17. Dissociative disorders

Question 1

Dissociative disorders are:

Answer 1

• Mental health conditions that involve experiencing a loss of connection between thoughts, memories, feelings, surroundings, behavior and identity.
• These conditions include escape from reality in ways that are not wanted and not healthy. This causes problems in managing everyday life.

Question 2

Types of Dissociative Disorders:

Answer 2

• Dissociative Amnesia
• Depersonalization disorder
• Dissociative identity disorder

Question 3

Dissociative Amnesia

Answer 3

• Dissociative amnesia or psychogenic amnesia is a dissociative disorder “characterized by memory gaps. These gaps involve an inability to recall personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature.”

Question 4

Dissociative identity disorder

Answer 4

(Multiple Personality Disorder) Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a mental health condition where you have two or more separate personalities that control your behavior at different times.

• Women are more likely to be diagnosed, as they more frequently present with acute dissociative symptoms.
• Men are more likely to deny symptoms and trauma histories, and commonly exhibit more violent behavior, rather than amnesia or fugue states. This can lead to elevated false negative diagnosis.

Question 5

• Occurs when you always or often feel that you’re seeing yourself from outside your body or you sense that things around you are not real — or both.

Answer 5

Depersonalization-derealization disorder

• Depersonalization is described as feeling disconnected or detached from one’s self.

Question 6

Risk factors:

Answer 6

People who experience long-term physical, sexual or emotional abuse during childhood are at greatest risk of developing dissociative disorders.

Question 7

Complications:

Answer 7

• Self-harm or mutilation
• Suicidal thoughts and behavior
• Sexual dysfunction
• Alcoholism and drug use disorders
• Depression and anxiety disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Personality disorders
• Sleep disorders, including nightmares, insomnia and sleepwalking
• Eating disorders
• Physical symptoms such as lightheadedness or non-epileptic seizures
• Major difficulties in personal relationships and at work.