Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Disorders

Amy Johnson

Psychopathology and Counseling-COUN 646

Professor Gilbert

Liberty University

December 4, 2014

ABSTRACT

Dissociative disorders have many variations. They are mainly characterized by an interruption of how a person sees their conscious life, what they remember, how they handle emotions, their behavior, and their perception. Typically the disorder arises as a reaction to a traumatic event with confusion and embarrassment being a common factor. Both acute stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder contain aspects of dissociative disorder and treatment for this can take on many different roles. Due to the feeling of being “outside” one’s self, this disorder can alter the client’s sense of reality and how they react and since it affects memory, their quality of life is seriously impaired.

Introduction

One of first documented cases of dissociative identity disorder, or DID, was described by Paracelsus in 1646, in the 19th century "dédoublement" or double consciousness. This was the historical precursor to DID, and at that time was often described as sleepwalking, with scholars hypothesizing that the patients were switching between a normal consciousness and a "somnambulistic state” (Sar, 2011). There is not a multitude of studies about this disorder, but there is one common theme about the cause and that is it comes from trauma or overwhelming stress. The individual cannot handle what has or is happening, and they self-protect by repressing memories or disconnect from the world around them.

Overview

Dissociative disorders are exactly as they sound; a disconnect from conscious mind, memories, emotions, perception, behavior, and motor control (Sar, 2011). This disorder can interrupt every of functioning, psychological and physical. The major symptoms are described as a sudden awareness of feeling disconnected from what is going on in reality, or an inability to remember or control and recall memories....