dissociative disorders

dissociation

process where components of mental experiences are split from consciousness but remain accessible through dreams and hypnosis

dissociative identity disorder (DID)

disruption of identity into two or more distinct personal states, referred to as alters

symptoms of DID

• stored trauma becomes alter personalities

• impairment in memory

• emotional and behavioral problems

• self-injury is common

dissociative amnesia

inability to recall important autobiographical information

what are the types of dissociative amnesia?

organic, psychogenic, and retrograde

organic amnesia

• caused by brain injury

• anterograde amnesia

anterograde amnesia

inability to remember new information

psychogenic amnesia

arises in the absence of any brain injury/disease; psychological causes

retrograde amnesia

inability to remember past information - can have both organic and psychogenic causes

dissociative fugue

person suddenly moves away from home and assumes an entirely new identity; no memory of previous identity

depersonalization/derealization disorder

episodic feelings of detachment from one’s own mental processes or body; outside observer of oneself

depersonalization

detachment from one’s self, body, and environment

derealization

lose track of what’s real vs what’s not