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