Dissociative disorders involve disruptions in memory, identity, or a person’s sense of self and surroundings. This lesson introduces the general idea of dissociation and examines dissociative amnesia and depersonalization/derealization disorder.
Dissociation refers to becoming disconnected or split off from aspects of one’s usual sense of self, memory, or experience. In dissociative disorders, these disruptions are understood as psychological rather than the result of a physical cause. The DSM-5 disorders covered in this unit include dissociative amnesia, depersonalization/derealization disorder, and dissociative identity disorder.
All flashcards
What is dissociation in the context of dissociative disorders?
A psychological disconnection involving aspects of a person’s usual sense of self, memory, or experience.
What is dissociative amnesia?
Difficulty recalling important personal information, often following extreme stress or trauma, beyond ordinary forgetting.
What is dissociative fugue?
A dissociative episode that may involve wandering away, identity confusion, and sometimes adopting a new identity.
How do depersonalization and derealization differ?
Depersonalization concerns detachment from oneself; derealization concerns detachment from the outside world.
What is dissociative identity disorder?
A disorder involving two or more distinct personality states and significant disruptions in memory.
Quiz questions
A study of psychiatric outpatients found nearly 10% met criteria for dissociative amnesia, while a community study reported about 1.8% in the previous year. Why should these figures not be treated as interchangeable estimates?Answer: They came from different samples and research settings.
What explanation has been proposed for the sharp rise in reported DID diagnoses during the 1980s?Answer: Improved diagnostic techniques may have contributed to the increase.
In discussions of DID, what does it mean to describe a disorder as potentially iatrogenic?Answer: The disorder may be induced or shaped by treatment.
What did an fMRI study report when comparing people diagnosed with DID with control participants instructed to fake DID?Answer: The groups showed significant differences in brain-imaging results.
What limitation applies to brain-imaging findings in debates about DID?Answer: They contribute evidence but do not settle every question about diagnosis or cause.
Based on Psychology 2e by Rose M. Spielman, William J. Jenkins, Marilyn D. Lovett (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.