Dissection of Schizotypy and Dissociation in Depersonalization Disorder

The relationship between dissociation and psychosis-proneness remains controversial to this day. We investigated this relationship in Depersonalization Disorder, a primary dissociative disorder, hypothesizing that the constructs of schizotypy and dissociation would be distinguishable. Forty-eight depersonalization disorder (DPD) and 22 healthy comparison (HC) participants were administered measures of schizotypy (Perceptual Aberration Scale, Magical Ideation Scale) and dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale). The DPD group had significantly higher schizotypy scores than the HC group. However, when DPD participants with Axis II disorders were excluded, the remaining “pure” DPD group (N = 22) exhibited higher perceptual aberrations but comparable magical ideations to the healthy group. Within the “pure” DPD group, dissociation and schizotypy scores were not significantly correlated. We conclude that schizotypy was readily distinguishable from dissociation in the current sample. Greater attention to methodological issues promoting the distinction between dissociation and schizotypy may prove helpful in future phenomenological research.