Dissociative and Somatoform Disorders
occur when stress causes parts of a persons personality (which
is usually all together as a whole person) to split apart or "dissociate."
As a result, some psychological functions are screened out and
higher cognitive functioning such as language and intelligence
are disturbed. A person with a somatoform disorder
has some sort of psychological problem that expresses itself in
a physical form (i.e., physical pain etc.)
a) Dissociative Amnesia: Dissociative amnesia
occurs when memory is blocked. Usually this time period of memory
loss occurs after a stressful event. The memory loss is selective
(only some things are not remembered), the person is still able
to learn new things, does not disturb or disorient the amnesiac,
and is recoverable.
b) Dissociative Fugue: Dissociative Fugue occurs
when someone forgets all or some of their past and also takes
an unexpected trip and often assumes a new identity.
c) Dissociative Identity Disorder: This disorder
was formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, where a person
develops 2 or more distinct identities or personalities, and these
take turns controlling the person's behaviour. At least one of
the personalities doesn't know about the others, and in some cases
the different personalities display different physiological characteristics
- such as different handwriting and blood pressures.
d) Depersonalization Disorder: This disorder
involves a persistent sense of strangeness or unreality about
one's identity. For example the person may feel like a robot or
an actor in a dream. The person feels a sense of strangeness about
the world and other people. The person who suffers from this disorder
recognizes these feelings of strangeness and may fear that they
are going insane.
e) Body Dismorphic Disorder: A person with this
disorder is so obsessed and preoccupied with an imagined or exaggerated
defect in appearance that they cannot function normally. For example,
they may think that they have horrible skin and will spend hours
looking at themselves in the mirror and taking steps to cover
their skin. Often this disorder is accompanied by obsessive compulsive
disorders and depression.
f) Hypochondriasis: A person suffering from
this disorder has a constant fear of disease and misinterprets
physical signs and sensations as problematic. They are not faking
their symptoms - they genuinely believe that they are ill.
g) Somatization Disorder: People who experience
this disorder generally begin to have persistent physical complaints
that start at the age of 30, that go on for several years and
cannot be medically explained. They experience many complaints,
that are different, dramatic and not focused on a particular illness.
h) Pain disorder: People with this disorder
experience pain that seems more severe or persistent than can
be explained by medical causes. A patient has difficulty in locating
the pain and often describe the pain in emotional ways rather
than sensory (i.e., the pain in my arm is an angry throbbing),
and does not specify changes in the pain (i.e., a decrease or
i) Conversion Disorder: With conversion disorder,
an actual physical disability exists without medical basis - for
example - unexplained paralysis or blindness. The condition occurs
involuntarily, but is often thought to reflect an internal conflict.
Emotional & Behavioural Disorders
Stress & Physical Disorders
Dysfunction's, Paraphilias & Gender Identity Disorders
Psychotic and Neuropsychological Disorders
of Childhood & Adolescence
Retardation & Autism
& Violent Behaviour