Dissociative disorders
Dissociative disorders are mental health conditions that involve experiencing a loss of connection between thoughts, memories, feelings, surroundings, behavior and identity. These conditions include escape from reality in ways that are not wanted and not healthy. This causes problems in managing everyday life.
Dissociative disorders usually arise as a reaction to shocking, distressing or painful events and help push away difficult memories. Symptoms depend in part on the type of dissociative disorder and can range from memory loss to disconnected identities. Times of stress can worsen symptoms for a while, making them easier to see.
Symptoms of dissociative identity disorder include:
The existence of two or more distinct identities (or “personality states”). The distinct identities are accompanied by changes in behavior, memory and thinking. The signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual.
Ongoing gaps in memory about everyday events, personal information and/or past traumatic events.
The symptoms cause significant distress or problems in social, occupational or other areas of functioning.
Moore, M. (2022). What Are the Types of Dissociative Disorder? PsychCentral. Retrieved from https://shorturl.at/yJAMD.
Mayo Clinic. (2023). Dissociative disorders. Retrieved from https://shorturl.at/DuxKu.
Spiegel D. (2024). What Are Dissociative Disorders? American Psychiatric Association. Retrieved from https://shorturl.at/IVv0s.