Abuse
Dissociation
Dissociative disorders are a range of conditions that can be physically and psychologically problematic.
Dissociative disorders are sometimes very short-lived, perhaps following a traumatic event, and resolve on their own over a matter of weeks or months. Others can last much longer.
Symptoms of a dissociative disorder
Symptoms of the dissociative disorder can vary but may include:
- feeling disconnected from yourself and the world around you
- forgetting about specific periods, events and personal information
- feeling uncertain about who you are
- having multiple distinct identities
- feeling little or no physical pain
Dissociation is a way the mind copes with too much stress.
Dissociation can last for a short time (hours or days) or much longer (weeks or months).
It can sometimes last for years, but usually when there is another dissociative disorder.
Childhood trauma is common among people with dissociative disorder.
To cope with it, they may dissociate and avoid dealing with it.
Types of dissociative disorder
There are several different types of dissociative disorder.
The three main types are:
- depersonalisation-derealisation disorder
- dissociative amnesia
- dissociative identity disorder
Types of dissociative disorder
There are several different types of dissociative disorder.
The three main types are:
- depersonalisation-derealisation disorder
- dissociative amnesia
- dissociative identity disorder
Depersonalisation-derealisation disorder
Depersonalisation is where you feel outside yourself and observe your actions, feelings, or thoughts from a distance.
Derealisation is where you feel the world around is unreal. People and things around you may seem “lifeless” or “foggy”.
You can have depersonalisation or derealisation, or both together. It may last only a few moments or come and go over many years.
Dissociative amnesia
Someone with dissociative amnesia will have periods where they cannot remember information about themselves or events in their past life.
They may also forget a learned talent or skill.
These gaps in memory are much more severe than normal forgetfulness and are not the result of another medical condition.
Some people with dissociative amnesia find themselves strange without knowing how they got there.
They may have travelled there on purpose or wandered in a confused state.
These blank episodes may last minutes, hours or days. In rare cases, they can last months or years.
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) used to be called multiple personality disorder.
Someone diagnosed with DID may feel uncertain about their identity and who they are.
They may feel the presence of other identities, each with their names, voices, personal histories and mannerisms.
The main symptoms of DID are:
- memory gaps about everyday events and personal information
- having several distinct identities