Disconnection or no connectivity between thoughts and memories may seem normal, but it is not.
Dissociative disorders are mental disorders that involve experiencing disconnection and feeling there is no connectivity with thoughts, memories, surroundings, identity, and reactions.
Dissociative disorders are usually triggered by trauma and keep difficult memories at bay.
The symptoms include Amnesia and other alternate identities depending on the associated disorder the person suffers from.
Stressful periods can worsen the symptoms and make the disorder very obvious to people surrounding the patient.
The first-line treatment for dissociative disorders includes Medication and supportive therapy.
The patient would learn ways to cope and lead a healthy life by adopting such treatments.
What are the symptoms of Dissociative Disorder?
The common signs and symptoms depend on the type of dissociative disorder a person suffers from.
The common symptoms include:
- Memory loss or Amnesia for short episodes of time.
- feeling of being detached from emotions and one’s own self
- Lack of sense of identity or blurred sense of identity
- Stress in a relationship and other important areas of life, which may be personal or professional
- Lack of ability to cope with professional or emotional stress
- The perception of the distorted and unreal feeling of people and things around the patient.
What are the most common types of Dissociative Disorders?
They are
- Dissociative identity disorder
- Derealisation disorder
- Dissociative Amnesia
Dissociative disorders often develop as a way to deal with triggers related to a catastrophic event related to stress, abuse, or trauma encountered by the patient.
This happens especially when such events occur to a person during his early childhood.
Mentally withdrawing oneself from a situation that is traumatic, like an accident or a disaster or being a victim and abuse, can be a coping mechanism that would help a person escape pain in the short term.
If the cycle is repetitive, it becomes a problem in the long run as it would separate a person from reality.
How do we diagnose Dissociative Disorders?
The diagnosis is made based on psychometric and psychiatric evaluation.
How do we treat Dissociative Disorders?
The treatment of dissociative disorder generally consists of psychotherapy with the main objective of helping to integrate with identities and gain control over the disorder and symptoms.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a popular therapy that would be effective in treating dissociative disorders and other mental disorders.
Few people might require medications like - antidepressants and anxiolytics for a brief period of time.
What are the complications associated with dissociative disorders?
There is an increase in the risk of -
- self-harm
- suicidal behaviour
- alcoholism or use of a substance
- depression
- PTSD
- various personality disorders
- sleeping disorders
- eating disorders
- experiencing physical symptoms and having a difficult personal relationship
To Sum Up
People suffering from dissociative disorders experience a disconnect between their thoughts, memories, and behaviours and associated anxiety or depression. seeking treatment will help the person recover from this. through proper education, we can create awareness to help people with this disorder.
