Dissociative disorders

Clinic

• Dissociative disorders (DD) are conditions that involve disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity, or perception.
• They use dissociation as a defense mechanism, pathologically and involuntarily in order to protect themselves.
• Some DDs are triggered by psychological trauma, but Depersonalization-Derealization disorder may be preceded only by stress, psychoactive substances.
• Dissociative disorders (DD) are widely believed to have roots in adverse childhood experiences including abuse and loss

DD list

• Dissociative identity disorder (Multiple personality disorder): the alternation of two or more distinct personality states with impaired recall among personality states. In extreme cases, the host personality is unaware of the other, alternating personalities; however, the alternate personalities can be aware of all the existing personalities.

• Dissociative amnesia (Psychogenic amnesia): Temporary loss of recall memory, specifically episodic memory, due to a traumatic or stressful event. It is considered the most common dissociative disorder amongst those documented. This disorder can occur abruptly or gradually and may last minutes to years depending on the severity of the trauma and the patient. Dissociative fugue was previously a separate category but is now treated as a specifier for dissociative amnesia.

• Depersonalization-Derealization disorder: Periods of detachment from self or surrounding which may be experienced as "unreal" (lacking in control of or "outside" self) while retaining awareness that this is only a feeling and not a reality.

Others

• Dissociative neurological symptom disorder
• Dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue
• Trance disorder
• Possession trance disorder
• Dissociative identity disorder
• Partial dissociative identity disorder