In this episode of the Psychiatry Podcast, Harvard experts from McLean Hospital: Dr. Melissa Kaufman, Dr. Matthew Robinson, and cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Lauren Lebois. Join Dr. David Puder to deliver the clearest, most evidence-based explanation of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) available today. Discover how DID is a developmental post-traumatic adaptation rooted in repeated childhood maltreatment, explore the neuroscience behind hyperarousal versus shutdown states (including groundbreaking Reinders studies), debunk persistent media myths like Sybil, and navigate long-standing controversies around validity, Freud versus Janet, false memories, and DID versus BPD.

Dr. Kaufman shares her own courageous personal journey from living with DID and PTSD to full integration and recovery, offering real hope that this condition is treatable. Whether you're a clinician, someone with lived experience, or simply seeking the truth about dissociation, trauma, and identity fragmentation, this conversation will transform how you understand one of the most misunderstood psychiatric disorders.

Presenters' conflicts of interest:

Dr. Lauren Lebois reports unpaid membership on the Scientific Committee for the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), spousal IP payments from Vanderbilt University for technology licensed to Acadia Pharmaceuticals and spousal private equity in Violet Therapeutics unrelated to the present work.

Dr. Melissa Kaufman reports Member, DSM Review Committee, Internalizing Disorders (unpaid); Primary Investigator, National Institute of Mental Health; Board of Directors (unpaid), International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

Dr. Matthew Robinson and Dr. David Puder do not have any conflicts to report

By listening to this episode, you can earn 1.25 Psychiatry CME Credits.

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In this episode, Dr. David Puder is joined by forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Cummings, who has spent his career at the world's largest forensic state hospital, and child psychiatrist Dr. Blaire Heath, to examine how fixed false beliefs, or delusions, can lead to aggression and violence. Each guest brings their expertise to discuss the major delusion types most associated with harm in forensic settings, including persecutory, Capgras (impostor syndrome involving loved ones), Cotard's ("I am dead"), erotomanic, jealous (Othello syndrome), somatic, and referential delusions.

The episode covers practical clinical tools, including the Simple Delusional Syndrome Scale and Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale, the role of clozapine in reducing violence risk, and the use of cognitive behavioral therapy to create psychological "escape routes" by treating delusions as testable hypotheses. Modern risks are also addressed, including how AI chatbots and algorithms can reinforce and amplify delusional thinking and contribute to emerging cases of AI-related psychosis.

By listening to this episode, you can earn 1.5 Psychiatry CME Credits.

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In this episode, Dr. Puder hosts a conversation with Dr. Miriam Steele, a leading expert in reflective functioning (RF), mentalization, and attachment theory. They explore the origins of RF from the pioneering work of Peter Fonagy and John Bowlby in the London Parent-Child Project, its role in predicting secure attachments and sensitive parenting, and distinctions from empathy. Conversation topics include cutting-edge research on mentalization-based treatment (MBT) and transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and eating disorders, therapist RF's impact on patient outcomes, body image representations, and smartphone effects on parent-child bonds.

By listening to this episode, you can earn 1.5 Psychiatry CME Credits.

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