Dissociative Disorders – Symptoms and Causes

Overview

Dissociative disorders affect mental health by breaking the normal connections between thoughts, identity, memories and surroundings.

These conditions often develop after traumatic or painful experiences as a protective mechanism, helping people escape difficult memories.

People with these disorders may struggle with daily activities.

Symptoms vary based on the specific disorder but can include memory gaps or feeling detached from oneself. During stressful periods, these symptoms often become more noticeable.

The main types of dissociative disorders include:

  • Dissociative Amnesia
  • Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder
  • Dissociative Identity Disorder

Treatment typically combines psychotherapy with medication. While recovery can be challenging, many patients develop effective coping strategies that significantly improve their quality of life.

Signs of Dissociative Disorders

Feeling Disconnected From Yourself

Depersonalization makes you feel separated from your own body and mind.

You might feel like you’re watching yourself from a distance, similar to viewing a movie of your life. Your thoughts, feelings, and actions seem like they belong to someone else.

Derealization causes the world around you to seem unreal or dreamlike. People and objects may appear foggy or far away. Time might speed up or slow down strangely.

These feelings can be very upsetting. They might last for hours, days, or weeks. Some people experience these symptoms off and on for many years or constantly.

Memory Loss Episodes

The main sign of dissociative amnesia is forgetting important personal information beyond normal forgetfulness. This memory loss can’t be explained by medical conditions or brain injuries.

You might be unable to remember:

  • Personal details about yourself
  • Specific traumatic events
  • Entire periods of your life
  • People who are important to you

Amnesia episodes typically begin suddenly. They usually last minutes or hours but can occasionally continue for months or even years. Some people may travel or wander away from their homes during these episodes, a behavior called dissociative fugue.

Multiple Identities Within

This disorder was previously called multiple personality disorder. It involves switching between different identities or personality states. You might feel like several different people live inside your mind.

Each identity may have:

  • A unique name
  • Different personal history
  • Distinct personality traits
  • Various mannerisms, voices, or even gender
  • Physical differences (like needing glasses in one identity but not another)

These identities may or may not be aware of each other. You might experience gaps in memory when different identities take control. Confused wandering often happens with this disorder.

When To Get Medical Help

Seek emergency medical care immediately if:

  • You experience severe symptoms during a crisis
  • You engage in impulsive or dangerous behavior
  • Your safety or someone else’s safety is at risk

For less urgent symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor or mental health professional.

Signs that warrant medical attention include:

  • Feeling detached from yourself regularly
  • Experiencing unexplained memory gaps
  • Finding evidence of actions you don’t remember doing
  • Hearing voices or internal conversations
  • Severe stress that interferes with daily life

Getting Help For Suicidal Thoughts

If you’re thinking about suicide, get help immediately:

  1. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (available 24/7)
  2. Go to your nearest emergency room
  3. Call 911

Don’t face these feelings alone. Tell someone you trust about your thoughts. Suicidal feelings are a serious symptom that requires immediate professional help.

Causes

Dissociative disorders often begin as a coping mechanism for overwhelming events. These conditions typically develop in children who experience extended periods of:

  • Physical abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Emotional abuse

They may also occur in children from unpredictable or frightening home environments. In some cases, war trauma or natural disasters trigger these disorders.

When faced with extreme emotional stress, the mind may create a sense of detachment. This feeling of stepping outside oneself and watching events happen to someone else serves as a protective response.

This mental escape helps people endure situations that would otherwise be too overwhelming to process.

The brain essentially creates distance from traumatic experiences as a survival mechanism. This protective response allows a person to function during extremely stressful situations by compartmentalizing difficult emotions and memories.

Risk Factors

People who have suffered long-term physical, sexual, or emotional abuse during childhood face the highest risk of developing a dissociative disorder.

Other traumatic events can also trigger these conditions, including:

  • War experiences
  • Natural disasters
  • Kidnapping
  • Torture
  • Extensive early-life medical procedures

Any deeply distressing or painful experience can potentially lead to dissociative symptoms, especially when the trauma occurs during developmental years.

Health Problems

People with dissociative disorders often face other health issues. These include:

  • Depression and anxiety disorders
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Sleep problems like nightmares and insomnia
  • Unexplained physical symptoms like dizziness
  • Eating disorders
  • Sexual function difficulties
  • Substance abuse problems
  • Personality disorders

Daily life can become very difficult. Relationships may suffer, and work or school performance can decline. Some people develop harmful behaviors like self-injury or suicidal thoughts.

Prevention

Child abuse increases the risk of dissociative disorders. If you struggle with stress or personal issues that affect how you treat your child, getting help is important.

Reach out to someone you trust. This could be a friend, healthcare provider, or religious leader.

Ask them to help you find resources like parenting support groups or family therapists.

Many organizations offer helpful resources:

  • Religious organizations
  • Community education programs
  • Parenting classes

These resources can teach healthier parenting approaches.

If you or your child experienced abuse or a traumatic event, seek professional help immediately. A doctor can connect you with mental health services, or you might contact these services directly.

Mental health professionals provide several benefits:

Benefits of Professional Help
Recovery support
Healthy coping skills
Trauma processing techniques
Ongoing emotional support

Early intervention helps prevent long-term mental health issues and promotes better family relationships.


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