Jessica Bannister—Reflection Paper 1

Of all the ideas presented thus far in the text, the one that interests me the most by far is

dissociative disorders. These interest me as their symptoms present in so many individuals, even

those not suffering from any kind of anxiety or stress induced disorder. When looking more

deeply into the subject of dissociative disorders, I found an article, “The Many Faces of

Dissociation.” This article gives a detailed description of dissociation and its causes, symptoms,

and treatments.

The article begins by addressing the issue of the field of psychiatry failing to make

sufficient progress in recent years, suggesting that innovation is needed, particularly in the case

of dissociation and dissociative disorders, conditions which may very well accompany nearly all

psychological condition as well as cross neurobiology and psychology. We know that

dissociation is the disruption of an individual’s relation to self, including consciousness,

memory, identity, emotions, and behavior. Dissociation is closely related to trauma, particularly

to PTSD, by its significance in trauma-related intrusion and avoidance and ultimately is the body

and mind’s way of protecting itself from traumatic thoughts and memories. Dissociation and

DID present themselves in many different ways, not just cut and dry. These are dissociative

depression, affect dysregulation (which could be later diagnosed as bipolar mood disorder),

borderline personality features, feelings of possession as if by some foreign entity, conversion

symptoms, acute dissociation with and without psychotic aspects, suicidal attempts or ideation or

self-harm, dissociative fugue, schizo-dissociative disorder, substance abuse, and non-specific

symptoms such as ADHD in children, migraines, and OCD symptoms. Brain monitoring has

been somewhat inconclusive is the neurobiological aetiology of dissociation, but key changes
have been seen in some cases. Unfortunately, these finding cannot be considered independent to

dissociation without further testing including experiments with a control group of healthy

individuals. One of the most specific theories regarding DID and brain activity, however, is that

when an individual is dissociating, it results in lowered activity in the orbitofrontal region of the

brain. This has shown to be similar to epilepsy, but the two can be differentiated by follow up

with a psychiatric interview. The most notable change is between “switching” states. PET scans

showed increased blood flow in the brain, mostly the amygdala. One example of the

neurophysiological change is a man whose alter personality was blind and the man regained his

sight with therapy. Dissociation and DID are very much treatable, even reversible, with the

correct therapy. The treatment may take a long time but the three phases—stabilization, trauma-

work, and integration—need to be completed in order for treatment to be effective. At this time,

there is no known drug therapy for treating dissociative symptoms or disorder.

What intrigued me about dissociation was how so many people exhibit similar symptoms,

and this article confirmed that. Dissociation accompanies so many psychological disorders, and

even stands alone. The average person who is relatively healthy may experience symptoms

similar to a mild form of dissociation. I’ve certainly caught myself thinking and behaving in a

dissociative way and the article gave me a clearer view on why that may be. In regards to human

behavior, I believe that in today’s society the majority of people might even choose to dissociate.

People in poverty, situations of extreme stress and abuse, dissociation is how they escape. This

isn’t even to mention how adults may dissociate when presented with a memory of childhood

trauma or abuse.

Some questions that I still have on this topic are exactly how many people who believe

themselves to be generally healthy exhibit dissociative behaviors or symptoms? Where is the line
between symptoms and a disorder? At what point might someone consider seeking out

professional help? Some of these things I may not know the answer to without actually asking a

psychologist or someone who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, but I hope this class

and continued research will bring me closer to the answers.