Clinical practice guidelines for the management of dissociative disorders in children and adolescents

Abstract

At times, stressors may not be severe enough to be noticed by the family members of the patient. [...]the family members may not be able to correlate the stressor with the onset of dissociative symptoms. [...]dissociative disorder may also have comorbid oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and intellectual disability, especially in boys. [...]it is important to screen for all age-appropriate psychiatric disorders in the child to avoid missing an underlying primary or a comorbid diagnosis. Dissociative disorders are seen very less internationally. [...]there are no practice guidelines for the management of dissociative disorders. Any suggestion of this possibility is met with resentment, anger, and sometimes open hostility. [...]any confrontation about the nature of the symptoms should be avoided at all costs, and all the members of the treating team should adopt the same nonconfrontational, calm approach toward the disorder the child and family.