Controversies of Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Disorders
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code and Name
Professor’s Name
Date

Dissociative Disorders
Controversies of Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders are highly controversial. One of the things that make these mental disorders initiate public disagreements is the time one takes to know that he or she is sick. Indeed, it might take many years before family members, close friends, and individuals with dissociative disorders determine that a person requires assistance. The “self-state” cannot be spotted easily since a person might think that whatever one is going through is normal. Besides, some individuals believe that those with dissociative disorders are faking symptoms so that they can avoid the consequences of their actions. In reality, people are likely to change their behaviors when they know that the effects of what they are doing are adverse. Some might not recognize dissociative disorders since they relate them with cultural beliefs, ghosts, deities, or mythical figures. Therefore, they fail to seek medical attention at the onset of symptoms, which can be challenging to diagnose.
Professional Beliefs about Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders are caused by cumulative psychological trauma that happens early in an individual’s life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) indicates that dissociative disorders are interruptions, disruptions, or discontinuity of a person’s normal way of life. Dissociation is the subjective integration of memory, emotion, behavior, motor control, identity, perception, consciousness, and body representation. The Trauma Model postulates that dissociative disorders are psychobiological traits that occur as a protective response to overwhelming or traumatic experiences. About 3.5% of Americans suffer from severe dissociative disorders, namely identity alteration, severe depersonalization, and recurrent amnesia (Loewenstein, 2018). As such, some of the traumatic events that people encounter in their childhood or adulthood lead to the onset of dissociative disorders.
Dissociative disorders are caused by repressed memories that are banished from consciousness. Otgaar et al. (2021) assert that repression entails the unconscious and automatic blockage of trauma’s autobiographical experiences, such as sexual abuse (Otgaar et al., 2021). Specifically, unconsciously repressed memories lead to mental and physical health issues, such as dissociative disorders. In simple terms, when individuals encounter traumatic events, the information is recorded in their long-term memories. Every time they remember the trauma, it affects how they feel about themselves, their emotions, and their behaviors (Otgaar et al., 2021). The reoccurrence of such memories leads to dissociative disorders. However, if the memories of the traumatic events are repressed, these people overcome this bad feeling and cannot suffer from dissociative disorders. The unconsciously repressed memories are usually weak, and that explains why only a small percentage of individuals get dissociative disorders after undergoing a traumatic event.
Tyson Bailey, Stacey Boyer, and Bethany Br...