Dissociative Disorders and Dissociative Identity Disorder

 

Dissociative Disorders and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) are gradually gaining more acceptance and understanding within the wider mental health community and the NHS, however, it is unfortunately the case that these disorders are still not fully recognised by many psychiatrists and psychologists in the UK.  As many people suffering from these disorders know, they are often diagnosed with multiple and various other conditions.  As is commonly thought, DID and other dissociative disorders are not rare.  It is thought that DID can be found in 1%- 3% of the population in the UK.

 

Having said that, there are organisations in the UK that work to increase awareness, diagnose and offer treatment.  The Pottergate Centre, The Centre for Dissociative Studies; First Person Plural, Carolyn Spring.org.  There is a diagnostic classification system that is based mainly on the American DSM5 and the ICD-11.  The European Society for Trauma and Dissociation and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation provide guidelines for treating DID.

 

Broadly speaking, from my clinical experience, Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders exist on a spectrum and can often be experienced with other psychological and physical problems.  Common to all diagnostic classifications are often PTSD type symptoms for example, flashbacks, out of body experiences, sleep disturbances and nightmares, eating disorders, unexplained somatic or physical symptoms, panic attacks, ‘zoning out’ or dissociating, for periods of time.

 

Dissociative Disorders may additionally include such problems as follows.  Depersonalisation is the feeling that your body is not real, you are floating above or outside of your body. Derealisation is when the world is removed or unreal from you and things in the world appear unreal.  Dissociative Amnesia is when you can’t remember experiences or important information that can be distinguished from ordinary forgetting.

 

Dissociative Identity Disorder or Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder is likely to additionally cause issues around sense of self.  Identity Confusion is a consistent and pervading psychological struggle that causes confusion and distress whilst also preventing a coherent definition of self that may be consistent with Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder.  Identity Alteration would be an extension of this to include switching of parts whether internally acknowledged or externally recognised in Dissociative Identity Disorder and also greater separation of parts.