2546 - HOW ACCURATELY ARE PSYCHOLOGISTS AND PSYCHIATRISTS ABLE TO IDENTIFY DISSOCIATIVE SYMPTOMS AND DISORDERS?

Session: D06S008 - Clinical Intervention 3
AUTHORS:
Hamer Ruby (Swinburne University of Technology ~ Melbourne ~ Australia) , Nedeljkovic Maja (Swinburne University of Technology ~ Melbourne ~ Australia) , Mackelprang Jessica (Swinburne University of Technology ~ Melbourne ~ Australia)
Abstract text:
Introduction: Dissociation is a common symptom across various mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder, with a prevalence of approximately 10% in inpatient and outpatient settings. Despite its prevalence, dissociative symptoms often go unidentified and dissociative disorders are often underdiagnosed. This gap in identification has important implications for clients' treatment outcomes and quality of life—if dissociation is not identified, appropriate treatment is unlikely to be offered. Prior research has demonstrated that one significant contributing factor to this issue is mental health professionals' lack of knowledge and clinical skills to address dissociation, in part due to insufficient training. Purpose: Given the clinical importance of correctly identifying dissociative symptoms and disorders, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate psychologists' and psychiatrists' accuracy in identifying dissociative symptoms and disorders and to examine the influence of confidence and training on diagnostic accuracy. Methods: Sixty-nine fully registered psychologists (n = 59) and psychiatrists (n = 10) completed an anonymous online survey that presented participants with two expert-designed clinical vignettes to assess applied diagnostic knowledge. The survey also queried clinicians' self-reported confidence and prior training on dissociation. Results: Analyses revealed that only 50% of clinicians accurately identified all symptoms of dissociation from a clinical vignette (Vignette 1), and only 28% clinicians accurately diagnosed dissociative identity disorder (Vignette 2). Conclusion: These findings highlight the lack of knowledge about dissociative symptoms and disorders among psychologists and psychiatrists and underscore the potentially critical need for training to enhance clinicians' ability to detect them accurately. Integrating dissociation-focused education into formal training pathways and professional development may be critical to reducing misdiagnosis and improving client outcomes.