Putting It Together: Dissociative Disorders
In this module, you learned about dissociative disorders such as dissociative amnesia, DID, and depersonalization/derealization. By this point, you should have a basic, yet firm grasp on understanding how each is unique in its presentation of symptoms, how they affect people, and some of the common treatment methods. Take a look at some of the popular treatment methods. What might a treatment plan look like if you were to develop one based on a certain psychological perspective? Or how might one’s theoretical background or way of thinking about a disorder prompt the research of a helpful method for treating it? How might you respond if you were a therapist treating someone with symptoms similar to those outlined in this module? Given how often these disorders may be misdiagnosed and/or undiagnosed for years, consider the challenge this presents to counselors. It’s important to take time to reflect on learning and think critically about concepts.
As you reflect on what you’ve gleaned from this module, spend a moment reviewing the disorders discussed in this module:
- dissociative amnesia: dissociative disorder characterized by an inability to recall important personal information, usually following an extremely stressful or traumatic experience
- depersonalization/derealization disorder: dissociative disorder in which people feel detached from the self (depersonalization), and the world feels artificial and unreal (derealization)
- dissociative identity disorder (DID): formerly known as multiple personality disorder, DID is at the far end of the dissociative disorder spectrum; characterized by at least two distinct, and dissociated personality states which alternately control a person’s behavior; sufferer, therefore, experiences significant memory impairment for important information not explained by ordinary forgetfulness
- dissociative fugue: symptom of dissociative amnesia in which a person suddenly wanders away from one’s home and experiences confusion about their identity
