From Attachment to Collaboration: Dissociation and Schizophrenia

Dissociative Identity Disorder, DID, and schizophrenia seem as far apart as any two conditions could be. DID is almost entirely seen as an immediate consequence of severe early abuse, whereas schizophrenia is largely seen as a genetic predisposition that does not surface until late adolescence or adulthood. However, this consensus view falls apart when the surface is scratched. In particular the genetic predisposition is minimal, and largely irrelevant to prevention, treatment, or healing. Long-term studies yield the parsimonious but embarrassing conclusion that schizophrenia is primarily caused by the childhood social environment long before the adult breakdown. In the case of DID, the abuse is often only too evident. However, the attachment of dissociative victims to their perpetrators can make it very difficult to intervene to protect them, let alone achieve criminal prosecutions. A more psychological and less biological interpretation of schizophrenia may already be encouraging emotional literacy programmes in schools. These help young children learn the uniquely human art of language-mediated collaboration and thus reduce the chance of later breakdown.