Dissociative disorders.
Describe features of major dissociative disorders. How common are these types of disorders? What is a host personality and subpersonalities? What types of relationships might subpersonalities have with one another? Are there recommended treatments for dissociative disorders?
Sample Answer
Dissociative disorders are a group of mental disorders that involve a disruption of the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception. People with dissociative disorders may experience a sense of detachment from their own thoughts, feelings, or body, or they may have multiple personalities.
There are several different types of dissociative disorders, including:
- Dissociative amnesia: This is a loss of memory for important personal information, events, or experiences that is not due to ordinary forgetfulness.
- Dissociative fugue: This is a sudden, unexpected travel away from home or one’s usual place of work or study, with an inability to recall one’s past.
- Dissociative identity disorder (DID): This is a condition in which a person has two or more distinct personality states, each with its own unique set of memories, behaviors, and ways of relating to the world.