Dissociative Disorders

Continuous Amnesia

forget all events after a certain time -You can't remember anything after the trauma -A time period

Localized Amnesia

forget all events during a circumscribed period of time

Generalized Amnesia

forget all parts of their life

Systematized Amnesia

forget categories of information -You remember all the Christmas gatherings but you don't remember your uncle -A category

Selective Amnesia

forget some, but not all events during a circumscribed period of time

Alternate Identities

have very different characteristics from one another -aggressive -sexual

Why is memory loss two-fold in DID?

Because: -the host is basically unconscious during the times that the alternate personalities take over -memory loss of traumatic event

Diathesis-Stress Model

Integration of biological predisposition and experience

Primary Identity

Is the host identity appears more often than others

One-way Amnesic relationship

Is the most common relationship pattern in DID. Some subpersonalities are aware of others, but the awareness is not mutual.

Switching

Is triggered by a stressful event, although clinicians can bring about change with hypnotic suggestions.

Biological Theory of Dissociative Disorders

-Structural differences of the brain -Neurotransmitter norepinephrine is high

What are the features of depersonalization?

-memories are intact -very common symptom, not common diagnosis -comes on during periods of stress, fatigue -Remission/reoccurance -More frequent in adolescence and young adults

What 2 things do you have to show in order to have a dissociative disorder?

1. no physiological cause 2. always will have a stress or trauma associated with it

Controversies of DID

1. rare 2. mostly seen in USA 3. Iatrogenic- clinician unintentionally produces the disorder by suggestion -tries to please the therapist 4. other possible diagnosis borderline personality disorder

DSM criteria for Dissociative Amnesia Disorder

1. Inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is beyond ordinary forgetting. 2. significant distress or impairment 3. Symptoms are not attributable to substance or medical condition

What are the 3 types of dissociative disorders?

1. dissociative identity disorder (DID) 2. Dissociative Amnesia 3. Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

Premorbid Personality of DID

1. imaginative 2. role playing 3. suggestible 4. easily hypnotized

What 2 defense mechanisms are used?

1. repression 2. denial

DID is a failure to integrate the following

1.Identifying features-gender, age, etc 2.Abilities and preferences-knowledge, skills, tastes 3.Physiological responses-blood pressure, brain patterns

Dissociative Disorders

A disorder where some parts of one's memory or identity seem to be dissociated, or separated from the other parts of one's memory or identity. -NO physical cause

Dissociative Amnesia Disorder

A disorder where the person experiences a memory loss for no apparent physiological reason

Depersonalization Disorder

A dissociative disorder that involves temporary feelings of detachment or estrangement from oneself and the sense that one's surroundings are unreal or detached.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

A dissociative disorder where a person develops two or more distinct personalities, each with their own distinctive traits, mannerisms, style of speech, etc.

Mutually Cognizant Relationship

Each subpersonality is well aware of the rest. They may hear one another's voice and even talk among themselves. Some on good terms, while others do not get along at all.

Dissociative Fugue

Is when the person suddenly, unexpectedly travels away from home, flees from his/her life situation, assumes a new identity, and has amnesia about personal material -usually only last for a few days -persons personality changes -can last for years -usually spontaneous recovery

Behavioral Perspective of Dissociative Disorders

Learning Theory -Negative reinforcement: getting away from the stress is rewarded for avoiding the anxiety -observational learning -State Dependent Learning-the physiological state you were in when learned the behavior

Psychodynamic Perspective of Dissociative Disorders

Massive repression to avoid anxiety -dissociative amnesia: single episode -DID: lifetime of repression Fear own impulses (denial)

Cognitive Perspective of Dissociative Disorders

Self hypnosis to forget trauma -hypnotic amnesia -during the abuse, your mind goes somewhere else

Dissociative disorders are triggered by ____?

Stress/trauma

In DID, what is the transition from one subpersonality to another called?

Switching

What happens with impulses from the Id overwhelm the ego?

The ego uses defense mechanisms (repression and denial) to protect you.

Derealization

The sense of unreality about the external world involving odd changes in the perception of one's understandings -distorted perceptions -Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

Depersonalization

The sense that one's own mental functioning or body are unreal or detached. -feeling like a robot -feeling like he/she is living a dream or movie -feeling like an outside observer

Mutually Amnesic Relationship

The subpersonalities have no awareness of one another

What is DID almost always associated with?

abuse