No treatment without a proper diagnosis and an estimation of the prognostic possibilities of a patient. How to come about a well informed diagnosis in the complex trauma related continuum? Chronic trauma in childhood afflicted by the same people a child is dependent upon, results in complex trauma-related disorders such as complex PTSD and dissociative disorders, with or without personality pathology. These disorders may be accompanied by depression, eating disorders, sleep disorders, problems with affect regulation and self-destructiveness, self-esteem, relational problems, conversions, psychotic symptoms, etc. Most patients with complex trauma-related disorders have been treated for years before their symptom constellation is perceived within a trauma perspective and their possibilities to be treated differ widely.
So, what symptoms, in which constellation do we have to assess to be able to recognize them in a coherent trauma related perspective? What consequences has this diagnostic assessment for treatment? Treatment indication has to do with the level of functioning to estimate the possibility of treatment. This is more of  a ‘skill’ and an art of weighing the gathered information. And – once in treatment – which symptom clusters are relevant to follow up during and after the intervention?
In the morning and early afternoon the major structured diagnostic interviews on dissociative disorders (SCID-D) and complex trauma (SIDES) will be presented, as well as the major screeners for dissociative pathology. New developments will be discussed.
For clinical purposes we will focus on core symptoms and their variety in clinical presentation and phenomenology - such as amnesia, for example - as well as on the level of functioning and of personal safety.
For research purposes in the afternoon outcome measurements will be addressed, focussing on the core symptoms of complex PTSD and dissociative disorders.

Educational objectives

1. Be able to diagnose Complex PTSD, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS)
2. Differentiate these diagnoses from (simple) PTSD, bipolar disorder, non-traumatized borderline pathology and malingered DID, a.o.
3. Describe the relevant characteristics to indicate treatment
4. List the core pathology of C-PTSD, DID and DDNOS and the major outcome measures

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Programm workshop

Morning

1. Introduction and overview of the diagnostic realm; trauma related symptoms; continuum of trauma related diagnoses; the diagnostic square (Nel Draijer, PhD)
2. How to diagnoses C-PTSD; the concept; SIDES (Kathleen Thomaes, MD)
3. How to diagnose dissociative disoders; concepts; validity debate; pitfalls; SCID-D (part 1) (Nel Draijer, PhD)

4. SCID-D (part 2) (Nel Draijer, PhD)
5. After the diagnosis: how to indicate for treatment; what are important factors to take into account; prognosis (Suzette Boon, PhD)
6. Outcome measures in the treatment of C-PTSD and dissociative disorders (with or without Axus II comorbidity) (PTSD; Willie Langeland, PhD)

CURRICULUM VITAE

Willie Langeland, PhD, (1961) is a sociologist. She received her PhD in social sciences at the Department of Medicine Faculty, Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Her thesis focused on the prevalence and clinical relevance of childhood trauma in treated alcoholics. Since 1988, she has conducted various research projects in mental health care and addiction treatment and published several articles in (inter)national journals. Her research fields are: trauma assessment, psychobiological consequences of (early) traumatization, and gender differences in trauma response. Currently she works as a senior researcher at the Netherlands Center for Chronic Childhood Traumatization.

Kathleen Thomaes, MD, (1967) is psychiatrist and researcher. She studied medicine at the University in Maastricht, worked with asylumseekers and explored the area of trauma related stress disorders during her residencies in Amsterdam. She prepares A PhD thesis on neurophysiologic correlates of complex PTSD, before and after group stabilizing therapy. She teaches residents and psychiatrists in the systematic diagnosis of complex PTSD.

Suzette A. Boon PhD, 1949 is a clinical psychologist, and psychotherapist. She also worked as a researcher at  the free University of Amsterdam (psychiatric department). She translated and validated the Dutch version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders (SCID-D)  and received a Ph.D for her thesis “Multiple Personality Disorder in the Netherlands” in 1993.  The International Society for the Study of Dissociation (ISSD)  granted her the David Caul Memorial Award in 1993, the Morton Prince Award in 1994 and the Presidents  Award of distinction and the status of fellow in 1995 for her contributions to diagnosis,  treatment, research and education in the field of dissociative disorders.
She has published several books, book chapters and many articles both on diagnosis as well as treatment of dissociative disorders. Recently she has developed a skills training manual for patients with a complex dissociative disorders. She is writing with Kathy Steele an English version of this manual. 
She is currently working as a psychotherapist  and consultant at  a department specialized in chronic trauma-related disorders  in Zeist (TRTC  Brinkveld , Altrecht, Zeist)
She is president of the board of the European Society for Trauma and Dissociation (ESTD) and board member of the International Society for Trauma and Dissociation (ISST-D)