For the first time this term was used by the French doctor Janet back in the late 19th century. This specialist noticed that for certain people a set of ideas can exist separately from the person and from her consciousness. Currently, the term describes three main phenomena and their study involved psychologists and psychiatrists.
Dissociative identity disorder
This condition arises from a variety of causes, including stress and traumatic experiences. According to the research, identity disorder occurs in the adult and childhood, more than 90% of patients said that in the early years they were subjected to violence, lacked care, did not feel protected. To show the symptoms of the disease can not immediately, often the trauma, which is the trigger mechanism and the beginning of pronounced signs for time is remote for 10-20 years. Therefore, adults often turn to help.
Dissociative personality disorder - symptoms
There are many signs of this disease, and the main ones from the list coincide with those that are inherent in other psychiatric ailments. Therefore, it is impossible to determine the dissociative syndrome independently, only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis, but the list of symptoms is still worth knowing, in aggregate and separately they are a sign that you should immediately seek help. It is worthwhile to wait, if a friend has appeared:
- Memory dips or amnesia is one of the clear indicators of dissociative disorder.
- Headaches, unpleasant sensations in the body, but the medical examination did not reveal any physiological problems.
- Depersonalization. A person speaks of himself in the third person or plural. He loosely links the events of his life with himself, says that he has a feeling that he is watching from outside, and is not a participant in the event.
- The periods of activity are replaced by inaction, apathy and unwillingness to change something.
- Derealization. Familiar objects, furnishings and people seem strange, previously not visible.
Multiple personality syndrome
This is the second name of this disease, it is officially used very rarely, but it is more familiar to the townsfolk than the official one. A multiple person means that a person has more than one ego, but two or more. The dominant, that is, existing from the beginning, has its own patterns of behavior, but the acquired controls consciousness and memory at certain moments in life. Therefore, there are failures in the memories, in this period, man controls the second ego.
Dissociative amnesia
This is not ordinary forgetfulness, which is normal. Psychogenic amnesia is not caused by physiological facts, its appearance provokes a traumatic situation associated with severe stress. In the period of manifestation of a symptom, a person does not remember the large segments of his life, can not say where he was, what he did. In a number of clinical cases, it is described that the patient does not know what happened to him during the week or month, the events of this time are completely erased.
Dissociative disorder can be seen by the signs:
- a person can not tell what he did for several hours, where he was;
- a friend claims that he did not see anyone, but other people say that the meeting was;
- a person calls well-known places by strangers, unusual, indicates that he is here for the first time, although this is not so.
Psychogenic fugue
Another phenomenon associated with this disease. He appears in an unexpected move or change of permanent residence, accompanied by a complete erasure of his own personality, a person changes his name, occupation, social environment. External signs of the appearance of this phenomenon are extremely implicit. To notice the beginning of behavior change at the beginning of the process, only a psychiatrist with extensive experience can work. Amnesia is accompanied by a state of amnesia.
Dissociative fugue - examples:
- In 1887 a clergyman with the surname Burn, took off all his funds in the bank, got into the carriage and left for an unknown direction. After a certain time, in a completely different city, shopkeeper Brown, woke up in the middle of the night and began to call neighbors neighing, he claimed that he was not a trader, he did not know how he was here. It turned out that this is Burn, who had been missing for some time.
- In 1985, the journalist Roberts suddenly disappeared. Her search continued for 12 years, after which she was found in Alaska, although the woman herself claimed that her name was Di, she worked as a designer and had 4 children. But psychiatrists ruled that the girl is in a state of fugue and amnesia.
Dissociative Depression
A person is in apathy, does not want to do anything, refuses to take responsibility for his life. Dissociative behavior is manifested in sleep disorders, complaints of nightmares. If the condition lasts more than 2-3 weeks, you should immediately contact your doctor, the sooner this is done, the higher the chances of quickly taking the situation under control. It is necessary to track and propensity to suicide , it too can be manifested.
Dissociative stupor
This violation of motor functions, this behavior is caused only by psychogenic factors. The dissociative state of the patient during an exacerbation is easy to notice, the person freezes in one pose and does not react to external stimuli. When his offensive, you should call an ambulance, you will not be able to bring your loved one out of the stupor, he does not feel pain.
Dissociative personality disorder treatment
Today a set of measures is applied. The patient is prescribed medications that control the dissociative disorder of the psyche, do not allow a person to go into another world, escape from himself. Together with these measures, the patient visits the therapist, because it is important for him to speak and rethink the traumatic situation that causes the onset of the disease.
Dissociative disorder is treated very long, often the process takes 3-5 years, but scientists are developing all new methods, so the hope for the fastest possible normalization of the state increases every year. Currently, art therapy is applied, family visits to psychological counseling and sessions, and participation in round tables and trainings for such people is organized.