39 Dissociative Disorders
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Describe the essential nature of dissociative disorders
- Identify and differentiate the symptoms of dissociative amnesia, depersonalization/ derealization disorder, and dissociative identity disorder
- Discuss the potential role of both social and psychological factors in dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative disorders are characterized by an individual becoming split off, or dissociated, from their core sense of self. Memory and identity become disturbed; these disturbances have a psychological rather than physical cause. Dissociative disorders listed in the DSM-5 include dissociative amnesia, depersonalization/derealization disorder, and dissociative identity disorder.
Dissociative Amnesia
Amnesia refers to the partial or total forgetting of some experience or event. An individual with dissociative amnesia is unable to recall important personal information, usually following an extremely stressful or traumatic experience such as combat, natural disasters, or being the victim of violence. The memory impairments are not caused by ordinary forgetting. Some individuals with dissociative amnesia will also experience dissociative fugue (from the word “to flee” in French), whereby they suddenly wander away from their home, experience confusion about their identity, and sometimes even adopt a new identity (Cardeña & Gleaves, 2006). Most fugue episodes last only a few hours or days, but some can last longer. One study of residents in communities in upstate New York reported that about 1.8% experienced dissociative amnesia in the previous year (Johnson, Cohen, Kasen, & Brook, 2006).
Some have questioned the validity of dissociative amnesia (Pope, Hudson, Bodkin, & Oliva, 1998); it has even been characterized as a “piece of psychiatric folklore devoid of convincing empirical support” (McNally, 2003, p. 275). Notably, scientific publications regarding dissociative amnesia rose during the 1980s and reached a peak in the mid-1990s, followed by an equally sharp decline by 2003; in fact, only 13 cases of individuals with dissociative amnesia worldwide could be found in the literature that same year (Pope, Barry, Bodkin, & Hudson, 2006). Further, no description of individuals showing dissociative amnesia following a trauma exists in any fictional or nonfictional work prior to 1800 (Pope, Poliakoff, Parker, Boynes, & Hudson, 2006). However, a study of 82 individuals who enrolled for treatment at a psychiatric outpatient hospital found that nearly 10% met the criteria for dissociative amnesia, perhaps suggesting that the condition is underdiagnosed, especially in psychiatric populations (Foote, Smolin, Kaplan, Legatt, & Lipschitz, 2006).
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorders
Those experiencing depersonalization report “dreamlike feelings” and that their bodies, feelings, emotions, and behaviors are not their own.
Depersonalization/derealization disorder is characterized by recurring episodes of depersonalization, derealization, or both. Depersonalization is defined as feelings of “unreality or detachment from, or unfamiliarity with, one’s whole self or from aspects of the self” (APA, 2013, p. 302). Individuals who experience depersonalization might believe their thoughts and feelings are not their own; they may feel robotic as though they lack control over their movements and speech; they may experience a distorted sense of time and, in extreme cases, they may sense an “out-of-body” experience in which they see themselves from the vantage point of another person. Derealization is conceptualized as a sense of “unreality or detachment from, or unfamiliarity with, the world, be it individuals, inanimate objects, or all surroundings” (APA, 2013, p. 303). A person who experiences derealization might feel as though he is in a fog or a dream, or that the surrounding world is somehow artificial and unreal. Individuals with depersonalization/derealization disorder often have difficulty describing their symptoms and may think they are going crazy (APA, 2013).
Dissociative Identity Disorder
By far, the most well-known dissociative disorder is dissociative identity disorder (formerly called multiple personality disorder). People with dissociative identity disorder exhibit two or more separate personalities or identities, each well-defined and distinct from one another. They also experience memory gaps for the time during which another identity is in charge (e.g., one might find unfamiliar items in her shopping bags or among her possessions), and in some cases may report hearing voices, such as a child’s voice or the sound of somebody crying (APA, 2013). The study of upstate New York residents mentioned above (Johnson et al., 2006) reported that 1.5% of their sample experienced symptoms consistent with dissociative identity disorder in the previous year.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is highly controversial. Some believe that people fake symptoms to avoid the consequences of illegal actions (e.g., “I am not responsible for shoplifting because it was my other personality”). In fact, it has been demonstrated that people are generally skilled at adopting the role of a person with different personalities when they believe it might be advantageous to do so. As an example, Kenneth Bianchi was an infamous serial killer who, along with his cousin, murdered over a dozen females around Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Eventually, he and his cousin were apprehended. At Bianchi’s trial, he pled not guilty by reason of insanity, presenting himself as though he had DID and claiming that a different personality (“Steve Walker”) committed the murders. When these claims were scrutinized, he admitted faking the symptoms and was found guilty (Schwartz, 1981).
A second reason DID is controversial is because rates of the disorder suddenly skyrocketed in the 1980s. More cases of DID were identified during the five years prior to 1986 than in the preceding two centuries (Putnam, Guroff, Silberman, Barban, & Post, 1986). Although this increase may be due to the development of more sophisticated diagnostic techniques, it is also possible that the popularization of DID—helped in part by Sybil, a popular 1970s book (and later film) about a woman with 16 different personalities—may have prompted clinicians to overdiagnose the disorder (Piper & Merskey, 2004). Casting further scrutiny on the existence of multiple personalities or identities is the recent suggestion that the story of Sybil was largely fabricated, and the idea for the book might have been exaggerated (Nathan, 2011).
Despite its controversial nature, DID is clearly a legitimate and serious disorder, and although some people may fake symptoms, others suffer their entire lives with it. People with this disorder tend to report a history of childhood trauma, some cases having been corroborated through medical or legal records (Cardeña & Gleaves, 2006). Research by Ross et al. (1990) suggests that in one study about 95% of people with DID were physically and/or sexually abused as children. Of course, not all reports of childhood abuse can be expected to be valid or accurate. However, there is strong evidence that traumatic experiences can cause people to experience states of dissociation, suggesting that dissociative states—including the adoption of multiple personalities—may serve as a psychologically important coping mechanism for threat and danger (Dalenberg et al., 2012).
Development
Biological
While studies on the involvement of genetic underpinnings need additional research, there is some suggestion that heritability rates for dissociation rage from 50-60% (Pieper, Out, Bakermans-Kranenburg, Van Ijzendoorn, 2011). However, it is suggested that the combination of genetic and environmental factors may play a larger role in the development of dissociative disorders than genetics alone (Pieper, Out, Bakermans-Kranenburg, Van Ijzendoorn, 2011).
Cognitive
One proposed cognitive theory of dissociative disorders, particularly dissociative amnesia, is a memory retrieval deficit. More specifically, Kopelman (2000) theorizes that the combination of psychological stress and various other biopsychosocial predispositions affects the frontal lobe’s executive system’s ability to retrieve autobiographical memories (Picard et al., 2013). Neuroimaging studies have supported this theory by showing deficits to several prefrontal regions, which is one area responsible for memory retrieval (Picard et al., 2013). Despite these findings, there is still some debate over which specific brain regions within the executive system that are responsible for the retrieval difficulties, as research studies have reported mixed findings.
Specific to DID, neuroimaging studies have shown differences in hippocampus activation between subpersonalities (Tsai, Condie, Wu & Chang, 1999). As you may recall, the hippocampus is responsible for storing information from short-term to long-term memory. It is hypothesized that this brain region is responsible for the generation of dissociative states and amnesia (Staniloiu & Markowitsch, 2010).
Sociocultural
The sociocultural model of dissociative disorders has largely been influenced by Lilienfeld and colleagues (1999) who argue that the influence of mass media and its publications of dissociative disorders, provide a model for individuals to not only learn about dissociative disorders, but also engage in similar dissociative behaviors. This theory has been supported by the significant increase in DID cases after the publication of Sybil, a documentation of a woman’s 16 subpersonalities (Goff & Simms, 1993).
These mass media productions are also not just suggestive to patients. It has been suggested that mass media also influences the way clinicians gather information regarding dissociative symptoms of patients. For example, therapists may unconsciously use questions or techniques in session that evoke dissociative types of problems in their patients following exposure to a media source discussing dissociative disorders.
Psychodynamic
The psychodynamic theory of dissociative disorders assumes that the dissociative disorders are caused by an individual’s repressed thoughts and feelings related to an unpleasant or traumatic event (Richardson, 1998). In blocking these thoughts and feelings, the individual is subconsciously protecting himself from painful memories.
While dissociative amnesia may be explained by a single repression, psychodynamic theorists believe that DID results from repeated exposure to traumatic experiences, such as childhood abuse, neglect, or abandonment (Dalenberg et al., 2012). According to the psychodynamic perspective, children who experience repeated traumatic events such as physical abuse or parental neglect lack the support and resources to cope with these experiences. In efforts to escape from their current situations, children develop different personalities to essentially flee the dangerous situation they are in. While there is limited scientific evidence to support this theory, the nature of severe childhood psychological trauma is consistent with this theory, as individuals with DID have the highest rate of childhood psychological trauma compared to all other psychiatric disorders (Sar, 2011).
Treatment
Treatment for dissociative disorders is limited for a few reasons. First, with respect to dissociative amnesia, many individuals recover on their own without any intervention. Occasionally treatment is sought out after recovery due to the traumatic nature of memory loss. Second, the rarity of these disorders has offered limited opportunities for research on both the development and effectiveness of treatment methods. Due to the differences between dissociative disorders, treatment options will be discussed specific to each disorder.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
The ultimate treatment goal for dissociative identity disorder is the integration of subpersonalities to the point of final fusion (Chu et al., 2011). Integration refers to the ongoing process of merging subpersonalities into one personality. Psychoeducation is paramount for integration, as the individual must understand their disorder, as well as acknowledge their subpersonalities. Many individuals have a one-way amnesic relationship with the subpersonalities, meaning they are not aware of one another. Therefore, the clinician must first make the individual aware of the various subpersonalities that present across different situations.
Achieving integration requires several steps. First, the clinician needs to build a relationship and strong rapport with the primary personality. From there, the clinician can begin to encourage communication and coordination between the subpersonalities gradually. Making the subpersonalities aware of one another, as well as addressing their conflicts, is an essential component of the integration of subpersonalities, and the core of dissociative identity disorder treatment (Chu et al., 2011).
Once the individual is aware of their personalities, treatment can continue with the goal of fusion. Fusion occurs when two or more alternate identities join (Chu et al., 2011). When this happens, there is a complete loss of separateness. Depending on the number of subpersonalities, this process can take quite a while. Once all subpersonalities are fused and the individual identifies themselves as one unified self, it is believed the patient has reached final fusion.
It should be noted that final fusion is difficult to obtain. As you can imagine, some patients do not find final fusion a desirable outcome, particularly those with harrowing histories; chronic, severe stressors; advanced age; and comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders, to name a few. For individuals where final fusion is not the treatment goal, the clinician may work toward resolution or sufficient integration and coordination of subpersonalities that allows the individual to function independently (Chu et al., 2011). Unfortunately, individuals that do not achieve final fusion are at greater risk for relapse of symptoms, particularly those with whose dissociative identity disorder appears to stem from traumatic experiences.
Once an individual reaches final fusion, ongoing treatment is essential to maintain this status. In general, treatment focuses on social and positive coping skills. These skills are particularly helpful for individuals with a history of traumatic events, as it can help them process these events, as well as help prevent future relapses.
Dissociative Amnesia
As previously mentioned, many individuals regain memory without the need for treatment; however, there is a small population that does require additional treatment. While there is no evidenced-based treatment for dissociative amnesia, both hypnosis and phasic therapy have been shown to produce some positive effects in patients with dissociative amnesia.
Hypnosis. One theory of dissociative amnesia is that it is a form of self-hypnosis and that individuals hypnotize themselves to forget information or events that are unpleasant (Dell, 2010). Because of this theory, one type of treatment that has routinely been implemented for individuals with dissociative amnesia is hypnosis. Through hypnosis, the clinician can help the individual contain, modulate, and reduce the intensity of the amnesia symptoms, thus allowing them to process the traumatic or unpleasant events underlying the amnesia episode (Maldonadao & Spiegel, 2014). To do this, the clinician will encourage the patient to think of memories just before the amnesic episode as though it was the present time. The clinician will then slowly walk them through the events during the amnesic period to reorient the individual to experience these events. This technique is essentially a way to encourage a controlled recall of dissociated memories, something that is particularly helpful when the memories include traumatic experiences (Maldonadao & Spiegel, 2014).
Another form of “hypnosis” is the use of barbiturates, also known as “truth serums,” to help relax the individual and free their inhibitions. Although not always effective, the theory is that these drugs reduce the anxiety surrounding the unpleasant events enough to allow the individual to recall and process these memories in a safe environment (Ahern et al., 2000).
Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
Depersonalization/derealization disorder symptoms generally occur for an extensive period before the individual seeks out treatment. Because of this, there is some evidence to support that the diagnosis alone is effective in reducing symptom intensity, as it also relieves the individual’s anxiety surrounding the baffling nature of the symptoms (Medford, Sierra, Baker, & David, 2005).
Due to the high comorbidity of depersonalization/derealization disorder with anxiety and depression, the goal of treatment is often alleviating these secondary mental health symptoms related to the depersonalization/derealization symptoms. While there has been some evidence to suggest treatment with an SSRI is effective in improving mood, the evidence for a combined treatment method of psychopharmacological and psychological treatment is even more compelling (Medford, Sierra, Baker, & David, 2005). The psychological treatment of preference is cognitive-behavioral therapy as it addresses the negative attributions and appraisals contributing to the depersonalization/derealization symptoms (Medford, Sierra, Baker, & David, 2005). By challenging these catastrophic attributions in response to stressful situations, the individual can reduce overall anxiety levels, which consequently reduces depersonalization/ derealization symptoms.
Summary
The main characteristic of dissociative disorders is that people become dissociated from their sense of self, resulting in memory and identity disturbances. Dissociative disorders listed in the DSM-5 include dissociative amnesia, depersonalization/derealization disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. A person with dissociative amnesia is unable to recall important personal information, often after a stressful or traumatic experience.
Depersonalization/derealization disorder is characterized by recurring episodes of depersonalization (i.e., detachment from or unfamiliarity with the self) and/or derealization (i.e., detachment from or unfamiliarity with the world). A person with dissociative identity disorder exhibits two or more well-defined and distinct personalities or identities, as well as memory gaps for the time during which another identity was present.
Dissociative identity disorder has generated controversy, mainly because some believe its symptoms can be faked by patients if presenting its symptoms somehow benefits the patient in avoiding negative consequences or taking responsibility for one’s actions. The diagnostic rates of this disorder have increased dramatically following its portrayal in popular culture. However, many people legitimately suffer over the course of a lifetime with this disorder.
Treatment options are limited for dissociative disorders. The goal of treatment for DID is to integrate the subpersonalities.
Glossary
- depersonalization/derealization disorder
- dissociative disorder in which people feel detached from the self (depersonalization), and the world feels artificial and unreal (derealization)
- dissociative amnesia
- dissociative disorder characterized by an inability to recall important personal information, usually following an extremely stressful or traumatic experience
- dissociative disorders
- group of DSM-5 disorders in which the primary feature is that a person becomes dissociated, or split off, from his or her core sense of self, resulting in disturbances in identity and memory
- dissociative fugue
- symptom of dissociative amnesia in which a person suddenly wanders away from one’s home and experiences confusion about his or her identity
- dissociative identity disorder
- dissociative disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) in which a person exhibits two or more distinct, well-defined personalities or identities and experiences memory gaps for the time during which another identity emerged
“Dissociative Disorders” is adapted from Openstax Psychology Revisions by OSCRiceUniversity, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
