Dissociative Disorder

[Pad]

Hi there. Im suffer from Dissociative Disorder this was only officially diagnosed by not so long ago on top of my major depression/panic disorder. However when it was discussed and then diagnosed it answered a lot of questions as to my mental health condition since i was a kid. The disorder symptoms had progressively worsened in the past 4 years. I'm still coming to terms to how to live with this disorder on a daily basis and the triggers which can start an episode. I actually had an assessment for the DSP this week and the questions i was asked by the assessor relating to the disorder came as abit of learning curve for the assessor on what can occur with it. I was just wondering if anyone else may know of this disorder and any advice etc about it. Because quite frankly it can be quite scary in trying to deal with it and trying to explain to family and friends about the disorder as their only knowledge of it what they know in google and that is not very flattering in their description of the disorder. Thank u 🙂

[LavenderTea]

Hey there Pad,

To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about Dissociative Disorders at this point in time but I've got some textbooks that I've had a look at quickly in order to maybe help you learn about it, and learn how to explain it.

I can definitely agree with you when you say that some of the descriptions of the disorders can be unflattering, and I think that in the media they can be portrayed badly.

Here's some info that I've found might be helpful, and might be something that you can show your family and friends:

(I'm going to shorten Dissociative Disorder to DD)

• DD can influence consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, motor control and behaivour, but that does not mean it will influence every and all of these
• There are different types of DD's which include Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dissociative Amnesia, Depersonalisation/Derealisation Disorder, and a range of "unspecified" types.
• Symptoms associated with the disorder can involve intrusions into awareness and behaviour, which can influence your perception of yourself and the world, or can involve an inability to control or access your own thoughts (for example with amnesia)
• DD's are treatable through therapies such as Cognitive Behaviourl Therapy, Psychotherapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

This is some general information, but I've found the American Psychiatric Association's page to be fairly informative, and there are some other bits of information that you might want to read about - though not all will apply to you (https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/dissociative-disorders/what-are-dissociative-disorders).

Generally family and friends are coming from a place of concern, so if they're worried and scared, it's probably because they don't understand exactly what's happening for you, nor might they know that there are ways that you can manage what you are experiencing.

Hopefully this is helpful.

LT.

[PamelaR]

Hi Pad, welcome to Beyond Blue forums

LT has given you some good information to have a look at. No the information available on the web isn’t flattering.

I was diagnosed with Dissociative Disorder Amnesia type from childhood trauma about 8 years ago. My memory, emotions, perceptions were significantly impacted. However, this did not define me. While I did have some behavioural issues through my 20s. With the support of a loving partner (and his family) and a couple of very close friends I have lead a fulfilling life that doesn’t look like what you read on the web.

Some of the things I’ve learnt to do when I want to disassociate is to - play repetitive games (e.g. solitaire, any game that does not involve gambling, is relaxing). I excuse myself from parties, work, social activities and will spend a week in bed with the blanket over my head. This is okay for me. It helps me recharge my batteries to be able to associate with people again - it gives me time to examine my - emotions, perceptions and memory.

Over the past 8 years psychologists have given me tools to manage these periods of self doubt, low self-esteem, low self worth, and feeling like I'm not in this world. Tools to help me identify emotions, to identify my perceptions and to allow myself to feel okay that my memory will never quite me what it could have been.

Hope this helps Pad. You’re not alone out there. Keep reaching out if and when you want to.

Kind regards
PamelaR

[Pad]

Thank u for your reply and advice

[Pad]

Thank you for your reply and helpful advice

[Nozza]

I only just found this thread, but I'm working with my 2 therapists currently to understand a complex web of different issues for me including gender, sexuality, identity, dissociation and related problems like derealisation and depersonalisation, anxiety, depression and extensive mood swings. Currently we are heading towards a possible diagnosis of OSDD which is characterised by actual separate identities, which is exactly what I/we experience in daily life.

It's not at all what media generally portrays multiple personalities as, and thankfully there's been a lot of awareness raised about what it's actually like in recent months. I'm still in the early stages of discovery so things are definitely still confusing, chaotic and difficult, but people like us can absolutely live a happy and successful life, contrary to what most people assume. For some it can definitely be debilitating and they can require a lot of support, but as with the general population the opposite is just as true.

[Aunt Jobiska]

From what I learnt in Intro to Clinical Psych, people with dissociative identity disorder have a helluva lot of comorbidities, as you're describing, which can make life very difficult. And that it's still a highly contested diagnosis. However of course some people recover well. Be the person that performs spectacularly!

[ecomama]

Dear Nozza

I am also in the early stages of diagnosis. I'm working out it's looking a list of 'comorbidities' as Aunt Jobiska outlined.

I really like how you described the conditions you are being told about. I admire the way you have discussed this in your post and I hope you are able to post more.

I see this is your first post on BB so a belated big WELCOME.

I would really appreciate another person at the beginning of their journey as I feel I am all over again with new diagnoses (or the coming out of denial of it being so).

EM

[jonjr]

firstly hi Pad
I have dissociative disorder amnesia i was diagnosed 20 odd years ago. there are many factors and many versions of the disorder and can form from many different triggers. Mine comes from extreme anxiety and panic and at times depression. others can develop from childhood trauma other variants from ptsd adult or childhood or like mine from an insisting issue your brain simple cannot cope with. It can be hard to pinpoint and we understand little as to the why or how at times it occurs . a good piece of advise i use even still is to time the events by a tv guide or a play list as i can gauge the times between tracks or movies. i works for me as i can not remember events during a episode. This allows the frequency and the duration to be tracked which can tell me if i need to get to a safer place or seek help as it shows the intensity as to how far i have walked or even the areas i have ended up at. As an example i once walked to the hospital without even knowing it ( hey it saved me money i guess lol ). But in all honesty it can be terrifying and very overwhelming and there can be a lot of different approaches to every individuals illness. There are some helpful books and publications as from above posts on the various disorders accredited to the dissociative region. They are still in some ways trying to understand the how and why. but you can learn to live with it and even somewhat control it. You took the first step in getting help the next step you is finding how you work and how you work with it. It can be done i know. so your not alone. to make you laugh a helper in hospital and myself once tried to find groups for my disorder then realized its hard to find someone who doesn't know where they are. all love be safe