Dissociative disorders are characterized by a loss of connection between memory, thoughts, perception, behavior, and sense of self.
Symptoms:
With dissociative disorders, you may:
Feel a sense of separation between yourself and your emotions
Feel as if the people around you, or your surroundings are not real
Have out-of-body experiences, where you feel as if you’re watching yourself outside of your body
Feel a vague sense of your own identity
Be unable to cope effectively with emotional or work-related stress
Experience memory loss of specific people, places, events, or information about yourself
Cocuring mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors
During traumatic events, dissociation can happen as a coping mechanism to help the body mentally escape the strong emotions or horror associated with the event. Later on, key features of the event may be forgotten.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by the sense of having multiple identities, formerly referred to as multiple personality disorder. It consists of feeling as if multiple voices or entities are within you and are trying to control your actions, while each voice has a distinct personality, name, behavior, etc. These distinct identities are accompanied by changes in thinking, behavior, and memory. You may have memory gaps in personal information, present daily life, or past traumatic events. Furthermore, it is also possible to feel as if you’re observing your own actions and speech, or that your body has shifted into something different (eg from adult to child).
Treatments (DID):
Many people are successful in addressing the major symptoms of dissociative identity disorder and improving daily life functioning as a whole!
Treatments are mainly psychotherapy with the aim of merging the alternate elements of identity. This may involve going back to past traumatic experiences and learning how to cope with them, as well as helping you understand and accept your emotions.
Dissociative Amnesia
Dissociative amnesia is characterized by significant memory loss, usually related to a traumatic or stressful event. This can be localized, in which memory of an event or period of time is lost. Selective, in which there’s memory loss of a specific component of an event or a few selective events within a period of time. It can also be generalized, which involves a complete memory loss of one’s identity and life events. Amnesic episodes are usually sudden, and can last minutes, hours, days, or, rarely, months or years. You may be unaware or only scarcely aware of memory loss episodes.
Derealization/ Depersonalization
Derealization is characterized by detachment from your surroundings, as if these surroundings are not real. Depersonalization is characterized by detachment from your mind or body. This can be feeling as if you’re watching yourself from an outsider’s perspective. During these moments, you are aware of reality and the unusual experience you’re facing.
Risk Factors:
Risk factors of dissociative disorders most involve adverse childhood experiences in the form of abuse or neglect.
Ways to relieve symptoms:
Keep a journal to track down your thoughts and feelings. This can help understand each alternating identity if you have a dissociative identity, and help fill out gaps in memory!
Try to visualize different things or scenarios that make you feel safe, this can actually help bring you comfort in times of anxiety and confusion
Grounding techniques can help you feel more connected to the present and deal with intrusive thoughts. This can be things such as putting your hands in water, holding ice, naming 5 things you see, savoring a strong scent etc.
