McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School Continuing Education announced that they are cohosting Stronger Together: Dissociative Identity Disorder Past, Present, and Future, an international conference on a complex but highly treatable psychiatric condition that is commonly misunderstood and often misdiagnosed.
Offered by a group of renowned clinicians and researchers who have dedicated their careers to understanding and treating dissociative identity disorder (DID), Stronger Together is a live virtual conference that takes place September 18-21, 2024.
DID has been sensationalized for decades as a “multiple personality disorder” where a person experiences distinct personalities and portrays different characteristics and even different names.
Media representations have contributed to this general mischaracterization of the disorder, which is scarcely represented in traditional medical and psychology textbooks.
This confluence of factors makes Stronger Together vitally important for mental health professionals who are on the front lines of working with patients seeking treatment for trauma-related concerns.
“DID is a covert and internal psychiatric disorder that is difficult to diagnose without some specialized education,” said Milissa Kaufman, MD, PhD, founder and co-director, Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program, McLean Hospital; medical director, Trauma Continuum of Care at the Hill Center, McLean Hospital; and associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.
“Even experienced mental health practitioners may confuse it with PTSD or other psychiatric conditions, which is why we are teaming with Harvard Medical School to educate conference attendees on the causes of DID, how to assess for it, and how to treat patients living with it.”
Reserve Your Spot Now!
Sign up now to join us for this 2-day virtual conference, with a 2-day optional workshop. This program offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore the historical evolution of DID, gain insights into the current diagnostic criteria, and look ahead at the future of DID treatment and research.
“While we’ve made some strides over the past decade, few studies have assessed how patients with dissociative disorders respond to treatment—making it exponentially more difficult for practitioners to provide efficacious care,” said Bethany Brand, PhD, professor of psychology at Towson University and primary investigator of the Treatment of Patients with Dissociative Disorders (TOP DD) studies.
“This knowledge gap makes Stronger Together vitally important in the mental health world. Researchers and clinicians who are deeply immersed in dissociative disorders will share our findings and experiences with conference attendees, as we strive collectively to shape the future of mental health care for those with DID.”
Stronger Together will include presentations on a diverse set of complex issues. Example topics include:
- The connection between child sex trafficking and DID
- Recognizing child and adolescent presentations of DID
- Understanding trauma and dissociation among transgender and gender-diverse people
- The application of Black feminist approaches in healing from sexual abuse
- The assessment and treatment of dissociation for the trauma-informed therapist
- Bridging neuroimaging insights with therapeutic advances to help transform the dissociative brain
Stronger Together also integrates the testimony of people who have lived experience with DID, a rarity in the medical establishment.
“For too long, people living with this condition have been largely invisible to the mental health community,” said Adriana M. Bobinchock, chief of staff, McLean Hospital and co-founder of Deconstructing Stigma, an international stigma-reduction campaign.
“That’s why we’ve made it a priority to feature video testimony from individuals who can share their perspectives and experiences in their own voice.”
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