Dissociative, Personality, and Eating Disorders
Dissociative disorders
● Dissociative disorders include disruptions in conscious awareness and
sense of identity, and a disturbance of memory.
● Dissociation is a person’s conscious awareness separating from painful
memories, thoughts, and feelings.
● A fugue state involves sudden memory loss and confusion about one's
personal identity.
○ Example: After surviving a car accident that claimed the lives of
two friends, a woman experienced memory loss and became
confused about her identity. After extensive testing, it was decided
that her memory problems were not due to her injuries or to an
illness.
● Dissociative identity disorder is a disorder that involves two or more
distinct and alternating identities.
○ Example: Your friend has no memory of the abuse she
experienced as a child. During a session with her therapist,
however, her mannerisms change, and she introduces herself as a
different identity who does recall the abuse.
● Some clinicians include dissociative disorders under the umbrella of
posttraumatic stress disorder as a protective response to traumatic
experiences.
Personality disorders
● Personality disorders include inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that
impair social functioning.
● Schizotypal personality disorder is characterized by magical thinking.
○ Example: Since childhood, a 40-year-old has experienced magical
thinking, such as carrying objects he believes bring him luck and
assuming he can influence others with his thoughts.
Dissociative disorders
● Dissociative disorders include disruptions in conscious awareness and
sense of identity, and a disturbance of memory.
● Dissociation is a person’s conscious awareness separating from painful
memories, thoughts, and feelings.
● A fugue state involves sudden memory loss and confusion about one's
personal identity.
○ Example: After surviving a car accident that claimed the lives of
two friends, a woman experienced memory loss and became
confused about her identity. After extensive testing, it was decided
that her memory problems were not due to her injuries or to an
illness.
● Dissociative identity disorder is a disorder that involves two or more
distinct and alternating identities.
○ Example: Your friend has no memory of the abuse she
experienced as a child. During a session with her therapist,
however, her mannerisms change, and she introduces herself as a
different identity who does recall the abuse.
● Some clinicians include dissociative disorders under the umbrella of
posttraumatic stress disorder as a protective response to traumatic
experiences.
Personality disorders
● Personality disorders include inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that
impair social functioning.
● Schizotypal personality disorder is characterized by magical thinking.
○ Example: Since childhood, a 40-year-old has experienced magical
thinking, such as carrying objects he believes bring him luck and
assuming he can influence others with his thoughts.
