I'm looking for current, in-depth neurobiochemical research in the area of dissociative disorders. Can you help me find some? Generally, all I get is that it is a hysterical or psychosomatic disorder or a trendy issue, and not taken seriously at all. I know better. I've been there, done that; I'm still there and healing. I'm starting graduate school in the fall and want to do research in that area for my healing and the healing of the many others whom I know. Is there any help you can give me?

D.V.

The cutting edge of research and theory about dissociative disorders is being published and presented by members of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation. You should be able to join the ISSD as a student affiliate. You may also want to subscribe to or read the new Journal of Trauma and Dissociation; its first volume will be published in mid-2000 and will be offered free to ISSD members.

Another possibility is to subscribe to the Dissociative-Disorders e-mail list, which is open only to clinicians, scientists/researchers, graduate students, interns and residents involved in treatment or research of dissociative disorders. (To get subscription information, send the message "subscribe dissociative-disorders" to (listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu). You will be sent information on where to fax or mail your credentials for review to determine your eligibility for the list.) The purpose of the Dissociative-Disorders e-mail list is to provide a forum for discussing theory, research and treatment of dissociative disorders, NOT to debate the existence of dissociative disorders or provide support for people with dissociative disorders.

As you probably know, the category of dissociative disorders includes not only dissociative identity disorder (DID, formerly known as multiple personality disorder or MPD) but also dissociative amnesia (formerly known as psychogenic amnesia, or amnesia due to psychological rather than organic or physical causes), depersonalization disorder, and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS), a diagnosis often applied to people who exhibit some of the features of DID but don't meet all its diagnostic criteria.

You may also want to check out the research of Frank Putnam, MD, formerly of the National Institutes of Mental Health, and Ellert Nijenhuis, PhD, a Dutch psychologist who is doing very interesting research into the biological bases of dissociation. I'd start with Putnam's 1997 book Dissociation in Children and Adolescents: A Developmental Perspective and Nijenhuis' 1999 book Somatoform Dissociation: Phenomena, Measurement, and Theoretical Issues. Good luck with your studies and your continued healing.