General There is little systematic data on the prevalence of DID. Most clinicians think, or are taught to believe, that DID and dissociation in general is a rare disorder that is the result of horrific or otherwise traumatic events and experiences. They may also view it as consisting of "florid, dramatic presentation." Beidel et al. state, "Population prevalence estimates vary widely, from extremely rare ... to rates approximating that of schizophrenia ... Estimates of DID inpatients settings range from 1-9.6%." Reported rates in the community vary from 1% to 3% with higher rates among psychiatric patients. Şar et al. state, "Studies conducted in various countries led to a consensus about prevalences of DID: 3–5% among psychiatric inpatients, 2–3% among outpatients, and 1% in the general population. Prevalences appear heightened among adolescent psychiatric outpatients and in the psychiatric emergency unit." DID is 5 to 9 times more common in women than men during young adulthood, although this may be due to selection bias as men who could be diagnosed with DID may end up in the criminal justice system rather than hospitals. In children, rates among all genders are approximately the same (5:4). DID diagnoses are extremely rare in children; much of the research on childhood DID occurred in the 1980s and 1990s and does not address ongoing controversies surrounding the diagnosis. DID occurs more commonly in young adults and declines with age. Although the condition has been described in non-English speaking nations and non-Western cultures, these reports all occur in English-language journals authored by international researchers who cite Western scientific literature and are therefore not isolated from Western influences. Changing prevalence Rates of diagnosed DID were increasing, reaching a peak of approximately 40,000 cases by the end of the 20th century, up from less than 200 before 1970. Initially DID along with the rest of the<unk>  disorders were considered the rarest of psychological conditions, numbering less than 100 by 1944, with only one further case added in the next two decades. In the late 1970s and 80s, the number of diagnoses rose sharply. An estimate from the 1980s places the incidence at 0.01%. Accompanying this rise was an increase in the number of alters, rising from only the primary and one alter personality in most cases, to an average of 13 in the mid-1980s (the increase in both number of cases and number of alters within each case are both factors in professional skepticism regarding the diagnosis). Others explain the increase as being due to the use of inappropriate therapeutic techniques in highly suggestible individuals, though this is itself controversial while proponents of DID claim the increase in incidence is due to increased recognition of and ability to recognize the disorder. Figures from psychiatric populations (inpatients and outpatients) show a wide diversity from different countries. North America The DSM-5 estimates the prevalence of DID at 1.5% based on a "small community study."<unk>  disorders were excluded from the Epidemiological Catchment Area Project. DID is a controversial diagnosis and condition, with much of the literature on DID still being generated and published in North America, to the extent that it was once regarded as a phenomenon confined to that continent though research has appeared discussing the appearance of DID in other countries and cultures. A 1996 essay offered three possible causes for the sudden increase in people diagnosed with DID: # The result of therapist suggestions to suggestible people, much as Charcot's hysterics acted in accordance with his expectations. # Psychiatrists' past failure to recognize dissociation being redressed by new training and knowledge. #<unk>  phenomena are actually increasing, but this increase only represents a new form of an old and protean entity: "hysteria". Paris believes that the first possible cause is the most likely. Etzel Cardena and David Gleaves believe the over-representation of DID in North America is the result of increased awareness and training about the condition which had formerly been missing.
Dissociative identity disorder
Substance use disorder
Internalizing disorder
Bipolar disorder
Sexual masochism disorder
Major depressive disorder
Somatization disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder