Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly called multiple personality disorder, is an illness that is characterized by the presence of at least two clear personality states, called alters, which may have different reactions and emotions. Alters may be created by people under conditions extreme stress, often of

Dissociative disorders are characterized by an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness and memory. People from all age groups and racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds can experience a dissociative disorder. It is estimated that 2% of people experience dissociative disorders, with women being more likely than men to be diagnosed. Almost half of adults in the United States experience at least one depersonalization/derealization episode in their lives, with only 2% meeting the full criteria for chronic episodes.

Most of us have experienced mild dissociation, which is like daydreaming or getting lost in the moment while working on a project. However, dissociative identity disorder is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. Dissociative identity disorder is thought to stem from a combination of factors that may include trauma experienced by the person. The dissociative aspect is thought to be a coping mechanism -- the person literally dissociates himself from a situation or experience that's too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate with his conscious self.

The "alters" or different identities have their own age, sex or race The "alters" or different identities have their own age, sex or race. Each has his or her own postures, gestures, and distinct way of behaving. Sometimes the alters are imaginary people or animals. As each personality reveals itself and controls the person and reveals itself this is called switching. It can take seconds or minutes or days.

Symptoms and signs of dissociative disorders include: Significant memory loss of specific times, people and events Out-of-body experiences, such as feeling as though you are watching a movie of yourself Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide A sense of detachment from your emotions, or emotional numbness A lack of a sense of self-identity

Along with the dissociation and multiple or split personalities, people with dissociative disorders may experience a number of other psychiatric problems, including the following symptoms: Depression Mood swings Suicidal Tendencies Sleep Disorders such as insomnia, night terrors, sleep walking Anxiety, panic attacks; phobias (flashbacks, reactions to stimuli or "triggers") Alcohol and drug abuse Compulsions and rituals Psychotic-like symptoms (including auditory and visual hallucinations) Eating disorder

How Does Dissociation Change the Way a Person Experiences Life How Does Dissociation Change the Way a Person Experiences Life? There are several main ways in which the psychological processes of dissociative identity disorder change the way a person experiences living, including the following: Depersonalization. This is a sense of being detached from one's body and is often referred to as an "out-of-body" experience. Derealization. This is the feeling that the world is not real.

Amnesia. This is the failure to recall significant personal information that is so extensive it cannot be blamed on ordinary forgetfulness. There can also be micro-amnesias where the discussion engaged in is not remembered, or the content of a meaningful conversation is forgotten from one second to the next. Identity confusion or identity alteration. Both of these involve a sense of confusion about who a person is. An example of identity confusion is when a person has trouble defining the things that interest them in life, or their political or religious or social viewpoints, their sexual orientation or their professional ambitions.

Who Gets Dissociative Identity Disorder Who Gets Dissociative Identity Disorder? While the causes of dissociative identity disorder are still vague, research indicates that it is likely a psychological response to interpersonal and environmental stresses, particularly in early childhood years when emotional neglect or abuse may interfere with personality development. As many as 99% of individuals who develop dissociative disorders have recognized personal histories of recurring, overpowering, and often life-threatening disturbances at a sensitive developmental stage of childhood (before age 9) Dissociation may also happen when there has been persistent neglect or emotional abuse, even when there has been no overt physical or sexual abuse

Dissociative Fugue Symptoms Etiology Treatment Person suddenly moves away from home and assumes an entirely new identity, with no memory of previous identity Etiology Fugue states usually occur in response to some stressor, but because they are extremely rare, little is known about etiology Treatment Psychotherapy to help the person identify the stressors leading to the fugue state and learn better coping skills

Help the individual remember traumatic events and accept them Dissociative Amnesia Symptoms Loss of memory due to psychological rather than physiological causes. The memory loss is usually confined to personal information only Etiology Typically occurs following traumatic events. May involve motivated forgetting of events, poor storage of information during events due to overarousal, or avoidance of emotions experience during an event Treatment Help the individual remember traumatic events and accept them

Depersonalization Disorder People with this disorder have frequent episodes in which they feel detached from their own mental processes or bodies, as if they are outside observers of themselves. Occasional experiences of depersonalization are common, especially when people are sleep deprived. Depersonalization Disorder is only diagnosed when they are so frequent and distressing that they interfere with an individual’s ability to function

Treatment Considerations While there's no "cure" for dissociative identity disorder, long-term treatment can be helpful, if the patient stays committed. Effective treatment includes talk therapy or psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and adjunctive therapies such as art or movement therapy. There are no established medical treatments for dissociative identity disorder, making psychologically based approaches the mainstay of therapy

Dissociative Disorders (Summary) Dissociative Identity Disorder Separate, multiple personalities in the same individual. Dissociative Fugue The person moves away and assumes a new identity, with amnesia for the previous identity. Dissociative Amnesia The person loses memory of important personal facts, including personal identity, for no apparent organic cause Depersonalization Disorder Frequent episodes where individual feels detached from his or her mental state or body