dissociative disorder
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What are dissociative disorders?
Dissociative disorders are mental disorders where typical mental functions like memory, identity, perception, consciousness are interrupted and can occur gradually or suddenly.
Forms of dissociative disorders include dissociative identity disorder (formerly called multiple personality disorder), dissociative amnesia (including dissociative fugue), depersonalization-derealization disorder, other specified dissociative disorder, and unspecified dissociative disorder. Dissociation occurs when mental processes are split off from the psychological apparatus, resulting in impaired or altered function.
Dissociative identity disorder is when an individual displays two or more different personality states or identities that recurrently take control of the person’s behavior. Other specified dissociative disorder includes conditions in which a person presents with symptoms of a dissociative disorder but doesn't meet the criteria for clinically recognized dissociative disorders.
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What are the main symptoms of dissociative disorders?
Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in normally integrated mental functions like identity, memory, consciousness, or perception. These disorders can manifest suddenly or gradually and can be short-lived or chronic.
Common symptoms include alterations in consciousness, sense of identity, or motor behavior. Dissociative amnesia involves a sudden loss of memory, either total or localized to a specific time, often linked to a traumatic event. Depersonalization involves feeling detached from one's body or self, as if unreal or dreamlike. Derealization, feelings of unreality about the external world, can also occur. Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personalities within an individual.
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How do dissociative disorders affect a person's memory or sense of self?
Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in normally integrated mental functions like identity, memory, consciousness, or perception. Dissociation occurs when mental processes, such as memory or identity, are split off from the rest of the psychological functions, resulting in loss, alteration, or impairment of their function.
Dissociative amnesia causes sudden memory loss, either total or localized to a specific time, potentially tied to a traumatic event. Dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) involves the presence of two or more distinct personality states that control a person's behavior, with the affected individual unable to recall events when another personality is in control. In depersonalization-derealization disorder, individuals feel detached from their body or self, as if they are unreal or living in a dream.
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What are the most common types of dissociative disorders?
Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in normally integrated mental functions like identity, memory, consciousness, or perception. These disorders can manifest suddenly or gradually and can be short-lived or chronic.
Common types include:
* Dissociative Identity Disorder: Displaying two or more distinct personality states that control behavior. Patients may not recall events when another personality is in control. Often stems from severe childhood trauma and is more frequent in women.
* Dissociative Amnesia: Sudden memory loss, either total or localized to a specific time, often linked to trauma. Psychogenic fugue, a subtype, involves wandering and assuming a new identity.
* Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder: Feeling detached from one's body or experiencing unreality concerning external objects. More common in young women and can be associated with anxiety or depression.
* Other Specified Dissociative Disorder: Symptoms similar to other dissociative disorders but not meeting the full criteria for any specific one.2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What causes dissociative disorders to develop?
Dissociative disorders arise from dissociation, where mental processes like memory or identity split off from the psychological functions, often as a defense mechanism against threatening impulses or emotions.
Dissociative identity disorder, previously known as multiple personality disorder, is often triggered by early childhood trauma, such as abuse, as a coping mechanism to escape inner conflict. Dissociative amnesia is characterized by the inability to recall important personal information that is often associated with stress or trauma. Psychogenic fugue is often triggered by severe stress. Psychotherapy is usually the best course of treatment.
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How are dissociative disorders treated by mental health professionals?
Dissociative disorders, like dissociative identity disorder, are often linked to severe trauma, especially childhood abuse, and involve a person displaying multiple distinct personalities or identities. Treatment focuses on integrating these separate personalities into a single, unified identity.
This is achieved by making the dominant personality aware of the others, which typically occurs after bringing the initial trauma that caused the dissociation into conscious awareness to defuse it. Some patients may undergo long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, which attempts to expose unconscious sources of mental illness.
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dissociative disorder, any of several mental disturbances in humans in which normally integrated mental functions, such as identity, memory, consciousness, or perception, are interrupted. Dissociative disorders can occur suddenly or gradually and may last for a short time or become chronic. There are different forms of dissociative disorders, including dissociative identity disorder, dissociative amnesia (including dissociative fugue), depersonalization-derealization disorder, other specified dissociative disorder, and unspecified dissociative disorder.
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder (formerly called multiple personality disorder) occurs when an individual displays two or more different personality states or identities that recurrently take control of the person’s behavior. The patient may be unable to recall events over the span of time when another personality has assumed control. Dissociative identity disorder is a chronic and complex disorder and may result from severe childhood abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual) or neglect. It is diagnosed more frequently in women than in men.
Most individuals who are affected by dissociative identity disorder are unaware of their condition and may seek treatment for depression. Many patients receive other diagnoses prior to treatment and may not respond to medications. The transition (“switch”) from one personality to another is usually sudden. The degree of impairment depends on the manner in which various personality states interact with each other. The switching is a vulnerable time. Patients may attempt suicide, mutilate themselves, or become violent toward others. Some patients may undergo long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, which attempts to expose unconscious sources of mental illness.
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Dissociative amnesia and dissociative fugue
Dissociative amnesia is characterized by an inability to recall important personal information that often is associated with stress or trauma. It may be localized (inability to recall events during a circumscribed time), selective (can recall only some aspects of an event), continuous (ongoing amnesia following a specific event), or systematized (inability to recall certain categories of events). Dissociative amnesia can occur at any age but is rare in children. Its incidence is increased in soldiers in combat. It is reversible, usually beginning and ending suddenly. Recurrences are not uncommon. In severe or acute cases, hypnosis and amobarbital interview (administration of the sedative-hypnotic drug amobarbital to obtain information that the subject otherwise cannot recall) may be helpful in retrieving lost memory.
Dissociative fugue (psychogenic fugue, or fugue state) presents as sudden, unexpected travel away from one’s home with an inability to recall some or all of one’s past. Onset is sudden, usually following severe psychosocial stressors. This state usually lasts for minutes to days but may be prolonged for months. Although confusion may be present, most individuals appear to be mentally intact and do not draw attention to themselves.
Depersonalization-derealization disorder
Depersonalization-derealization disorder presents as recurrent episodes of depersonalization and derealization in which one feels detached or alienated from oneself, including one’s body, as well as feeling separated from reality. The person may feel like an observer watching themselves as if in a dream or movie. Depersonalization-derealization disorder usually occurs in adolescence or adulthood. Most patients experience anxiety, panic, or depression. The clinical course may be chronic with recurrences following stressful events. Impairment is usually minimal, and most patients function well, although some become incapacitated from fear of going insane.
Other specified dissociative disorder
Other specified dissociative disorder includes conditions in which a person present with symptoms similar to those of a dissociative disorder, with mental distress or impairment in occupational, social, or other areas of functioning; however, symptoms do not fully meet criteria for other clinically recognized dissociative disorders. For other specified dissociative disorder, clinicians identify a reason for the symptoms a patient is experiencing, thereby distinguishing it from unspecified dissociative disorder.
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Unspecified dissociative disorder
A dissociative disorder not otherwise specified does not fit in any of the above categories. Ganser syndrome, in which the person appears to deliberately give approximate answers to simple questions—e.g., about 11 months in a year—falls in this group.