Dissociative Disorders
To the vast majority of the world, reality is just that — reality. We understand and comprehend the most of everything in the world as it actually is. Understanding reality is something we take for granted, as there are a number of people in the world unable to grasp reality. In fact, they often involuntarily escape reality in an unhealthy way. These people have what is called a dissociative disorder.
Dissociative disorders are typically defined as a condition that disrupts or breaks down memory, awareness, identity and perception. When one or more of these functions are disrupted, it is said that symptoms of dissociative disorders are more likely to show.
As the name suggests, dissociative disorders are cause a dissociation from reality. Additionally, dissociative disorders may interrupt the aspects of reality that are natural for a healthy person (such as one’s own identity). They are usually associated with a harsh trauma experienced by the individual, possibly leading to a mental defensive mechanism that separates the individual from the troubling reality caused by the trauma. Dissociative disorder is referred to as an involuntary coping mechanism, causing the individual to literally dissociate himself from the reality that his or her conscious self can not deal with alone.
There are a few dissociative disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Volume 4. The rest of this article will focus on identifying and describing these disorders:
1. Dissociative amnesia: this form of dissociative disorder blocks out critical personal information, usually related to a trauma or stressful event. Unlike other types of amnesia, dissociative amnesia is not a result from another physical trauma, but instead stems from the mind. The inability to recall certain bits of information is often a result of emotional trauma.
2. Dissociative identity disorder: this form of dissociative disorder is the most infamous of the 4 listed in the DSM. In what was once known as Multiple Personality Disorder, the individual displays a detachment from reality in the form of alternating distinct personalities and a noticeable inability to recall certain information. Memories may be associated with a particular alternate personality, making for a convincing separation of each personality.
3. Dissociative fugue: the rarest form of dissociative disorder, dissociative fugue is characterized by an individual’s sudden physical leave of his usual surroundings for a journey of some sort. At times, individuals suffering from dissociative fugue may disappear for up to months at a time. They often also display an inability to recall, leading to many cases of confusion of personality identity. They may not remember who they are during this journey and in very rare cases may create or assume another identity.
4. Depersonalization disorder: individuals suffering from depersonalization disorder may experience detachment from reality, but realize and understand that it is not in fact a reality — it is only a feeling. Out of all of these disorders, depersonalization disorder is the most easily identified. It can be described as a feeling of a dream, or daydreaming. While this may happen to the average person, a person suffering from depersonalization disorder may experience these feelings of distorted reality multiple times a day.
Tim Du
Counselor Network Writer
