Dissociation in children and adolescents: the variability in clinical expression in relation to two cases

Abstract

The term dissociation has gone from being a nosological conception to being relegated to a symptom, appearing nowadays, disintegrated into different international classifications, which leads to a theoretical, confusing and controversial concept generator. The diagnosis of exclusion that this entails, makes it an underdiagnosed disorder in clinical practice, which brings about the shortage of publications, especially in child population. It should be understood as the response to a post-traumatic phenomenon, variably expressed depending on the resiliency of the subject. We expose two counterposed clinical cases (mind-mind vs mind-body dissociation) that needed hospitalization. More publications focused on this disease are needed to offer clinicians a wide focus to help on diagnosis, treatment and prognosis as a disorder and not being only an exclusion-diagnosis syndrome.