Some
people when overwhelmed by a traumatic experience, experience an altered state
of consciousness which is detached from reality of what is happening.
Dissociation can be seen as a coping mechanism to reduce anxiety and stress to
overcome the trauma, but it interferes with active, realistic coping.
Dissociation often involves feelings
of unreality, estrangement( being alone from group),and depersonalisation, and
some times loss of or shift of self identity.Less dramatic dissociation happens
to everyone when a catastrophe hits us.
We too feel everything is strange, unnatural,and different.
All
dissociative disorders have large memory gap and changes in social roles.
Change may happen drastically or gradually. May last only for few period or be
chronic. The alteration of consciousness serves to blot out painful experiences.
Types of Dissociative Disorders are-
1.Dissociative Amnesia-
It
extensive but selective memory loss in the absence of indications of organic
change. The memory loss occurring is too
extensive than normal forgetting. Some people cannot remember anything about
the past. Others can no longer recall specific events, people, places, or objects,
while other memories remain intact. Usually precipitated by emotionally
traumatic event or physical accident. This is the most common type of
dissociative disorders. More in adolescents and young adults.
Several
types of Dissociative Amnesia are-
(a) Localized Amnesia- fail to
recall events of a particular period.
(b) Selective Amnesia- Person
recalls some but not all of events in a particular period.
(c) Generalized Amnesia- failure to
recall persons entire life. Rare
(d) Continuous Amnesia- inability to
recall events after a specific time, until present.
(e) Systematized Amnesia- Loss of
memory for certain categories of Information such as memories relating to a
specific person.
2.Dissociative Fugue-
Essential feature of fugue is travel away from
home and customary workplace, the assumption of a new identity, and inability to
recall previous identity. The travel is more purposeful than wandering of
dissociative amnesia. Such people set up a new life in some distant place as a
different person.
The fugue state ends when the person wakes up , mystified and
distressed at being in different circumstances. Person generally doesn't remember what happened during fugue state and once recovered, wont reccurent.
3.Dissociative Identity Disorder-
Often referred as multiple personality
disorder. In this disorder, individual assume alternative personalities. Each
personality has its own set of memories and typical behaviors. None of
personality has any awareness of other. One way amnesia is also seen.
Cases increasing now. Correlates with traumatic
Childhood experiences and many clinicians think dissociative identity disorder
as a psychological adaptation to traumatic experiences in childhood. More in female. Personalities find themselves
of being in different gender, age and sexual orientation. Separate styles,
wardrobe, interests etc.
4. Depersonaliation-
Its the change in self perception, and
persons sense of reality is temporarily lost or changed. They feel as they are in
dream, fear of losing sanity. A sense of being cut off from one’s self.
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