Dissociative Disorders

Question 1

DID dissociative identity disorder

Answer 1

• Disruption of identity characterized by 2+ personality states
• described in some cultures as possession
• marked discontinuity in sense of self + agency
• alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-moter functioning
• gaps in recall

not usually overtly separate identities- just alterations/discontinuities in sense of self/agency
- may hear voices, have hallucinations
- feelings that attitudes, emotions, behaviors are not theirs

treatments:
Trauma-Focused Therapy, integration of identities, CBT, SSRIs

Question 2

Dissociative Amnesia

Answer 2

inability to recall autobiographical info, usually traumatic or stressfull
- ordinarily could be easily recalled

• localized (none of the events from a period of time) or selective amnesia (some of the events from that time)

with dissociative fugue- travel or bewildered wantering

usually due to trauma

treatments:
CBT, EMDR, Medication for depression/anxiety, art therapy, family therapy, hypnosis

Question 3

depersonalization/derealization disorder

Answer 3

Depersonalization: Someone has persistent or recurrent feelings of detachment
from their mind, body, or actions.

Derealization: Detachment from one’s
surroundings

• Individuals with DP /DR disorder may have difficulty describing their symptoms and may think they are “crazy” or “going crazy” Other common experiences:
• Fear of irreversible brain damage. Time moving too fast or too slow.
• Consistently obsessing about whether they really exist or not. Varying degrees of anxiety and depression are also common.