Dissociative Disorder Symptoms

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fourth edition, text revision) dissociative disorders are a cluster of mental illnesses characterized by disruptions in ones consciousness, memory, identity or perception. There is no one true "dissociative disorder," but rather certain clusters of symptoms together characterize distinctly separate disorders. Dissociative disorders listed in the DSM IV TR include dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, dissociative identity disorder, depersonalization disorder and dissociative disorder not otherwise specified.

Dissociative Amnesia

• The main symptom of dissociative amnesia is an inability to recall information about one's life that cannot be accounted for by normal forgetfulness, brain trauma, other dissociative disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder or somatization disorder. The information is usually of a stressful or traumatic nature. The above listed symptoms must be significant enough to disrupt one's life at home, work, with friends or in other important areas of functioning.

Dissociative Fugue

• The main symptom of dissociative fugue is an unexpected and unexplained migration from one's home characterized by an inability to recall any of one's past. Once settled into the new area, the person either becomes confused about their personal identity, or creates a new one. It's important to note that these symptoms do not occur during the course of dissociative identity disorder, during drug use, and are not caused by a general medical condition. To be properly classified as dissociative fugue, it is important that the symptoms cause enough distress in the person's life to disrupt social interactions, work or other areas that the person deems to be important to their life.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

• The main symptom of dissociative identity disorder is the fracturing of the self into two or more distinct personalities. Two or more of these identities must regularly take control of the person. Also characteristic is an inability to recall important parts about one's self which cannot be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. The disorder must not be caused by a drugs or a general medical condition.

Depersonalization Disorder

• The most prominent symptom of depersonalization disorder is a recurring feeling that one is detached from one's self or one's body. These feelings can be described as feeling that one is watching their life as if it were a movie, feeling like a machine, or feeling that one is outside of their own body. Despite such dissociation, a person with depersonalization disorder can distinguish reality from fiction. Depersonalization must not occur exclusively during another mental disorder, is not due to the use of a drug and is not due to another medical condition.

Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

• This is a catch all category of diagnosis for those that have disruptions in ones consciousness, memory, identity or perception, but do not have enough symptoms to diagnostically qualify for any of the above listed disorders. Often a diagnosis of dissociative disorder not otherwise specified may evolve into another dissociative disorder if left untreated.