Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Disorder is characterized by certain symptoms, here they are: 

• A loss of memory, especially surrounding a traumatic event. Trouble remembering people, places, and specific times. 
• Out-of-body experiences where the patient feels as though they’re looking in on a movie about themselves; feeling disconnected to one’s own body and mind. 
• Other coexisting mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and OCD; thoughts of suicide, suicidal ideation. 
• A detachment from one’s own emotions; an emotional numbness.
• No sense of self-identity or a weak sense of self-identity; the patient doesn’t know who they are and what they like.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) there are three different types of dissociative disorders, here they are:

1. Dissociative Amnesia – Dissociative Amnesia is similar to regular amnesia. It’s all about not remembering, in this case it’s not remembering important information about oneself. A traumatic event usually sparks this form of amnesia. For example, physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse, combat, war, and death. It usually happens suddenly, out-of-the-blue. It can last for a few minutes or even hours, days, and years! Though it’s rare to last years. 
2. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) – People most often think of dissociation as an identity disorder. It was once known as “multiple personality disorder” but that changed. The disorder is characterized by several different identities that the patient alternates between. The patient may feel as though the personalities are trying to take over. They may hear voices in their head. The identities are all distinct, usually. They might have names, mannerisms, even voices and entire backstories. For those with DID, life can be a struggle. They often go through lengths of time where they’ll have no idea what went on. They were lost in another personality. Women are more likely to have DID than men, but when men do have it it is often a more violent form.
3. Depersonalization – This disorder happens when a patient has ongoing feelings of detachment. There are two forms of the disorder: depersonalization and derealization. With depersonalization, they aren’t attached to their own thoughts, feelings, actions, sensations, or moods. Their entire life feels as though they’re looking at a movie. On the other hand, someone with derealization feels as though the world around them is synthesized (it isn’t real.) Symptoms of these two versions of the disorder can last for minutes, days, or weeks. A person might be afflicted with depersonalization and derealization numerous times over the years.