| dissociative disorder not otherwise specified ( n., adj.) | |
|---|---|
 A chart explaining how DDNOS variants are now re-categorized.[1] | |
| Applies to | systems |
| Origin | Psychiatric Term |
Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS) is a generally now defunct diagnosis formerly given to individuals who did not fully qualify for other dissociative disorder diagnoses, including dissociative identity disorder.
DDNOS was removed from the DSM due to a disproportionately high prevalence and difficulty distinguishing some presentations as uniquely separate from primary diagnoses. It was suggested that the definition of DID would be expanded to include the most common clinical presentations regardless of whether a professional could fully confirm the presence of distinct identities, as long as most other symptoms were present.[2]
Given that DDNOS is no longer given due to its removal in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the various subcategories are generally linked to other, more current diagnoses:
- DDNOS-1 → Dissociative Identity Disorder: Switching not observed by a clinician, or amnesia for the significant past but not everyday life.
- DDNOS-1a & 1b → Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder: Less distinct parts/no alters (1a) OR without amnesia (1b).
- DDNOS-2 → Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder: Derealization without Depersonalization
- DDNOS 3-5, Ganser's Syndrome → Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder: Disorder with specific symptoms, e.g. identity change due to brainwashing, acute dissociative reaction, dissociative trance.
Other forms with unclear symptoms are now considered Unspecified Dissociative Disorder.
