Dissociative Disorders Test- Study Guide

1. What is dissociation?

feelings of being disconnected from yourself and the world around you. For example, you may feel detached from your body or feel as though the world around you is unreal.

2. What are the types of dissociative disorders?

(1) Dissociative Identity Disorder;

(2) Dissociative Amnesia;

(3) Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

a. How does each type of dissociative disorder represent?

DID: at least two distinct personality states or expressions which have their own tone of voice, physical gestures, behaviors, etc.

There must also be a gap in recall of events, information, and/or trauma due to the switching of personalities

These personalities cannot be secondary effects of a substance or medical condition to be diagnosed under DID

DA: inability to recall important autobiographical information, although the information is successfully stored in the individual's memory

DPDR: recurrent episodes of depersonalization and/or derealization which can last hours to months

b. What causes each type of Dissociative Disorder?

a significant stressor or years of ongoing stress

c. What difference (if any) is there in how the different types of dissociative disorders affect men and women?

DID: equal distribution between men and women

DA: females are twice as likely to be diagnosed with this than males

DPDR: equal ratio of men and women experiencing these symptoms

d. What are the treatment options for each type of Dissociative Disorder?

DID: integration to final fusion (therapy)

DA: Hypnosis/Therapy, Medications/Barbiturates

DPDR: The diagnosis alone can effectively reduce symptom intensity because it can relieve the anxiety surrounding the baffling nature of the symptoms

2. alleviating comorbid anxiety and depression

3. SSRIs + psychological treatments (i.e., CBT)

Which are most effective treatment options for the different Dissociative Disorders?

DID: Many individuals recover on their own without intervention

DA: Hypnosis/Therapy, Medications/Barbiturates

DPDR: medications work best when paired with psychological treatments (i.e., CBT) for underlying anxiety and depression

3. What is typically comorbid with dissociative disorders and why?

PTSD, Depressive disorders, and Anxiety.

4. What are the various etiological explanations for why people develop dissociative disorders?

Biological: the combination of genetic and environmental factors, 50-60% heritability rates

Cognitive: memory retrieval deficit (or the combination of psychological stress and various other biopsychosocial predispositions affects the frontal lobe's executive system's ability to retrieve autobiographical memories); hippocampus activation is implicated in DID

Sociocultural: *

Psychodynamic: assumes that the dissociative disorders are caused by an individual's repressed thoughts and feelings related to an unpleasant or traumatic event; DID might result from repeated exposure to trauma because the personalities serve as an escape from reality