Have you ever experienced a moment during a work meeting or conversation with a friend that you feel yourself ‘tuning out’ and later having no memory of what was said? This is a common everyday example of dissociation.
Dissociation can be defined as an individual disconnecting from their thoughts, feelings, memories and/or surroundings. It is common for an individual who is dissociating to lose their sense of time and space.
There are varying degrees of dissociation, from mild occurrences (such as blanking out during a boring meeting) to experiencing emotional numbness due to past trauma. If dissociation is ongoing and severe, this may indicate a dissociative disorder that requires professional treatment.
Why does dissociation occur?
Dissociation serves a protective function that allows an individual to escape into their mind, particularly in times of extreme stress. In many cases, trauma is often at the root of dissociation. During a traumatic experience, an individual may dissociate due to the inability to tolerate the overwhelming fear or pain that they are experiencing. They may have difficulty remembering details surrounding the traumatic event later, or it may come back gradually in flashbacks.
It is possible for dissociation to occur as a symptom of other mental disorders such as schizophrenia, posttraumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression or anxiety. (If you are concerned about mental health symptoms you may be experiencing, visit Mind Diagnostics to take a depression, anxiety or schizophrenia test, among many others.)
Symptoms of dissociation
The process of dissociation may look different for each individual.
However, there are common symptoms of dissociation which include:
- Blanking out
- Daydreaming
- Memory loss
- Feeling numb or disconnected from one’s emotions
- Flashbacks
- Feelings of detachment from one’s body
- Losing touch with reality
Many individuals experience mild dissociative symptoms at one point or another. Dissociation tends to only be a problem if it is continuously impacting daily functioning. Persistent dissociative symptoms may be indicative of a dissociative disorder.
Dissociative disorders
Dissociative disorders are characterised by fragmentation in an individual’s thoughts, sense of identity and reality. An individual with a dissociative disorder may undergo significant memory loss at specific times, describe an ‘out of body experience’ where they feel they are watching themselves from a distance, or feel like they do not have a clear sense of identity. It is common for symptoms of a dissociative disorder to develop in response to a traumatic event.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders lists three types of dissociative disorders: dissociative amnesia, depersonalisation disorder and dissociative identity disorder.
- Dissociative amnesia. When an individual is unable to recall information about themselves, whether surrounding a specific time period/event or even their own identity. Episodes of dissociative amnesia can last anywhere from minutes to years in some cases.
- Depersonalisation disorder. Involves feelings of detachment from one’s self as if they are outside of their body watching themselves (depersonalization). Feeling like things and people around them are unreal may also occur (this is known as derealisation).
- Dissociative identity disorder. An individual alternates between multiple identities with distinct names and characteristics. These voices often compete for attention in one’s head.
Treatment for dissociation
Psychotherapy tends to be the first line of treatment for dissociative disorders. During talk therapy, an individual can work with a trained therapist in order to develop new stress management techniques and when it is safe to do so, begin processing underlying trauma.
There is no specific medication for dissociation, however, antidepressants, anti-anxiety or antipsychotic medication may be prescribed to address accompanying mental health symptoms. Many individuals with dissociative disorders also experience significant depression or anxiety.
If you believe you may be experiencing symptoms of dissociation that are impacting your daily functioning, seek out the support of a mental health professional who can help you to access appropriate treatment.
Ellen Diamond did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
