

9

The phenomenology and treatment of extremely complex multiple personality disorder

Richard P. Kluft, 1988


This is the classic paper about what is known today as “polyfragmented” DID.

10

Hacking on the Looping Effects of Psychiatric Classifications: What Is an Interactive and Indifferent Kind?

Jonathan Y. Tsou, 2007


This paper describes Ian Hacking’s looping effects of human kinds for psychaitric disorders.

The online community: DID and plurality

Emily M. Christensen, 2021


This paper provides a good survey of online dissociative disorder and “plural” communities

20

Alters in dissociative identity disorder: Metaphors or genuine entities?

Harald Merckelbach, Grant J. Devilly, and Eric Rassin, 2002


What are “alters”? This paper proposes that they’re mostly up to one’s interpretation.

25

30

Revisiting False-Positive and Imitated Dissociative Identity Disorder

Igor Jacob Pietkiewicz, Anna Babńura-Nowak, Radosław Tomalski and Suzette Boon, 2021


Separating Fact from Fiction: An Empirical Examination of Six Myths About Dissociative Identity Disorder

Bethany L. Brand et al., 2016


This is the paper many send to those who don’t believe that DID is “real”.

45

Introducing Plurals

Elizabeth Schechter, 2024


50

The link between dissociative tendencies and hyperassociativity

R.J.C. Huntjens, G.P.J. Janssen, H. Merckelbach, and S.J. Lynn, 2021


70

85

Deconstucting DID

Ira Brenner, 1999


90

Cognitive Processes in Dissociation: An Analysis of Core Theoretical Assumptions

Timo Giesbrecht, Steven Jay Lynn, Scott O. Lilienfeld, and Harald Merckelbach, 2023