AB: Dissociative Disorders Flashcards
What connects dissociative disorders and somatic disorders? (2)
both are hypothesised to be triggered by stressful experiences yet do not involve direct expressions of anxiety. dissociative disorders and somatic symptom-related disorders are also often comorbid
What three major dissociative disorders are included in the DSM?
depersonalization/derealization dis- order, dissociative amnesia, and dissociative identity disorder
What is involved in dissociation?
some aspect of emotion, memory, or experience being inaccessible consciously.
How id dissociation applied in each of the three disorders?
Depersonalisation disorder- Experience of detachment from the self and reality
Dissociative amnesia- Lack of conscious access to memory, typically of a stressful experience.
Dissociative identity disorder- At least two distinct personalities that act independently of each other
What does the fugue subtype of dissociative amnesia involve?
traveling or wandering coupled with loss of memory of one’s identity or past
Give an example of a common dissociative experience and what are these usually a sign of?
missing a turn on the road home when thinking about problems. These types of dissociative experiences are usually a harmless sign that one has been so focused on some aspect of experience that other aspects of experience are lost from awareness.
What do psychodynamic and behavioural psychologists consider dissociation to be? What evidence is there for this?
An avoidance response that protects the person from consciously experiencing stressful events. Consistent with the idea that this is a coping response, people undergoing very intense stressors, such as advanced military survival training, often report brief moments of mild dissociation. Recent research jointly considers how trauma and sleep disruptions could contribute to dissociation.
What is the difference between depersonalisation and derealisation?
Depersonalization is defined by a sense of being detached from one’s self (e.g., being an observer outside one’s body). Derealization is defined by a sense of detachment from one’s surroundings, such that the sur- roundings seem unreal.
How is Depersonalization/ Derealization Disorder different from the other two disorders?
Doesn’t involve lost memory
When does Depersonalization/ Derealization Disorder usually begin and does it start abruptly or gradually?
usually begins in adolescence, and it can start either abruptly or gradually.
What is DPD/DRD often comorbid with?
Most people who experience depersonalization also experience derealization. Comorbid personality disorders are frequently present, and during their lifetime, about 90 percent of people with this disorder will experience anxiety disorders or depression.
What is considered a major factor in the development of dissociative disorders?
Physical or sexual abuse in childhood or childhood trauma
What does the DSM specify about other disorders in DPD/DRD and what disorders does this specify too?
The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for depersonalization/ derealization disorder specify that the symptoms can co-occur with other disorders but should not be entirely explained by those disorders. It is important to rule out disorders that commonly involve these symptoms, including schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder, and borderline
personality disorder.
How long may episodes of dissociative amnesia last?
The episode of amnesia may last as briefly as several hours or for as long as several years.
How may an episode end?
The amnesia usually disappears as suddenly as it began, with complete recovery of memory and only a small chance of recurrence.
What does the fugue subtype of dissociative amnesia usually consist of?
of relatively brief duration, consisting of limited but apparently purposeful travel during which social contacts are minimal or absent.
How common is DA among people that experience trauma?
Rare and not everyone who experiences it experienced trauma
What evidence do cognitive scientists bring against repression? What is the neurological explanation behind this?
research shows that stress usually enhances rather than impairs encoding of memories for the negative event. Norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter associated with heightened arousal, enhances memory consolidation and retrieval
Given that the usual response to trauma is enhanced memory of the central features of the threat, how can we explain the stress-related memory loss of dissociative amnesia?
might be that dissociative amnesia involves unusual ways of responding to stress. For example, extremely high levels of stress hormones could interfere with memory formation
Describe some differences in alters in sufferers from DID as seen in case reports
own behavior patterns, memories, and relationships. Case reports have described alters who have different handedness, like different foods, and have allergies to different substances
Can alters communicate with each other?
the voices of the others may sometimes echo in an alter’s consciousness, even though the alter may not know to whom these voices belong.
When, culturally is the diagnosis of DID not appropriate?
In some cultures, people value the experience of spirits who take control of the person’s body); when experiences of possession are part of a broadly accepted spiritual or cultural practice, the diagnosis of DID is not appropriate
What influence of gender is there in DID?
DID is much more common in women than in men.
What other diagnosis are often present with DID
posttraumatic stress disorder, major depres- sive disorder, somatic symptom disorders, and personality disorders
What is the prevalence of dissociative disorders
Idk dawg pretty rare I guess but some silly estimates are 2.5 percent of people endorsed the lifetime diagnostic criteria for depersonalization/derealization, about 7.5 percent for dissociative amnesia, and 1 to 3 percent for dissociative identity disorder
What is a possible reasons for the increased numbers of reports of this disorder since the 70s?
Some critics hypothesize that the heightened professional and media attention to this diagnosis led some therapists to suggest strongly to clients that they had DID, sometimes using hypnosis to probe for alters.
What are the two major theories for DID?
Posttraumatic model and the sociocognitive mode
What does the postraumatic model propose? What research supports this?
some people are particularly likely to use dissociation to cope with trauma and that dissociation is the key reason people develop alters after trauma. Research supports two important tenets of this mode. First, children who are abused are at risk for developing dissociative symptoms. Second, children who dissociate are more likely to develop psychological symptoms after trauma
What does the sociocognitive model propose?
people who have been abused seek explana-
tions for their symptoms and distress, and alters appear in response to suggestions by therapists, exposure to media reports of DID, or other cultural influences
What does the sociocognitive model imply?
DID could be iatrogenic (created within treatment)
What evidence has been raised for the sociocognitive model? (3)
DID symptoms can be role-played (hypnosis), Some therapists reinforce DID symptoms in their clients and alters share memories, even when they report amnesia according to implicit memory tests.
What principles are agreed upon when treating DID?
Empathy and gentle stance, convince the person that splitting into different personalities is no longer necessary to deal with traumas, teach the person more effective ways to cope with stress and psychoeducation can help a person to understand why dissociation occurs and to begin to identify the triggers for dissociative responses in day-to-day life
What treatment for DID is more popular that other disorders and what problems can this cause?
Psychodynamic treatment is probably used more for DID and the other dissociative disorders than for any other psychological disorder. Unfortunately, some psychodynamic practitioners use hypnosis as a means of helping patients diagnosed with dissociative disorders to gain access to repressed material. Using hypnosis to promote age regression and recovered memories, though, can exacerbate DID symptoms
