Download Dissociative Disorders - Perfectionism and Psychopathology Lab

Dissociative Disorders
•
Similar to somatoform in some ways
• Often not that concerned about memory
loss
• Often can be seen as form of escape
Types of Dissociative Disorders
 Depersonalization
Disorder
 Dissociative Amnesia (Generalized vs.
Selective).
 Dissociative Fugue
 Dissociative Trance Disorder
 Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly
Multiple Personality Disorder).
Dissociative Disorders
Involves sudden and temporary alteration in
functions of consciousness
 Avoids stress and gratifies needs in manner
allowing person to deny personal
responsibility
 Escapes from core personality and
personality processes
 Quite rare

Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative Disorders are typified by
alterations in sense of self and reality
Characteristic features include a sense of
depersonalization or derealization.
Dissociative Disorders
Depersonalization is when one’s sense of
your own reality is altered (your own
personality and sense of self may be
fragmented).
Derealization is best described as when your
sense of reality of the external world is
altered. The external world feels unreal and
unfamiliar
Depersonalization
Feelings of detachment or estrangement
 External world is perceived as unreal
 May have :

– Sensory anesthesia
– Lack of affective response
Dissociative Amnesia



Usually presents as a retrospectively reported gap or
series of gaps in recall for aspects of the individuals
life history.
Generalized amnesia: unable to remember anything,
including their sense of who they are. May be a
lifelong condition.
Localized amnesia: person fails to recall events that
occurred during a circumscribed period of time,
usually the first few hours following a profoundly
disturbing event.
Dissociative Amnesia
 Selective
amnesia: person can recall
some, but not all of the events during a
circumscribed period of time.
 Continuous amnesia: person fails to
recall events subsequent to a specific
time up to and including present
 Duration of events can be minutes to
years.
Dissociative Fugue


Sudden unexpected travel away from home or place
of work with inability to recall one’s past
Confusion about personal identity or assumption of
new identity
Fugue
 Example:
Police officer
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Multiple Personality Disorder (not
schizophrenia)
 Presence of two or more distinct identities or
personality states

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Some believe that DID reflects a failure to
integrate various aspects of identity, memory,
and conciousness.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
 Hypnotizable
Causal Factors in Dissociative
Disorders


Abuse?
Is DID an extreme case of PTSD, or a variation?
Three Faces of Eve

Video on DVD 2 on Video Segments in
Abnormal Psychology 2nd Edition
Treatment





We don’t know much about dissociative amnesia or
fugue states; assumed that they “get better” on their
own.
For DID, attempts have been made to use
conventional strategies to “reintegrate” the different
identities.
Some PTSD treatment strategies have been utilized,
including identifying triggers or cues that provoke
memories or dissociation
The other goal is to confront and relive the trauma.
Currently, no accepted empirically validated
treatments for DID exist.