Dissociative disorder refers to having a lack of continuity and disconnection between your memories, thoughts, actions, identity, and surroundings. People with this disorder use unhealthy and involuntary ways to escape reality.
It causes issues in performing normal life activities. These disorders develop in case of reaction to any trauma. Symptoms range from having amnesia to different alternate identities.
Most often dissociative disorder’s symptoms are associated with the type of disorder that you experience. Stress time makes your symptoms more obvious and worse. Treatment that doctors can recommend to you if you have a dissociative disorder includes medication and talk therapy.
It can be difficult to treat dissociative disorders. Many people understand and learn new ways to cope with the symptoms of the disorder that help them to live a productive life.
Symptoms
Symptoms depend on the type of dissociative disorder that you may have. Following are the common symptoms that you can experience with a dissociative disorder.
- Loss of memory or amnesia in specific time periods. You may forget personal information, certain people, and events.
- A sense of detachment from your emotions and yourself
- A blurred identity sense
- Unreal and distorted perceptions about the things and people in the surrounding
- Significant problems or stress in your work, relationships, and other areas of your life that are important
- Feeling unable to cope with professional or emotional stress
- Having issues related to mental health such as anxiety, depression, suicidal behaviors, and thoughts
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has described three major types of dissociative disorders. The American Psychiatric Association has published these types.
Dissociative Amnesia
The main symptom of this disorder is memory loss. It is more severe as compared to normal forgetfulness. Any medical condition can not describe this issue. You cannot recall the important information about the people, events, and yourself from a certain traumatic time.
Dissociative amnesia may be specific to different events in a certain time such as a serious battle that can involve complete loss of memory about your personal information or identity. It may sometimes include confused wandering or travel.
You may suddenly experience an episode of amnesia. It lasts for minutes to hours. Moreover, the episode can rarely occur for months or years.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Formerly, it is called multiple personality disorder. People with this disorder switch to different alternate identities. If you have dissociative identity disorder then you may feel that two or more people are living inside you and talking inside your head.
Each identity may have a different personality history, name, characteristics including clear differences in gender, mannerism, voice, and physical qualities for example the need for using eyeglasses. Each identity is differently familiar with other people.
People with this disorder typically experience dissociative amnesia. They also have dissociative fugues.
Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder
In this disorder, people experience an episodic sense of developing detachment toward their own self. You can call it the feeling of being outside yourself. Depersonalization means observing your thoughts, feelings, actions, and self from a distance.
It is similar to watching a movie. Other things and people in the surrounding may feel dream-like, foggy, or detached. Time may speed up or slow down. It also involved derealization in which the world may not seem real.
You may experience the condition of derealization, depersonalization, or both. It can be distressing profoundly or last for a few months. People may experience these conditions for years.
Causes
Do you know about the causes of dissociative disorders? It may be surprising that these disorders develop when an individual uses specific ways to cope with trauma. The disorder occurs in children most often as a result of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse that is long-term.
Moreover, any home environment that is unpredictable and fearful can lead to the development of a dissociative disorder. These disorders can also develop from natural disasters and the stress of war. Personal identity continues to develop during childhood.
It is possible that a child steps outside more quickly as compared to an adult and observes the trauma as it is happening to another person than himself or herself. Talk to a mental health professional if you are doubtful about having any dissociative disorder.
A child who uses the way of developing dissociative disorder to cope with traumatic experiences may use this specific coping mechanism throughout his or her life. Children use these mechanisms in response to situations that are stressful.
