JOURNAL OF INSURANCE MEDICINE Copyright ᮊ 2000 Journal of Insurance Medicine J Insur Med 2000;32:71–78 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Underwriting Considerations for Dissociative Disorders Polly M. Galbraith, MD; Patricia J. Neubauer, PhD Objective.—Dissociative identity disorder (DID) has been diag- Address: Fortis Benefits Insurance nosed more frequently and is under greater scrutiny. Because of the Company, 2323 Grand Blvd, 7th number of comorbid conditions, the underwriting risks must be floor, Kansas City, MO 64108-2670. evaluated to determine morbidity and mortality implications. Correspondent: Polly M. Galbraith, Background.—The number of diagnosed cases of DID has in- MD, Medical Director; e-mail creased in recent years. The diagnosis often coexists with other di-
[email protected]. agnoses such as bipolar disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, somatization, personality disor- Key words: Underwriting, dissocia- ders, and psychotic disorder. A high incidence of substance abuse tive disorder, multiple personality and eating disorders is found in the population diagnosed with DID. disorder, psychiatric disorders, mor- Methods and Results.—A query of disability claim experience bidity, mortality, disability. with DID indicated that these claims tended to reach the maximum Received: December 1, 1999. duration for mental/nervous benefits despite case management and return to work activities. Accepted: January 16, 2000. Conclusions.—The DID psychiatric population is a complex group with mental disorders that place them in a group likely to use maximum disability benefits and who would pose increased life underwriting risk. In addition, the literature indicates a high excess risk for early mortality and excess health care expenses compared to the normal population.