Childhood trauma and dissociation in patients with bipolar disorder

Traumatic experiences during childhood are frequently emphasized in the etiology of bipolar disorder as well as many other psychiatric disorders. In bipolar patients with a history of childhood trauma, studies have shown that the age of disease onset age is earlier, the number of affective episodes is higher, the rate of rapid cycling is increased and psychotic symptoms as well as suicide attempts are more common. Dissociation, which is characterized with changes in or deterioration of the normal integrative functions of memory, identity and consciousness, manifests in many psychiatric disorders. Some studies have demonstrated dissociative symptoms to be present in psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and in borderline personality disorders and that, there is a relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and dissociative symptoms. Additionally, there are fewer studies and case reports in literature investigating the relationship between bipolar disorder and dissociation. These researches have shown that in bipolar disorder patients with high dissociation scores, the onset of the disease may be earlier and treatment responses may be lower.