Symptoms
This symptom involves feeling separated from yourself or your emotions.
What is depersonalization?
Dissociative disorders often develop as a response to these types of events.
What are traumatic or distressing events?
DID was formerly known by this name.
What is multiple personality disorder?
This is the main type of therapy used to treat dissociative disorders.
What is psychotherapy (talk therapy)?
This type of professional typically diagnoses dissociative disorders.
What is a mental health professional?
People may feel the world around them is unreal or dreamlike.
What is derealization
This type of childhood experience is the biggest risk factor.
What is long-term physical, sexual, or emotional abuse?
People with DID may feel like this is happening in their mind.
What is multiple identities or voices living inside their head?
Medications may also be used alongside this primary treatment approach.
What is therapy?
Diagnosis often involves ruling out these types of causes first.
What are medical conditions or substance use?
This symptom includes memory loss for events, people, or time periods.
What is dissociative amnesia?
War and these large-scale events can also trigger dissociative disorders.
What are natural disasters?
These alternate identities in DID are often called
What are “alters”?
People with dissociative disorders may struggle with this due to stress and identity disruption.
What is maintaining relationships or holding a job
True or false People with DID are always violent or dangerous.
What is FALSE
People with dissociative disorders often struggle with this in work or relationships.
What is severe stress or difficulty functioning?
Dissociation can act as a way to do this mentally during trauma.
What is “escape” or detach from reality?
Switching between identities is typically described as this type of process.
What is involuntary or sudden switching?
A major goal of treatment is to help a person safely do this with their experiences.
What is process trauma and improve daily functioning?
People with DID may lose track of time, often called these.
What are “lost time” episodes?
These mental health issues commonly occur alongside dissociative disorders.
What are depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts?
This age group is most vulnerable to developing dissociative disorders.
What are children?
Each identity may have its own version of these, which may not be shared with others.
What are memories?
Treatment often aims to reduce dissociation by strengthening this.
What is a stable sense of identity (or self)?
This common daily challenge happens when a person can’t remember how they got somewhere or what they were doing.
What is confusion about actions or events?