Frequency of dissociative disorder among psychiatric outpatients in Saudi Arabia : a replication study

Abstract EN

A prospective study of dissociative disorders was compared with a study 20 years before.

During the study period all new dissociative outpatients of King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia were included.

In accordance with the concept of decreasing incidence of dissociative disorders over the years, there was a significant decrease in the frequency of dissociative disorders between the two studies.

Fits and dyspnea significantly dominated the clinical presentation, while other symptoms were rare.

The dominant age was below 30 and the female-male ratio was 3.2:1, similar to that reported worldwide.

Dissociative disorder seems to breed true over the years but the pattern remains unique to the ambient culture.