Dissociative Depression is Resistant to Treatment-As-Usual

Abstract

A new concept introduced by the author, the “dissociative depression” differs from primary depression in symptomatology, course, and treatment response. Being related to traumatization in childhood, dissociative depression tends to be chronic and is usually classified as treatment-resistant due to its limited response to biological interventions. Trauma-focused psychotherapy targeting dissociative psychopathology leads to positive results. However, such patients are usually undertreated in terms of effective psychotherapy and become recipients of long-term antidepressant prescription. The concept of dissociative depression is proposed to facilitate the identification of this large group of patients who suffer from their “no name” condition from the angle of official psychiatric classifications.