Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: August | Volume: 9 | Issue: 8 | Pages: 60-67
Clinical Patterns of Dissociative Disorder in In-Patients from Dakshina Kannada District across Two Decades: A Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Dr. Joylin Jovita Mascarenhas1, Dr. Abhijith Krishna2, Dr. Denzil Pinto3
Assistant Professor1, Professor3, Dept of Psychiatry, Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore.
Senior Registrar2, Northwest Mental Health Services, Melbourne.
Corresponding Author: Dr. Joylin Jovita Mascarenhas
ABSTRACT
Background: Dakshina Kannada (D.K.), a coastal district of Karnataka, is a pilgrimage centre. It has many shrines and is rich in culture and tradition. Hence, trance and possession disorders are believed to be more common in this coastal region. We aimed to assess the change in the trend of trance and possession disorders and other dissociative disorders across two decades by retrospective chart review method.
Methods: Subjects of the study included in-patients hailing from Dakshina Kannada district, admitted and discharged from psychiatry wards of Father Muller medical college in the years 1999, 2009 & 2018&diagnosed to have one or the other subtypes of dissociative disorders, according to ICD-10.Subtypes of dissociative disorder were recorded and demographic data collected. Fischer’s exact test was used to test the significance.
Results: The frequency of dissociative disorders among inpatients hailing from D.K district was 2.13%, 2.03% & 0.9% in 1999, 2009 & 2018 was respectively. Dissociative motor disorder was found to be the most common subtype (47% and 23% respectively) in the year 1999 & 2009, whereas Trance & possession disorder was the most common subtype (60%) in 2018.Across these two decades dissociative disorder was found to be more common in those aged <25yrs, married, Hindu by faith, hailing from rural location of residence & belonging to lower socio-economic status. Female preponderance was seen across all subtypes of dissociative disorders.
Conclusion: Th frequency & pattern of dissociative disorder was similar in 1999 & 2009, whereas the frequency declined significantly in 2018.Trance & possession was most common dissociative disorder in 2018 in contrast to the dissociative motor disorders in 1999 & 2009.Unlike in the West, dissociative identity disorders were rarely diagnosed; instead, possession states were commonly seen in the Indian population, indicating cross-cultural disparity.
Key words: Clinical pattern, dissociative disorders, Dakshina Kannada