There is emerging evidences that presence of dissociative symptoms could be a significant co morbid condition in a proportion of schizophrenic patients with a history of traumatic events.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of traumatic experiences and the intensity of co morbid dissociative symptoms in the course of schizophrenia.

80 inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to DSM IV and being treated in acute psychiatry clinics at Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery were enrolled to the study. Socio- demographic Data Form, Traumatic Experiences Check List, Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), Dissociative Disorder Interview Schedule were performed.

39 of the patients (48.8%) were found to be exposed to traumatic events at least once in their childhood or adulthood. Significant positive correlation was found between the average DES scores and total number of traumas (r= 0,683; p< 0, 01), the number of psychiatric diagnosis during the course of the disorder (r= 0,374; p< 0, 05), the number of change in treatment due to inadequate response (r= 0,505; p< 0,01) and the number of suicide attempts (r= 0,447; p< 0,01). Moreover, significantly positive correlation was found between the mean DES scores and the number of treatment change due to insufficient response (r= 0,404; p< 0, 01) among the patients without trauma.

The results of this investigation claim that the high scores of DES, independent of traumatic life experiences, may cause resistance to treatment in schizophrenic patients.