Dissociative Disorder

Psychology 201

Prof. Adams

December 6, 2013

Dissociative Disorder

Most people know Dissociative Disorder as multiple personalities. Movies such as "The Three Faces of Eve" and "Sybil" have brought this disorder to light. Some feel as if people are "faking" the disorder to get out of legal trouble or explain away bizarre behavior.

It is thought that this disorder is a result of some type of severe trauma that happened to the person in early childhood, usually before the age of nine. (www.medicinenet.com). This trauma comes in the form of extreme physical abuse, sexual abuse and even emotional abuse. The sufferer seems to use the personalities as a coping mechanism, to "dislocate" themselves from the trauma. This is why one of the personalities is usually very dominate and the "caretaker" of the abused person. Females are nine times more likely to be diagnosed with multiple personalities than males.

To be diagnosed with dissociative disorder, two or more "distinct identities that continually have power over the person's behavior" must be present (www.webmd.com). Each of these personalities will have their own different memories, thoughts and feelings. Along with this, each personality will have their own way of talking, gesturing, mannerisms, age, sex and, sometimes, even a different race. These personalities can be imaginary people and even may be animals (webmd). These personalities will have a totally different handwriting.

Diagnosis may take years. Symptoms include: depression, having experiences that feel like "out of body" experiences, hallucinations, compulsions/rituals, panic attacks, sleep disorders, lapses in memory, being accused of lying on a frequent basis, finding items in ones possession that you have no idea how they were acquired, hearing voices, and finding notes that are in a totally different handwriting. There is no so called "cure" - just long term treatment with medication and therapy.

Works Cited

Dryden-Eward, MD, "What is Dissociative Disorder?" www.medicinenet.com

Johnson,

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