dissociative disorders

dissociation

disruption in the continuity of consciousness, emotions, motivation, memory, identity

dissociative amnesia symptoms

inability to recall one's past
- confusion about identity
- assumption of a new identity
- sudden, unexpected travel away from home / work

dissociative amnesia

presence of localized amnesia (inability to remember important info) + too extensive to be ordinary forgetfulness

dissociative amnesia cause

stressful event

dissociative amnesia treatement

talk therapy

memory defifcits

loss of explicit memories (involves conscious recall of experiences) but not implicit memories (behavior that are learned)

repressed memories

memories that have been dissociated from awareness and can resurface in later, spontaneous times

depersonalization / derealization disorder characteristics

- perception of self is altered
- triggered by stress / trauma
- no memory disturbance
- no psychosis / memory loss
- comorbid w anxiety
- onset @ adolescence
- chronic course

depersonalization

- loss of sense of self
- unusual sensory experiences: limbs feel deformed / enlarged, voice sounds different / distant
- feelings of detachment / disconnection: ass if watching self from outside the body

derealization

- feeling as if the world has become unreal: disconnect w the world around, world feels dream-like / peculiar / foreign
- incapable of experiencing emotions
- feeling as if they were dead / automatons

depersonalization / derealization disorder symptoms

- behaving mechanically
- behaving w/o initiative or self-control

dissociative identity disorder (did)

dissociation of personality in which several new identities are adopted

alters

different identities / personalities

host

the identity that keeps other identities together (not always the "original" personality)

switch

quick transition from one personality to another (few can do this on command / can control it)

did causes

post traumatic stress model:severe psychological / sexual abuse in childhood

treatment

- focus on reintegration of identities
- identify + neutralize triggers
- behavioral treatment: talk therapy w ONLY ONE alter -> then using traditional therapy once a consistent response is formed