Dissociative Disorders Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative Amnesia Dissociative Fugue Depersonalization Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder A. The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness

Dissociative Identity Disorder Identities Can be categorized into three types: Core identity: superego 1st alternate identity: id 2nd alternate identity: ego

Dissociative Identity Disorder Prevalence Up for debate Rates have increased dramatically over few decades First case reported in the 1850’s Several cases in 1880’s-1900’s By the 1970’s, only about 200 cases in all Now, some psychologists claim that up to 1% of the general population has this disorder Individual clinicians are not reporting having dozens to hundreds of such clients

Dissociative Identity Disorder Explanations for increasing prevalence: Increased public awareness of the disorder Changes in the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia Therapists may be actively looking for DID Prevalence, continued… Rates very uneven across countries Rates very uneven across clinicians within countries The rates of this disorder is very controversial…some psychologists doubt its existence at all

Dissociative Identity Disorder Risk Factors Severe child abuse, especially sexual abuse (reported in 95%) of cases Remembered or Recovered??? Having generous psychiatric medical coverage

Dissociative Identity Disorder Can people actually dissociate? Have you had a dissociative experience? Common dissociative experiences Reading a paragraph and then having no recollection of what you read Driving somewhere and not knowing how you got there Talking to someone and not knowing what you’re actually talking about

Dissociative Identity Disorder Perhaps there is an underlying continuum… Normal Dissociative Experiences Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Amnesia One or more episodes of inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness Symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning

Dissociative Fugue Sudden, unexpected travel away from home or one’s customary place of work, with inability to recall one’s past Confusion about personal identity or assumption of a new identity (partial or complete) Not better explained by a another mental disorder and is not due to a substance Symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning

Depersonalization Disorder Persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of, one’s mental processes or body During the depersonalization experience, reality testing remains intact Not better explained by a another mental disorder and is not due to a substance Symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning