Dissociative Disorders

1. Dissociative Disorders

2. Dissociative Disorders • Dissociative disorders – rare conditions that involve sudden and usually temporary disruptions in a person's memory, consciousness, or identity (Split in consciousness)

3. Dissociative Fugue • Dissociative fugue – a dissociative disorder involving sudden loss of memory and the assumption of a new identity in a new locale. • Dissociative fugue can last a day, weeks or months • Patient is unaware or confused about his/her identity • Journey from home usually occurs after a stressful event. • Person in the fugue appears to be acting normally • Usually diagnosed when relatives find the lost family member • Rare disorder – less than 1% of the population experience dissociative fugue

4. Dissociative Fugue • Ex. John is a 30-year old computer manufacturing executive. John was meek and depended on his wife for emotional support. John’s wife announced that she was leaving him to live with his younger brother. John did not show up for work the next day, and actually no one heard from John for two weeks until he was arrested for public drunkenness and assault in a city more than 300 miles from his home. During those two weeks, John lived under another name at a cheap hotel and worked selling admission to a strip club. When asked by the police, John did not know his real name, address, or how he reached his present location. He could not remember much about the past two weeks.

5. Dissociative Amnesia • Psychogenic (Dissociative) amnesia – a dissociative disorder marked by sudden loss of memory with no physiological cause. • Memory loss is oftentimes of a stressful or traumatic event • Memory loss not due to a blow to the head or some illness • Many believe these memories still exist within the person’s mind but cannot be retrieved • Memories may eventually resurface

6. Dissociative Identity Disorder • Dissociative Identity Disorder (formally known as Multiple Personalities Disorder) – a dissociative disorder in which a person reports having more than one identity • No set number of personalities • Different personalities may be of various sexes and ages. • Personalities will speak, act and even write in a different way • Oftentimes two of the personalities will be opposite of one another. • Many have experienced abuse as a child

8. Herschel Walker and DID

9. DID

10. Personalities of Sybil

11. Personalities of Sybil (based on the book Sybil) • It is unknown whether any of the following were actual personalities of Shirley Ardell Mason. Some or all of them may have been invented by Schreiber for the book, either to enhance the story or protect Shirley's identity. • 1 - Sybil Isabel Dorsett (1923): a depleted person; the waking self. • 2 - Victoria Antoinette Scharleau (1926): nicknamed Vicky; a self-assured, sophisticated, attractive blonde; the memory trace of Sybil's selves. • 3 - Peggy Lou Baldwin (1926): an assertive, enthusiastic, and often angry pixie with a pug nose, a Dutch haircut, and a mischievous smile. • 4 - Peggy Ann Baldwin (1926): a counterpart of Peggy Lou with similar physical characteristics; she is more often fearful than angry. • 5 - Mary Lucinda Saunders Dorsett (1933): a thoughtful, contemplative, maternal, homeloving person; she is plump and has long dark-brown hair parted on the side. • 6 - Marcia Lynn Dorsett (1927): last name sometimes Baldwin; a writer and painter; extremely emotional; she has a shield-shaped face, gray eyes, and brown hair parted on the side. • 7 - Vanessa Gail Dorsett (1935): intensely dramatic and extremely attractive; a tall redhead with a willowy figure, light brown eyes, and an expressive oval face.

12. Personalities of Sybil (cont.) • 8 - Mike Dorsett (1928): one of Sybil's two male selves; a builder and a carpenter, he has olive skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. • 9 - Sid Dorsett (1928): one of Sybil's two male selves; a carpenter and a general handyman; he has fair skin, dark hair, and blue eyes. • 10 - Nancy Lou Ann Baldwin (date undetermined): interested in politics as fulfillment of biblical prophecy and intensely afraid of Roman Catholics; her physical characteristics resemble those of the Peggy’s. • 11 - Sybil Ann Dorsett (1928): pale and timid with ash-blonde hair, an oval face, and a straight nose. • 12 - Ruthie Dorsett (date undetermined): a baby; one of the lesser developed selves. • 13 - Clara Dorsett (date undetermined): intensely religious; highly critical of the waking Sybil. • 14 - Helen Dorsett (1929): intensely afraid but determined to achieve fulfillment; she has light brown hair, hazel eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. • 15 - Marjorie Dorsett (1928): serene, vivacious, and quick to laugh; a tease; a small, willowy brunette with fair skin and a pug nose. • 16 - The Blonde (1946): nameless; a perpetual teenager; has blonde curly hair and a lilting voice. • 17 - The New Sybil (1965): the seventeenth self; an amalgam of the other sixteen selves.

13. Causes of Dissociative Disorders • Psychoanalytic Perspective – an extremely traumatic event has been repressed, resulting in a split-consciousness • Behaviorist Perspective – Associations (Sybil- green, purple, dish towels, music). It is rewarding if you do not think about a traumatic event. Amnesia and DID results and is learned. . • Note: Many critics are questioning the existence of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Is it a legitimate psych disorder? Barron’s page 244