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Dissociation psychology meaning


Dissociation | Psychology Today

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Dissociating is the experience of detaching from reality. Dissociation encompasses the feeling of daydreaming or being intensely focused, as well as the distressing experience of being disconnected from reality. In this state, consciousness, identity, memory, and perception are no longer naturally integrated. Dissociation often occurs as a result of stress or trauma, and it may be indicative of a dissociative disorder or other mental health condition.

Dissociation can be terrifying for those who experience it, as well as for their loved ones. But seeking treatment can help people regain their sense of self and lead a fulfilling life.

Contents
  • Symptoms and Diagnosis
  • Causes and Risk Factors
  • Treatment and Support

Symptoms and Diagnosis

There are three main dissociative disorders, as listed in the DSM-5. They are Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dissociative Amnesia, and Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is when someone’s identity is characterized by two or more distinct personality states. This discontinuity leads to a disrupted sense of self. The person may not be able to recall personal information, everyday events, or a traumatic incident. These symptoms cause significant distress in work, school, relationships, or other aspects of daily functioning. This condition was previously called Multiple Personality Disorder.

Dissociative Amnesia is when a person is suddenly unable to remember important biographical information about themselves, outside of the realm of normal forgetting. The event they can’t recall is often a stressful or traumatic one, and the experience leads to significant distress in the person’s life.

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder is when persistent episodes of depersonalization occur—feeling a sense of unreality, detachment, or being an outside observer of one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, or actions—and/or derealization—a sense of unreality or detachment regarding one’s surroundings, such as individuals or objects seeming unreal, foggy, or visually distorted. These experiences lead to distress and impairment in the person’s life.

What does it feel like to dissociate?

Depersonalization refers to feeling severed or alienated from your body. Individuals who experience depersonalization often report not recognizing themselves in a mirror, feeling like their body is not their own, or even being temporarily unable to talk. It’s the ultimate “out of body” experience. For many, there’s a sense of emotional numbing as well—feeling “meh” about things that should be emotionally intense.

Derealization is feeling isolated from your surroundings, like being in the middle of a crowded party and feeling like you’re just vaguely watching it on TV. People will often say the world looks fake, or that they are seeing it through a veil. Some say that the world loses color.

Naturally, dissociating often feels scary, especially if the experience feels profound and uncontrollable.

What does dissociation look like in children?

Children who suffer from dissociation often display symptoms that can be misinterpreted. Kids with dissociative disorders are prone to trance states or blackouts, where they become unresponsive or has a lapse in attention. They may also stare at nothing, forget parts of their life or what they were doing moments ago, or act as if they just woke up in response to being called to attention. Coupled with sudden changes in activity levels (being lethargic one minute and hyperactive the next), these symptoms are often misinterpreted as ADHD or Bipolar Disorder.

Dissociative symptoms like dramatic, abnormal changes in mood, personality, or age, acting in socially inappropriate ways, or insisting on being called by another name can lead to misdiagnoses of psychotic or behavioral disorders.

Underlying all of these symptoms is a tendency for the child to separate parts of themselves, or fragment. This fragmentation is often the result of experienced trauma, which, for children, is often abuse or neglect in the home.

Is it bad to dissociate?

Dissociating isn’t always negative. Detaching from reality can be positive, such as in a flow state, or neutral, such as when daydreaming or “spacing out” during a walk.

But in many cases, especially those in which dissociation occurs due to trauma, the experience is deeply distressing, both in the moment and in the aftermath.

Causes and Risk Factors

Trauma is one of the central reasons why dissociation and dissociative disorders emerge. When faced with tremendous physical or emotional pain, an individual may unconsciously distance themself from the experience.

For example, dissociation is a common response to child sexual abuse. Among those with Dissociative Identity Disorder, the prevalence of childhood abuse and neglect is about 90 percent according to the DSM-5. Stress and trauma can trigger dissociation in adulthood as well, such as in the case of physical assault or military combat.

Dissociation may also be a symptom of several other conditions, including acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders, seizure disorders, and substance or alcohol use.

What sets dissociation in motion?

Trauma is often a precursor to dissociation. The overwhelming force of traumatic events can overpower existing coping mechanisms. For those unable to physically escape, dissociation provides a psychological exit from the horror of the event. Once the traumatic experience has been dissociated from the sense of “who one is,” it is no longer considered as a self-narrative. For example, someone who was sexually abused as a child may have feelings of overwhelming shame and anger that could not be processed consciously at the time.

How do dissociative disorders develop?

A pattern of abuse or trauma is one way for an isolated incident of dissociation to shift into a disorder, as dissociation becomes habitual, reinforced, and conditioned with every episode. The person may eventually dissociate automatically when a particular environmental cue or event is similar to a previous traumatic event, such as in the case of repeated parental abuse.

Is dissociation adaptive?

Dissociation can be an effective defense against acute physical and emotional pain, especially for children. A creative survival technique, it can allow an individual enduring hopeless circumstances to preserve areas of healthy functioning. When a person dissociates, some information—particularly the circumstances surrounding a traumatic event—is not integrated with other information and instead held in peripheral awareness. In that way, it is kept at a distance from the person’s immediate awareness, ideally until the time when he or she has the strength or perspective to confront the experience.

Treatment and Support

Dissociation is often treated through a combination of therapy and medication. Therapy can allow people to gradually access and consciously process the experiences during which they have dissociated. Coming to terms with that pain can liberate dissociated feelings and fully integrate one’s identity. Therapy can also help people identify and change harmful patterns of thinking and develop healthy coping skills, such as through cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical behavior therapy.

No medications are specifically approved to treat dissociation, but antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs can help with accompanying symptoms.

With support and treatment, individuals can manage dissociation and greatly improve their daily lives.

How can you help someone who is dissociating?

It can be very frightening to witness a loved one become disconnected from their identity or memory. Stay with them throughout the episode, and try to help them feel grounded, such as by asking them to state where they are and what they hear, or focusing on sensory experiences such as holding a warm or cold object. Some people report that skin-brushing is particularly helpful in staying connected to their body and reducing dissociation.

If the person dissociates regularly, ask about their past experience and potential triggers so that you can be ready to help in the future, and explore whether you can help them seek mental health care.

Can I manage dissociation myself?

If you have distressing episodes of dissociation, it’s important to seek help. Support and treatment is available, and finding a therapist can help begin that process. But in the moment, a few strategies can help you stay grounded:

• Engage your senses: For example, name five things you can see or squeeze an ice cube to connect to the world and your sensations.

• Pay attention to your breathing: Feel the air move in through the nose and out through the mouth.

• Focus on an object: Choose a photo, keepsake, or piece of jewelry that can help tether you to your memory and identity.

What should a therapist do if a patient dissociates?

When working with trauma survivors, it’s not unusual for therapists to witness a client dissociating. The client may abruptly stop talking, break eye contact, feel frightened, or say they feel disconnected from space or time. Although therapists may be tempted to wait for the client to “come back” or avoid discussing it for fear of how the client will respond, it’s crucial to address dissociation to help the client move forward. The therapist can ask about the cues, topics, or triggers that led to the episode, and explore how to replace dissociating with healthier coping mechanisms.

Which techniques can help treat Dissociative Identity Disorder?

Healing from dissociative identity disorder is a complex process, and certain techniques can be more helpful than others. In one woman’s experience with dissociation, six therapeutic tools proved most valuable: building trust between therapist and patient, responding non-defensively, flexible facing, exploring hypnosis to face traumatic memories without their full force, illustrating the healing process through stories, and asking the patient before addressing different personality states.

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Summary

Read the full fact sheet
  • Dissociation is a mental process of disconnecting from one’s thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.
  • The dissociative disorders that need professional treatment include dissociative amnesia, depersonalisation disorder and dissociative identity disorder.
  • Most mental health professionals believe that the underlying cause of dissociative disorders is chronic trauma in childhood.

What is dissociation?

Dissociation is a mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity. Dissociative disorders include dissociative amnesia, depersonalisation disorder and dissociative identity disorder.

People who experience a traumatic event will often have some degree of dissociation during the event itself or in the following hours, days or weeks. For example, the event seems ‘unreal’ or the person feels detached from what’s going on around them as if watching the events on television. In most cases, the dissociation resolves without the need for treatment.

Some people, however, develop a dissociative disorder that requires treatment. Dissociative disorders are controversial and complex problems that need specific diagnosis, treatment and support. If you are concerned that you or a loved one may have a dissociative disorder, it is important to seek professional help.

Symptoms of dissociative disorders

Symptoms and signs of dissociative disorders depend on the type and severity, but may include:

  • feeling disconnected from yourself
  • problems with handling intense emotions
  • sudden and unexpected shifts in mood – for example, feeling very sad for no reason
  • depression or anxiety problems, or both
  • feeling as though the world is distorted or not real (called ‘derealisation’)
  • memory problems that aren’t linked to physical injury or medical conditions
  • other cognitive (thought-related) problems such as concentration problems
  • significant memory lapses such as forgetting important personal information
  • feeling compelled to behave in a certain way
  • identity confusion – for example, behaving in a way that the person would normally find offensive or abhorrent.

A range of dissociative disorders

There are three major dissociative disorders defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, including:

  • Dissociative amnesia
  • Depersonalisation-derealisation disorder
  • Dissociative identity disorder.

Dissociative amnesia

Dissociative amnesia is when a person can’t remember the details of a traumatic or stressful event, although they do realise they are experiencing memory loss. This is also known as psychogenic amnesia. This type of amnesia can last from a few days to one or more years. Dissociative amnesia may be linked to other disorders such as an anxiety disorder.

The four categories of dissociative amnesia include:

  • Localised amnesia – for a time, the person has no memory of the traumatic event at all. For example, following an assault, a person with localised amnesia may not recall any details for a few days.
  • Selective amnesia – the person has patchy or incomplete memories of the traumatic event.
  • Generalised amnesia – the person has trouble remembering the details of their entire life.
  • Systematised amnesia – the person may have a very particular and specific memory loss; for example, they may have no recollection of one relative.

Depersonalisation-derealisation disorder

Depersonalisation disorder is characterised by feeling detached from one’s life, thoughts and feelings. People with this type of disorder say they feel distant and emotionally unconnected to themselves, as if they are watching a character in a boring movie.

Other typical symptoms include problems with concentration and memory. The person may report feeling ‘spacey’ or out of control. Time may slow down. They may perceive their body to be a different shape or size than usual; in severe cases, they cannot recognise themselves in a mirror.

Dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the most controversial of the dissociative disorders and is disputed and debated among mental health professionals. Previously called multiple personality disorder, this is the most severe kind of dissociative disorder.

The condition typically involves the coexistence of two or more personality states within the same person. While the different personality states influence the person’s behaviour, the person is usually not aware of these personality states and experiences them as memory lapses. The other states may have different body language, voice tone, outlook on life and memories. The person may switch to another personality state when under stress. A person who has dissociative identity disorder almost always has dissociative amnesia too.

Causes of dissociative disorders

Most mental health professionals believe that the underlying cause of dissociative disorders is chronic trauma in childhood. Examples of trauma included repeated physical or sexual abuse, emotional abuse or neglect. Unpredictable or frightening family environments may also cause the child to ‘disconnect’ from reality during times of stress. It seems that the severity of the dissociative disorder in adulthood is directly related to the severity of the childhood trauma.

Traumatic events that occur during adulthood may also cause dissociative disorders. Such events may include war, torture or going through a natural disaster.

Complications

Without treatment, possible complications for a person with a dissociative disorder may include:

  • life difficulties such as broken relationships and job loss
  • sleep problems such as insomnia
  • sexual problems
  • severe depression
  • anxiety disorders
  • eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia
  • problematic drug use including alcoholism
  • self-harm, including suicide.

Diagnosis

If you are concerned that you or a loved one may have a dissociative disorder, it is important to seek professional help. Dissociative disorders always require professional diagnosis and care.

Diagnosis can be tricky because dissociative disorders are complex and their symptoms are common to a number of other conditions. For example:

  • Physical causes (such as head trauma or brain tumours) can cause amnesia and other cognitive problems.
  • Mental illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder may cause similar symptoms to a dissociative disorder.
  • The effects of certain substances, including some recreational drugs and prescription medications, can mimic symptoms.
  • Diagnosis may be further hampered when a dissociative disorder coexists with another mental health problem, such as depression.

Treatment

Treatment for dissociative disorders may vary based on the type of disorder you have and your individual needs, but generally include psychotherapy and medication. Treatment must occur in a safe and relaxed environment.

  • Psychotherapy – also known as ‘talk therapy’ or counselling, which is usually needed for the long term. Examples include cognitive therapy and psychoanalysis.
  • Medication – Although there are no medications that specifically treat dissociative disorders, your doctor may prescribe antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications or antipsychotic medications to help control the mental health symptoms associated with dissociative disorders.

Where to get help

  • Your GP (doctor) – for referral to a specialist service
  • Psychologist
  • Psychiatrist

  • Dissociation, Anxiety Disorder Association of Victoria.
  • Dissociation and dissociative disorders, Mental Health America.
  • Frequently asked questions: dissociation and dissociative disorders, International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.
  • Dissociative disorders, Mayo Clinic US.
  • All about dissociative disorders, Kids Helpline.
  • Dissociation and trauma in young people, Orygen.

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Reviewed on: 17-02-2023

Dissociation - explaining a complex concept

Dissociation is a term used in both chemistry and psychology to describe the act of separation or separation. In chemistry, dissociation is the process of splitting a molecule of a chemical element or compound into smaller molecules, atoms, or ions, and in psychology, the term is known as a mental process in which a person tends to disconnect from their own thoughts, feelings, or lose a sense of identity.

The people most likely to experience dissociation are those who have experienced traumatic events such as abuse of any kind or the loss of someone they loved. It usually resolves on its own without professional treatment, but in some cases, dissociation can lead to dissociative disorders such as dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, dissociative identity disorder, or depersonalization. In such cases, professional help is required.

Symptoms of dissociation

It is important to know that each person may experience dissociation differently, as there is a wide variety of symptoms for this particular mental process. The most common signs are loss of memory of certain events, feeling disconnected from one's own feelings and thoughts, or even feeling that what is around you is not real or distorted, including other people.

When experiencing this mental process, people tend to have gaps in their memories of certain periods of time, or have difficulty remembering personal information, events, things that have happened, or people they have met. They typically experience multiple changes in their way of looking at things: feeling like a different person, having out-of-body experiences, feeling that they or the world around them is not real (called derealization), and emotional alienation from reality.

Physical symptoms include feeling dizzy or feeling that the heart rate is stronger and faster than usual, or feeling little or no pain.

The psychological symptoms of dissociative disorders also vary, depending on the type of disorder as well as its severity: the sensation of unusual voices in the head, being "stuck" in fantasies that seem more tangible than the real world, intense vivid memories, and distorted lifestyles. sense of time. They may also be associated with other psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression.

How does dissociation feel?

People who have experienced or are currently experiencing dissociation or any type of dissociative disorder typically describe the difficulty they have in managing strong emotions as they feel disconnected from themselves and the world. Their own feelings are distorted and they experience unexpected mood swings. For example, they feel sad or anxious for unknown reasons. You may also have trouble concentrating or any other cognitive problems. Their perception of reality is rapidly changing: for example, they see objects around them change shape, color and size, or identify the environment as lifeless or blurry.

Many have described dissociation as feeling like a different person watching their actions from a distance, completely disconnected from their own body and emotions, feeling that they are no longer in control of themselves.

As far as their behavior is concerned, they tend to feel pressured to act in a certain way, even if they usually find such actions offensive, as their identity is constantly changing over a period of time. These personality changes occur frequently, and they include the behavior of different people, even children, or the use of different voices and tones. This leads to difficulty in expressing who they are and defining themselves.

Causes of dissociation

During their lives, most people are forced by circumstances to go through numerous stressful situations, some of which lead to trauma and other emotional reactions. Mental health professionals confirm that most cases of dissociation are caused by childhood trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse, emotional abuse, severe neglect, or hostile family environment. However, traumatic events experienced in adulthood, such as war, torture, or natural disasters, can also contribute to the development of dissociation.

The amount of time to recover from a traumatic experience can vary depending on its emotional impact on the human mind. If it is minimal, the trauma can be healed over time, even though shock and denial are part of the healing process. Otherwise, severe trauma can lead to dissociation or, in extreme cases, even to the dissociative disorders listed above.

Dissociation is a defensive strategy, a way to deal with trauma. It is our human instinct to protect ourselves and respond to threats. How we do it varies, but there are a few common reactions to trauma, such as the psychological "fight or flight" response. Disconnecting oneself from the tragic reality during trauma is also a natural response, such as tending to forget certain parts of the event that caused the trauma and the people who were involved in the incident.

Other causes of dissociation are hypnosis and meditation, which make you less aware of your body. Last but not least, the use of alcohol and the use of certain types of drugs such as psychedelics such as psilocybin or LSD can also cause a sense of loss of sense of identity and self.

Dissociative Disorders

When the environment is no longer traumatic, but the survivor still cannot let go of the situation and feels the need to dissociate in order to protect themselves, dissociative disorders are more likely to develop. This is usually caused by getting used to using dissociation as a coping mechanism over a longer period of time, leading you to do it instinctively to deal with any other form of stress.

As previously mentioned, four main types of dissociative disorders have been observed by healthcare professionals, namely dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, depersonalization disorder, and dissociative identity disorder.

Dissociative amnesia , also known as psychogenic amnesia, occurs when a person has difficulty remembering specific details of a traumatic event while being aware that they are experiencing memory loss. It can last from a few days to several years and may be associated with other psychological disorders (such as an anxiety disorder).

There are four types of dissociative amnesia: localized amnesia (they remember nothing at all about the traumatic event for a limited period of time), selective amnesia (remembering the traumatic event is incomplete), generalized amnesia (they remember nothing about the traumatic event) and systematized amnesia (completely forget some individual things).

Dissociative fugue , also known as psychogenic fugue, is when a person suddenly experiences memory loss about everything from their past and their existence, including who they are. Unlike dissociative amnesia, they do not realize that they are in danger of memory loss and can create a new identity for themselves. As a rule, they go far from home and "start a new life." The dissociative fugue lasts from several hours to several months. Getting out of a fugue is usually very confusing for those who experience it because they don't remember travel, the "invention" of a new self, or anything that happened after the incident.

Depersonalization disorder manifests itself in the fact that a person feels detached, cut off from his own thoughts and emotions. People who experience this usually claim that they feel like they are watching themselves from the sidelines, like they are watching a movie, and are no longer in control of their actions. Their idea of ​​their own bodies is distorted because they represent them differently in terms of shapes and sizes. In extreme situations, they cannot even recognize themselves by looking in the mirror. Typically, the symptoms of this psychological disorder are difficulty concentrating and memory loss.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder) is an ongoing discussion among mental health professionals because it is truly the most controversial dissociative disorder. Due to stressful situations and traumatic events, a person can develop multiple personality states, which means that they act like different people at different times, often changing their identity, outlook on life, opinions, and even intonation of voice. A person suffering from dissociative identity disorder is not aware of personality changes, as he simply takes into account his memory gaps. In most cases, a person suffering from this disorder also suffers from dissociative amnesia. It is considered the most severe type of dissociative disorder.

Dissociative Seizures

Also known as non-epileptic seizures, these are often mistaken for epilepsy and are therefore considered difficult by many experts because epilepsy medications can have unwanted side effects. Most patients experience dissociative seizures some time after epileptic seizures or may even experience both at the same time. However, their reasons are different. Epileptic seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, while dissociative seizures are associated with psychological trauma.

Treatment of dissociative seizures is similar to that of other dissociative disorders, consisting of counseling and medication.

Double dissociation occurs when two interrelated mental processes (eg speech and language comprehension) function independently of each other (meaning that someone can perfectly understand a language and still not speak it).

Signs of dissociation

Since mental health is extremely important, it is recommended that you pay attention to any warning signs you and those around you show. A person may have a dissociative disorder and not be aware of it. These signs include rapid and unexpected mood swings, trouble remembering details from the past, personality changes, mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, panic attacks, self-harm or thoughts of harming oneself, or any type of substance abuse.

Since children can easily develop dissociative disorders due to unfriendly environments, it is important to watch for signs such as absent-mindedness, detachment, having imaginary friends, or any type of memory loss, such as forgetting what they said or did for a short time. time.

Triggers and memories during dissociation

A person who usually dissociates or suffers from a dissociative disorder can be easily provoked by a visual image, a specific sound, a taste, a smell, or even a simple touch. A trigger is defined as a reminder of a traumatic event that has occurred. If provoked, the person may experience a flashback consisting of vivid horrific memories of the incident, and this may cause an identity change, especially in those with dissociative identity disorder (DID).

Dissociation Diagnosis

People experiencing any symptoms of dissociation or dissociative disorders are strongly advised to see a specialist to avoid further complications. The examination consists of a physical examination and a consultation regarding any other previous psychiatric disorders and any use of prohibited substances or drugs. In this case, professionals may need to take a blood sample or undergo other tests to look for any other medical condition that may have caused the dissociation, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG), a dissociative experience scale (DES), or a structured clinical interview followed by possible meetings with a professional psychiatrist, a psychologist or social worker to help identify the cause of the dissociation and support the patient during treatment.

Treatment for dissociation

Because there is no specific cure for dissociation, each person's treatment may be different, depending on their own needs and the severity of the disorder diagnosed. Here are some options: live in a safe and friendly environment, try your best to relax, take stress management advice and psychotherapy/counseling for a longer period of time. Specialists may also prescribe psychiatric drugs (such as barbiturates) or treatments for other disorders, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or anxiety medications. Typically, mental health disorders are interrelated—a person suffering from a dissociative disorder may also have depression or anxiety.

There are several types of psychotherapy that can help people suffering from dissociative disorders:

  • cognitive behavioral therapy - helps to get rid of any negative thoughts
  • Hypnotherapy - certified hypnosis specialists are able to help patients recover from traumatic experiences in a relaxed state.
  • phase trauma treatment - helps reduce most thoughts of harming yourself and process the trauma over time
  • family treatment - since the friendly atmosphere at home is extremely helpful in these cases, the emotional support of loved ones is absolutely necessary
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy a therapy designed to help manage strong emotions in a positive way

Mental health disorders associated with dissociative disorders

As mentioned above, people with dissociative disorders very often also show signs of depression, anxiety or other psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), BPD and ADHD .

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can develop after a person has experienced a traumatic event and its symptoms include flashbacks, reminder avoidance, and sudden changes in point of view, which are very similar to the dissociative disorders listed above . Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is a disorder that includes the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and some additional symptoms, such as difficulty controlling strong emotions. Dissociation and PTSD are closely related and often occur together. While dissociative disorders most often result from childhood trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder develops regardless of age. The symptoms of PTSD can exacerbate the mental process of dissociation.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental illness characterized by a distortion in how a person relates to himself and others, which has a profound effect on his daily life. People with borderline personality disorder typically have problems with self-esteem, mood swings, managing feelings, and creating stable relationships with those around them. They also struggle with the fear of neglect, abandonment, and instability. This disorder usually begins in early adulthood. Approximately 75% to 80% of people with BPD also confirm dissociation.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders. Symptoms include difficulty concentrating and controlling impulsive behavior, daydreaming more than usual, and difficulty communicating with others. Causes can be genetics or premature birth, alcohol or tobacco use during pregnancy, low birth weight, or even brain injury. Research has shown that children who have experienced some form of physical or emotional abuse are more likely to develop ADHD, indicating that they may also struggle with dissociation and, if left untreated, may even develop dissociative disorders. Especially for children, the family and school environment are extremely important factors in the development or reduction of ADHD symptoms and, if applicable, dissociation or dissociative disorders.

As explained above, there are many psychological disorders associated with each other, most of which are caused by traumatic events experienced during life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. All of them negatively affect their personal lives and the relationships they have with others, so they need to be professionally treated by a mental health professional.

Complications of dissociative disorders

Treatment is a very important part of the healing process. Without this, a person suffering from dissociative disorder runs the risk of many complications, such as difficulty in creating meaningful relationships with people or feeling part of a community, problems with maintaining a normal sleep schedule (insomnia), developing eating behavior. disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, substance abuse (drug use, alcoholism) and, in extreme cases, self-harm, including suicide.

Mental health has a strong influence on how we behave in society, on our feelings and outlook on life. It affects how we respond to stressful situations, how we form social bonds and make important life decisions. At the same time, mental health is of great importance for our physical health. Stress and mental disorders can lead to strokes, heart attacks, and eating disorders such as obesity or anorexia.

Fun Fact - Dissociation in chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology

Dissociation is also the process of splitting molecules or ionic compounds into smaller molecules, atoms or ions; in most cases the process is reversible. General dissociation equation: AB ßà A+B. It is not defined as a chemical reaction and is the opposite of association and recombination since the process is usually reversible. For example, a complex dissociates into its constituent molecules, and a salt dissociates into its constituent ions.

The dissociation constant (Kd) is calculated as the ratio of dissociated to undissociated compound and is defined as a specific equilibrium constant that measures the propensity of a larger object to dissociate. This is the inverse association constant.

The acid dissociation constant (Ka) indicated the strength of that particular acid in solution. In most cases, the value of Ka is expressed as pKa, which is calculated using the formula pka=-log10Ka. Using this value, we can determine the strength of the acid (a value between -2 and 12 indicates a weak acid in water, while an acid with a pKa value of less than -2 is considered strong. The percentage of dissociation is calculated by dividing the mass of dissociated ions by the total mass of dissociated and an undissociated compound For example, acetic acid (Ch4COOH) partially dissociates into acetate and hydrogen ions in a reversible process having a pKa value of 4.74, which means it is a weak acid.0003

The dissociation energy of the bond between two elements A and B that breaks after the dissociation process is described as the change in the enthalpy of the standard state for the procedure at a given temperature.

The oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve, also known as the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve or the oxygen dissociation curve (ODC), is defined as "a curve that plots the proportion of hemoglobin in its saturated form on the vertical axis as a function of the prevailing oxygen tension on the horizontal axis. " This relates oxygen saturation to blood oxygen partial pressure, which helps us better understand how human blood carries and releases oxygen.

Conclusion

In psychology, dissociation is the psychological process of feeling disconnected from one's own emotions and sense of identity, caused by the experience of traumatic events that can develop into dissociative disorders such as dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, depersonalization and dissociative personality disorder (DID) that require professional treatment.

In chemistry, the dissociation of is defined as the separation of a molecule into smaller particles such as smaller molecules, atoms, or ions.

Dissociation. What is "Dissociation"? The concept and definition of the term "Dissociation" - Glossary

Glossary. Psychological dictionary.

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Dissociation (lat. dissociatio - separation) is a method of psychological defense, which consists in the perception of what is happening by a person as something that is inherent in an outsider.

The French psychologist P. Janet introduced the term at the end of the 19th century as a result of research proving that some ideas can exist separately from consciousness and return to consciousness through hypnosis. Dissociation can be positive - when a person uses it to abstract from negative emotions and get an opportunity to adequately assess the situation.

However, it is not uncommon for a patient to use dissociation to cope with a situation that is actually quite safe, but is perceived by him as something negative due to the increased sensitivity of the personality. In this context, dissociation is negative, because through it a person moves away from others, the process of his social adaptation becomes more complicated, which ultimately aggravates his emotional state even more.

Extreme forms of dissociation are inherent in various mental disorders - most often psychoses. American psychologist Nancy McWilliams sees dissociation as a way to protect a person who has a multiple personality disorder. People who have suffered psychological damage (usually in childhood) - for example, they have been subjected to violence or experienced a severe catastrophe - show a particular tendency to dissociate.

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