Dissociative disorder
“Dissociation is the common response of children to repetitive, overwhelming trauma and holds the untenable knowledge out of awareness. The losses and the emotions engendered by the assaults on soul and body cannot, however be held indefinitely. In the absence of effective restorative experiences, the reactions to trauma will find expression. As the child gets older, he will turn the rage in upon himself or act it out on others, else it all will turn into madness.”― Judith Spencer
Have you ever felt that you are detached from a lot of things? Then you must know how painful it is to suffer from detachment. However just minor feelings of detachment are not a psychological disorder. So when does it become a disorder? Let us tell you about it.
What is Dissociative Disorder?
Dissociative disorder is a mental issue where individual experience detachment and absence of congruity between musings, environmental factors, recollections and activities and so forth. It tends to be treated with the assistance of psychotherapy since it is a mental issue.
What are the types of dissociative disorders?
Not all dissociative disorders are the same. There are three major types of dissociative disorders which come under the same umbrella term but are a bit different from one another. Names of types of dissociative disorders are mentioned below:
- Dissociative identity disorder
- Depersonalization disorder
- Dissociative amnesia
Common Symptoms of Dissociative Disorders
There are some most common symptoms of dissociative disorders and they are:
- Memory loss such as amnesia
- A feeling of being detached from your emotions and even from yourself
- Perception of people around you as unreal
- A blurred sense of identity
- Relationship problems
- Stress and depression
- Out of body experiences
- Suicidal thoughts
- Emotional numbness
Causes of Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders mostly develop as a way to cope with trauma. It is due to long-term sexual, physical and emotional abuse in children. Natural disasters are also a cause of this type of psychological disorder.
Risk Factors
Although dissociative disorders can happen to anyone, yet some people are at more risk of developing this disorder and it is because they have certain characteristics that make them more prone towards its development. Some of them are mentioned below:
- If you have a history of physical, emotional and sexual abuse in early childhood
- You experience some traumatic events in life such as war or any other natural disasters
Complications Resulting from Dissociative Disorders
Here are some of the common complications you have to face if you are suffering from dissociative disorders:
- Self-harming thoughts
- Suicidal thoughts and behavior
- Sexual dysfunction
- Alcohol abuse
- Drug abuse
- Depression
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Post-traumatic disorders
- Personality disorders
- Relationships problems
- Financial problems
How the Psychiatrists Diagnose that you have Dissociative Disorders?
Doctors and psychiatrists diagnose dissociative disorders by the following methods and techniques:
- Psychiatric examination
- Diagnosis criteria from DSM
- Diagnosis using valid and reliable psychological testing tools.
Treating the Dissociative Disorder
Here are some of the methodologies which doctors use to treat dissociative disorders:
- Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be used for the treatment because it is one of the psychological problems.
- Medications
Medications are prescribed by the doctor to balance the symptoms.
Most of the time medications are used along with psychotherapy to provide the client with faster psychological healing.