Week 3 Dissociative Disorders Psychophysiological Disorders Flashcards
Dissociative Disorders
- Group of psychiactric syndromes
- Involuntary and unhealthy
- Disruptions in aspects of Consciousness, identity, memory, motor behavior, or environmental awareness.
Dissociative Disorders
The conscious behaviours we do allow us to destress/decompress. WE have the ability to pull out of that. Someone with dissociative disorders cannot control it.
Dissociative Disorders- DSM-IV-TR
- Dissociative amnesia
- Dissociative fugue
- Depersonalization disorder
- Dissociative disorder not otherwise specified
- Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociate disorder…also known as?
also known as multiple personality disorder. can be HUNDREDS of personalities. Used to manage an overwhelming stressor.
Why do the personalities form?
Unconscious attempt to wall off the overwhelming stressors…memories of trauma. Not one traumatic event…a series.
Dissociation: Unconscious process of “walling-off” of emotions and memory
Personality “fragments” due to trauma
Alters develop to “protect” the individual
Failure to integrate aspects of identity, memory, and feeling states
Disruption in the consciousness processes
sudden disruption in consciousness, identity, or memory.
Blocks of time are lost.
Involuntary process-no decisional process.
Assessment and characteristics
- Presence of two or more personalities
- Inability to recall key personal data
- Personalities reveal themselves at intervals
- Depression/Mood Swings
- Suicidal ideation
- Sleep disorders (sleep is frightening to them)
- Anxiety
- Substance abuse (self medicates)
- Loss of time-amnesia
Will an individual with DD remember their childhood?
Likely not. If their childhood is when the trauma occurred, they will not recall that period of their life.
Call ‘alter’s change the age/gender/overall health of the individual?
Yes! An adult can have a baby alter, a woman can have male alters and vise versa. Some alters may need glasses, or have high blood sugar.
Are personality disorders the same thing as dissociative disorders?
NO! TRUE dissociative disorder is a rare diagnosis.
Mental Status Exam - Appearance
wide variation of facial expression during one meeting
Mental Status Exam - Mood
anxious, depressed, or “feels empty”
Mental Status Exam - Memory
amnesia for certain events or periods
Mental Status Exam - Perception
depersonalization (their self is in a dream world…doesn’t actually exist), derealization (external world is not real…a dream)
Nursing Diagnoses
Anxiety Ineffective coping Personal identity disturbance Sensory perceptual alterations Altered thought processes Powerlessness Risk for self harming behaviors Ineffective role performance
Planning/Intervention
Establishing the therapeutic alliance (might need to do this each time for each personality)
Minimize risk for violence, self or other directed
Contracting with alters for safety
Encourage healthy functioning
Providing safe environment fosters integration
How can you provide a safe environment
Encourage expression of feelings
Help to recognize that alters are a part of host
Psychopharmacology
Anxiolytics may reduce anxiety symptoms…very small dose of trazodone. vistaril. depakote. neurontin…none of these produce dependence/tolerance/addiction
Antidepressants may reduce dysphoria and depressive symptoms
Mood stabilizers may help regulate mood fluctuations
Antipsychotics for symptoms of psychotic proportion.
Can dissociative disorder be voluntary?
NO if it’s voluntary, then it’s not real. Dissociate disorder is an involuntary event.
What one medication treats DD?
None…best you can do is treat the symptoms. Keep a close eye out for self-medicating.
Milieu Therapy…reintegration
Safe, consistent environment Clear boundaries and they're all going to be different boundaries for each alter Group therapies Hypnosis Expressive therapies Ongoing supportive psychotherapy