...Living Beyond Oneself: The Reality of Dissociation Disorder Rebecca Lynn England General Psychology; Valley College Abstract An exploration of Dissociative Disorder including an overview of debates, disorder description, causes, and treatment. Hundreds of studies have been performed concerning this subject. There are countless theories and allegations concerning multiple personalities, even dating back to the days of the witch hunts. Initial symptoms generally begin in childhood. By adulthood, a person has usually forgotten the actual abuse or trauma that caused the psychological disorder, but are left with a myriad of manifestations of abnormal behaviors throughout life. Memories that begin to reemerge later in life are caused by what is called triggers. In depth testing must be undergone to determine if a person actually has this condition. Once diagnosed, treatment is extensive, lasting over many years. Realistically, the person may never completely function normally. Keywords: Dissociative Disorder, multiple personalities, alter personalities, psychological conditions, treatment, abuse, trauma, switching, post-traumatic stress disorder Living Beyond Oneself: The Reality of Dissociation Disorder The Creation of an Alter Person Dissociative Disorder is part of a series of conditions called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, “a condition of reoccurring persistent mental and emotional stress as a result of injury or severe psychological shock.” (NLM) Originally...
Words: 2704 - Pages: 11
...psychological problems 2) “Sick role” reinforcers 3) Social support b) Treatment i) Cogntivie Behavioral Therapy 1) Identify reinforcers and elimate or replace them 2) Change catastrophic thoughts 3) Identify and challenge misinterpretations ii) Biological 1) Antidepressants 2) Can Somatic Symptom Disorders include real bodily symptoms or do they have to be imagined? 3) How do fears and beliefs about illness play into Somatic Symptom Disorders? What about reinforcement of the “sick role?” 4) What kinds of symptoms does Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Somatic Symptom Disorders target? Are there any biological treatments for it? 5) What is dissociation? What differentiates “everyday” dissociative events from dissociative...
Words: 596 - Pages: 3
...(Hayes et al., 1994 410-415). These symptoms include, but are not limited to; auditory hallucinations from both inside and outside the head, dissociative psychosis, Depression, and Anxiety. (Dorahy, et al., 2014, pp. 402-417). Since the major general diagnostic tools used in most research outlets do not include exact guidelines for many dissociative disorders, DID is mostly un-researched (Şar et al., 2009, pp. 693-708). Due to this lack of research, Anti-DID Clinicians believe there is no definitive answer on symptoms which are exclusive to DID, thus, coming up with guidelines for a diagnosis, that is not extremely similar to another, is difficult (Dorahy, et al., 2014, pp. 402-417). While there are understandable diagnostic concerns, dissociation is a term used to describe when a patient experiences a traumatic event, causing the mind to “split” (Picca et al., 1999, 404-415). This “splitting of the mind” has been found to be distinguishable to dissociative disorders, which are primarily composed symptoms that alter consciousness, affect memory, and ones identity (Kihlstrom et al., 1994, pp. 117-124). When these events split the mind, multiple personalities are created inside one body, which is not seen in patients with BPD or Schizophrenia (Dorahy, et al., 2014, pp. 402-417). Patients with DID also often show higher rates of comorbidity than schizophrenia or BPD, in fact, no study to date has shown a patient with DID, to be without at least one non-dissociative disorder (Dorahy...
Words: 1565 - Pages: 7
... Europe, and Turkey; they have found that between 1%-5% of patients in general inpatient psychiatric units meet the diagnostic criteria for dissociative identity disorder in the DSM-IV (Study, 2011). Dissociative identity disorder is reported to occur more commonly in younger populations rather than older adults, and declines with age. Dissociative identity disorder is recorded to be more prevalent in woman than in men. It is 9 times more prevalent in women than in men, but many variables can affect this statistic. Based on the symptoms, the main assumption for the uneven ratio of gender related incidences is that females are significantly more likely to be affected by childhood sexual abuse which is the most prominent attribution to dissociation. However, males with dissociative identity disorder are less likely to seek therapy considered to women. Men are more likely to deny their symptoms or “bottle” their emotions and problems and keep them to themselves, whereas women are more likely to seek professional help. Men are also more...
Words: 1701 - Pages: 7
...Abstract Dissociative Disorders is the disruption in the integrated functions of consciences, memory, identity, or perception of the environment. They are marked by a dissociation from or interruption of a person’s fundamental aspect of waking consciousness such as personal identity and one’s personal history. In this paper I will be discussing the main dissociative disorders, which are: Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Fugue, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Depersonalization Disorder. All of the dissociative disorders are thought to stem from trauma experienced by the individual with the disorder. (Maser, 2000) Seen in a number of other mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder, symptoms of dissociative or even one or more of the disorders are shown. A cross-cultural perspective is particularly important in the evaluation of Dissociative Disorders because dissociative states are a common and accepted expression of cultural activities or religious experience in many societies. (Frances, 1994) Dissociative Amnesia The first disorder is Dissociative Amnesia which is characterized by an inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. This disorder is formerly known as Psychogenic Amnesia. Dissociative Amnesia involves a reversible memory impairment in which memories of personal...
Words: 960 - Pages: 4
...Child Abuse and Its Effects on the Child’s Ability to Form Attachments The moment that a child is conceived begins a lifelong journey of attachment. Studies have shown that embryos begin bonding in the womb when they feel movement, hear voices, and through the stimulation of smell and taste. This attachment with a caregiver grows even stronger when the child is born and as they move into childhood develops further into other relationships. The intensity associated with the importance of this development is best described by Perry (2001), “The most important property of humankind is the capacity to form and maintain relationships. These relationships are absolutely necessary for any of us to survive, learn, work, love and procreate” (p. 1). That is, as long as the proper environment and development is exposed to the child. Exposure to constant distress or inflicted abuse and/or neglect to a child can result in reactive attachment disorder, along with many other socioemotional problems and disorders. This will affect all relationships, as well as their ability to accomplish goals and lead a directed, goal-oriented life. When and if others intervene within the abusive situation, will determine how the child will deal with an attachment disorder. If intervention does not occur, attachment disorders associated with abuse and/or neglect can lead to violence in children and adults. There are ways to help children cope with this disorder, but it will become a struggle they will have...
Words: 3325 - Pages: 14
...Multiple personality disorder is a disorder that is often confused with dissassociative identity disorder for the reason that they both are characterized by the disassociation that a patient/inflicted individual experience; however, multiple personality disorder holds itself a personal definition that suggests that it is a disorder in which 2 or more personalities exist within the inflicted individual, both of which taking turns in controlling the individual’s behavior and consciousness.1 Multiple personality disorder has been seen throughout all of history as different types of behavior, ranging from inappropriate to highly respected forms as the cultures in which they are recognized differ. In the Paleolithic era, shamans would often tell stories through cave paintings of their own experiences of animal embodiment, and such experiences are analyzed to be instances of MPD. Demonic possession in many cultures has also been attributed by researchers to misunderstandings of the behavior of individuals with Multiple Personality Disorder. It is important to note that the last two occurrences of MPD were actually, and in some places today, are still appreciated as established and reputable practices. The earliest reporting of a case of Multiple personality disorder was by a male named Eberhardt Gmelin in 1791, when he describes a young woman to have spoken French perfectly, and with an French accent when speaking German, but then she would seemingly turn into a German woman who could...
Words: 1481 - Pages: 6
...one mind that disrupted one’s identity and psyche which can cause various problems. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) or formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), is one of a group of conditions called dissociative disorders or dissociation(s). This condition is consider rare in the US which the approximated number of cases of 20K to 200K per year. (www.google.com) Dissociation is a mental process, which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. During the period of time when a person is dissociating, certain information is not associated with other information as it normally would be. Dissociation can be used as a defense mechanism or a coping mechanism that a person uses to disconnect from a stressful or traumatic situation or to separate traumatic memories from normal awareness. It is a way for a person to break the connection between the self and the outside world, as well as to distance oneself from the awareness of what is occurring. Dissociation can serve as a defense mechanism against the physical and emotional pain of a traumatic or stressful experience. By dissociating painful memories from everyday thought processes, a person can use dissociation to maintain a relatively healthy level of functioning, as though the trauma had not occurred. For example, during a traumatic experience, a person may dissociate the memory of the place and circumstances of the...
Words: 867 - Pages: 4
...Robin and I Characters: Robin (main), Kevin, Perry Park, joseph, Jonah, nana, Mr.X “Anna! Tell the police what happened. You don’t have to be scared. Just tell what your father did to you,” Robin shouted. “My dad didn’t do anything to me. It was that guy who intruded our house and beat my father up,” Anna told the police officer. “What are you talking about Anna? What are you thinking? I came to save you and that’s what you repay me,” Robin said while struggling with the officer. Robin is an only son of the big company. His parents sent him to America after the accident. He is a role model in one of the American’s college. He is good at sport such as America Football. He has a warmhearted personality. He loves to help other people. However, Robin lost his memories when he was 8. At 9 pm, one of Robin’s friends called him for help. Her name is Anna. Robin rushed to her house. He spent less than 5 minutes to go to Anna’s house. Her dad was beating her. Robin tried to stop the old man. The old man took his baseball bat and hit Robin’s head. He repeated his hitting skill on Robin. Robin was almost unconscious. Suddenly there was a gunshot. Police arrived and stopped the old man. They ask Anna who attacked her. Instead, Anna told lie that Robin intruded and her father saved her. Police led Robin to the police station while he was protesting the entire way. After police released Robin, he went home and met his secretary. “Young master? Are you in your right mind?” “I...
Words: 4465 - Pages: 18
...Dissociative Identity Disorder Porsha Castillo Belhaven University ABSTRACT This paper will focus on the mental disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder. It will follow the case study of JANE. The paper will include the hisroty of the disorder as well as treatment, and current research of the disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder Rebecca, a 14 year old girl, presented to a hospital by her mother with a complaint of ‘behaving like a male’ for past 2 weeks. She was identifying herself as Mr. S. and dressed herself like a male. She was not recognizing her neighbors, relatives, or teachers anymore and her belongings as well. She was not able to recount her personal information either. Her mother also reported a significant and contrasting change in her behavior, like she had become stubborn, confident, outgoing and demanding during this period in contrast to her normal behavior. She developed interest in drawing and painting, would demand different types of fast food items, dresses, and certain objects in the altered state. Her mother fearing worsening of her illness readily fulfilled these demands. Rebecca stopped going to school and would stay at home all day long. Upon exploration, it was found that about 2 years back, her father and older sister had left the house to live separately from Rebecca and her mother. There was a strained relationship among the parents on the issue of not having a son. Since separation, there was no communication with them. Rebecca was...
Words: 2149 - Pages: 9
...Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a mental disorder that has stumped psychologists for many decades. “Previously known as multiple personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a condition in which those affected have more than one distinct identity or personality state” (Fundukian and Wilson pg. 379). Researchers have not been able to study this considering they do not know the direct cause of the disorder. A good case study for analyzing DID is Robert Louis Stevenson’s book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this story, the reader goes on an adventure to learn the truth about the relationship between Dr. Jekyll, the successful and respected doctor, and Hyde, the evil and cruel deformed human. The audience learns that through...
Words: 336 - Pages: 2
...long-term disorders. Between 1880 and 1920, many international medical conferences were held devoting mass amounts of time to sessions on dissociation. It was regarded an extremely rare medical curiosity until the mid 1950’s. An extremely famous fictional novel presented as a documentary known as “The Three Faces of Eve” in 1956 described a woman having three distinct personalities. This was the first multiple...
Words: 1017 - Pages: 5
...Dissociative Identity Disorder What Is This Disorder Many personality disorders can come from child abuse, one of the more complex disorders is Dissociative Identity Disorder. “Dissociative identity disorder, formerly referred to as multiple personality disorder, is a condition wherein a person's identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personality states. People with this rare condition are often victims of severe abuse.” ( Psychology today 2017). This disorder starts off just as dissociation, which is the separation of normally related mental processes, resulting in one mental process functioning independently from the rest. “The different personality states usually have distinct names, identities, temperament, and self-image....
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...future.” In our current society the rates of trauma are increasing “Half of all kids are traumatized and nearly a quarter experience two or more stressful childhood events, setting them up for worse physical and mental health later in life.” (Khazan, 2014) Since dissociative disorders are thought to be linked to trauma it seems a logical conclusion that someone could receive this disorder by no fault of their own. The Sidran Institute estimates that approximately 70% of adults experience trauma in their lives. This means there are millions of people that could potentially develop dissociative identity disorder. As I researched dissociative identity disorder I came across the group the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. As I researched this groups extensive information my curiosity grew deeper. Trauma is so common and yet how do you define trauma. What is trauma to one person may not be to another. Why do some develop this disorder and others do not. Dr. Lynda K. Irons (2014) describes dissociative identity disorder as " God's gift to prevent insanity in children." (Irons, 2014) I would not take it that far but I do understand the thought process here. Some trauma is so incomprehensible that I often wonder how people survive. One of the top movies that portrays dissociative identity disorder accurately is Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase. Truddi actually helped with the screenplay for this movie unlike the other movies that have been made...
Words: 1246 - Pages: 5
...According to a CBS news video, hundreds, thousand or even a million people in the United States may have what the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) calls Dissociative Identity Disorder, but they may not know they have it (Smith, 2009). General awareness of Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality Disorder could help people put a name to the symptoms that characterize this disorder. Individuals who have Multiple Personality Disorder, which is found in the DSM as a Dissociative Disorder, present a chronic, dissociative psychopathology indicated by memory distortion or loss and changes in personality or identity caused by a traumatic experience (Kluft, 1991). Even now, Multiple personality disorder is a contested topic among mental health professionals and this debate is causing a distraction from the real disorder (Smith, 2009). A HBO documentary demonstrated three different cases of people diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. One example was Gretchen, an art college student who is divorced and has two children that she rarely sees. She has been spending all her money going to therapy two times a week. Gretchen is willing to try anything that may help to understand and cope what is happening inside her mind (Mierendorf and Steinem, 1993). Gretchen switches to different personalities depending on the moment and situation she is in. She presents several different personalities and identities including emotionally strong, aggressive/hostile, destructive...
Words: 998 - Pages: 4
