Chapter 6: Dissociative Disorders Flashcards Preview

PSYC-3700 Abnormal Behavior in Adults > Chapter 6: Dissociative Disorders > Flashcards

Flashcards in Chapter 6: Dissociative Disorders Deck (28)
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1
Q

depersonalization

A

sense of your own reality is lost. Person dissociates from reality ex/ feeling outside of your own body

2
Q

derealization

A

sense of reality of the external world is lost.

ex/ what’s happening around you itsn’t real; people may seem dead or mechanical/

3
Q

dissociation

A

altered sense of reality in which there is a disconnect between a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, behaviours, or sense of self.

4
Q

dissociative disorders

A

disorders in which individuals feel detached from themselves or their surroundings, and reality, experinece, and identity may disintegrate.

5
Q

dissociative identity disorder

A

a disorder ni which more than two personalities or fragments of personalities coexist within one body and mind

  • formerly known as multiple personality disorder
  • aspects of person’s identity are dissociated.
6
Q

in DID, the separate identities are aka

A

alters.

7
Q

in DID, there is often a period of ___ where the person cannot recall any events that happened in that time period

A

amnesia. also, identity is fragmented. there could be only 2 identities, or 100+

8
Q

host identity in DID

A

the identity who becomes the py and asks for treatment.

9
Q

T/F in DID, the first identity to seek treatment is often the “original person”

A

false. the first identity to seek treatment is seldom the orignial identity of the person. Usually, the host personality develops later in life.

10
Q

role of the “impulsive alter”

A

usually the identity of a person with DID who is responsible for generating revenue and handles sexuality.

11
Q

T/F: personalities are limited to gender of the actual person

A

false. a small woman might have a male identity.

12
Q

the transition from one pesonality to another is called a

A

switch
switches are often instantaneous and can alter the posture, facial expression, patterns of facial wrinkling and even physical disabilities may emerge

13
Q

average numbers of alters in someone with DID. Age of onset?

A

average number of alters is 15. Often onset with childhood. Affects more women than men.

14
Q

What culture has the most DID

A

western.

15
Q

How can DID be faked?

A

Alters/personalities may be created upon suggestions from the therapist. People with fragmented identities cannot control which identity they have at a given time.

16
Q

How do you know if somenoe isn’t ‘faking’ DID?

A

there is a true change in hippocampal and medial temporal activity after the switch. Also there may be transient micro stabismus in the eyes.

17
Q

interpersonality amnesia

A

events experienced by a particular identity are only retrievable by the same identity.

18
Q

transient micro stabismus

A

divergence in conjugant lateral eye movements that may not be present with other identiteies. Cannot be controlled. this change in optical functioning may indivate the presence of DID (not faking)

19
Q

T/F: DID subjects had 4.5x the average number of changes in optical functioning in their alter identities that control subjectswho had simulated alter personalities

A

true.

20
Q

DID is often comorbid with:

A

boarderline personality disorder. Also has high comorbidity with substance use, depression, panic attacks and eating disorders. there is an average of over 7 additional diagnoses in addition to DID.

21
Q

Largest thought “cause” of DID

A

childhood abuse: physical and sexual (68% incest). Different alters are created as an escape from physical and emotional pain. DID may be a sub-type of PTSD.

22
Q

Autohypnotic model

A

the idea that suggestible people may use dissociation as a defence against trauma. Less suggestible people may develop PTSD.

  • when trauma becomes unbearable, the person’s identity splits into multiple dissociated identities.
  • people who are less suggestible may develop a severe post-traumatc stress reaction but not a dissociative reaction.
23
Q

___ ___ epileptic seizsures can be associated with dissociative symptoms

A

temporal lobe seizures.

24
Q

2 biological contributions to DID

A

1) temporal lobe seizures

2) sleep depreivation

25
Q

3 causes of DID

A

1) childhood abuse
2) suggestibility
3) biological contributions like seizures and sleep deprivation

26
Q

note: real and false memories

A

memories could be a result of suggestions from therapists.
false memories can be created by suggestion.
- severity of trauma is related to severity of amnesia.

  • childhood memories later recovered in adulthood were of questionable reliability and should never be accepted without corroboration.
27
Q

Treatment

A

Treatment

  • No controlled research reported on the effects of treatment
  • Several reported successful case studies
  • Long-term psychotherapy may reintegrate separate personalities in 22-25% of patients
  • Treatment of associated TRAUMA is similar to treatment of PTSD
  • Help the patient visualize and relive aspects of the trauma until it becomes a memory rather than current experienced event
  • Hypnosis often used to access unconscious memories and bring various alters into awareness
  • Antidepressant medications might be appropriate in some cases; little clinical evidence thougH
28
Q

its hard to treat DID. What do therapists try to do instead?

A

the fundamental goal is to identify cues or triggers that provoke memories of trauma or dissociation and try to neutralize them.