What is Dissociation?

• The ability of the mind to carry out functions in channels split off from ordinary concious awareness (Look like you're paying attention)
• Daydreaming
• Highway Hypnosis
• Not listening in conversation

Depersonalization Disorder

• Constant feeling of detachment  from body/thoughts
• Distress/Impairment

Dissociative Amnesia

• One or more episodes of inability to recall traumatic event and personal information
• Not part of other dissociative disorders
• Stress/Impairment

Dissociative Fugue

• Unexpected travel from home with inability to recall the past
• Confusion upon identity
• Not part of a dissociative disorder
• Still don't recall after recovery

Dissociative Identity Disorder

(1973- 200 Cases)

(1999- 30,000 cases)

^Diagnosed^

• The presence of two or more personalities, each has own way of thinking
• At least two personalities take over
• Inability to recall important personal info
• Known as Multiple Personality Disorder in ICD 10

Host Identity

• Carries person's name

Alter Identities

• May vary in striking ways:

Gender

Age

Sociability

Handedness

• Brain patterns are different in alters

Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder

• No systematic studies
• Typical treatment is hypnotherapy and psychodynamic therapy
• Won't go away if ignored
• Successful treatment takes many years

Possible Explainations of Dissociative Disorder

• Faking
• Coping/child abuse, gets lost in fantacy

Sociocognition Theory

• Learn to create personalities based on media
• Large number of alters explained by this theory
• Anyone with DID is easy to hypnotise

What are the three types of amnesias and what do they mean?

• Localized/Selective- Inability to recall event at a specific time and place
• Generalized- Inability to recall important personal information/identity and life history

Mutually Amnestic

• Both alters do not know each other

Mutually Cognizant

• Both alters know one another

One Way Amnestic

• One personality (alter) knows second personality and second personality doesn't know first alter

Co-conscious Personalities

• When one personality takes over at a time

Iatrogenic

• Resulting from physicians
• Referring to injuries caused by a doctor