Dissociative Disorders are characterized by significant
malfunctions of memory, identity, perception or awareness.
The American Psychiatric Association lists several different
dissociative disorders; for example:
Depersonalization Disorder – People with this disorder
periodically suffer periods of detachment, and they typically describe as
these experiences as feeling "unreal". It is important to note that, unlike
psychosis, such individuals know that the unreality of such experiences is
only a feeling: They are not hallucinating and are not out of touch with
reality per se.
Dissociative Amnesia - People suffering from this
disorder are unable to remember significant facts, events, or periods from
their past, and this impairment is sometimes so broad as to include their
own identities. This disorder is believed to result from trauma, and the
sufferer may not be able to identify what the trauma was or any details
about it, including when it occurred.
Dissociative Identity Disorder - People suffering from
this disorder alternate – usually without warning or any awareness – between
two or more separate personalities. While in one identity, a person may have
striking personality characteristics, psychological problems, or even
serious illnesses (e.g., diabetes), which are absent when in another
identity.
