Dissociative Disorders Chapter 7 Analysis

Severe pain that interrupts a person’s ability to function in society or preform ADL’s, this is a severe form of somatization disorder. The pain felt by the person cannot be explained and does not have parameters for medical diagnosis, is caused by psychological problems.

Somatoform are physical symptoms triggered through psychological factors (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Consider “somatic presentations can be viewed as expressions of personal suffering inserted in a cultural and social context” (APA, 2013, p. 310). Andrea expresses somatic symptom disorder through multiple symptoms. Andrea’s physical grievances are excessive, suggesting her need for attention. She states that she is in a tremendous amount of pain and easily agitated and hostile if others do not take her

Dissociative disorders are one of the most controversial disorders that exist. It is often argued that the disorder does not actually exist and that people are over-diagnosed. Dissociative disorders is a type of psychological disorder that involve a sudden loss of memory of change in identity due to the dissociation (separation) of the individual’s conscious awareness from previous memories and thoughts. A common example of a dissociation is when an individual daydreams and becomes unaware of the passage of time. However, this is just a very mild case of dissociation and is normal to experience. The NAMI (National Alliance on Medical Health) declares that approximately half of Americans have experienced a dissociative episode in their life but only two percent of those cases are severe enough to meet the full criteria of chronic episodes. This disorder is more often found in women rather than men.

Body dysmorphia is a disorder that causes someone to obsess over a small or very insignificant flaw on their body that to others is not a problem. For example, a very healthy teenage girl could look in the mirror and see someone unhealthy and turn to anorexia to change her appearance when in reality she is a normal weight. This can lead to eating disorders (such as anorexia) as well as depression and anxiety. It can affect relationships and social events where eating is involved. According to Dr. David Veale of the Priory Hospital in North London, the definition of BDD is “a mental disorder characterized by preoccupation with an imagined defect in one’s appearance… there may be a minor physical abnormality, but the concern is regarded as grossly excessive” (Veale).

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), formerly known as dysmorphophobia, is characterized by a preoccupation of one or more perceived defects and or flaws in one’s physical appearance. These defects and or flaws are either not observable to others or appear slightly to other’s. This disorder is also characterized by repetitive behaviors and mental acts as a response to their beliefs on their personal appearance. These behaviors can include but are not limited to mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking, and comparing ones appearance to others. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), those with this disorder have concerns on their physical appearance

A dissociative amnesia may be present when a person is unable to remember important personal information, which is usually associated with a traumatic event in his/her life. The loss of memory creates gaps in this individual's personal history.

Signs and symptoms of someone having this dissociative disorder may include memory loss of events or people, sometimes complete amnesia. They may experience depression, anxiety, have suicidal thoughts or tendencies. They feel detached from themselves, a blurred sense of identity. People around them appear distorted and unreal. All of this may build up significant stress and problems affecting relationships, work, and other important areas of a functional life.

Hysteria, as stated by Dinwiddie, has been traced back to the Hippocratic School of medicine, perhaps even as far back as ancient Egypt. Hysteria is when psychological conflict is turned into physical symptoms, such as when a patient complains of symptoms for which no clear physical cause. Somatization disorder has often been linked with hysteria in the same ways that hypochondriasis has, however these two diseases are not the same. In the past hypochondriasis was thought to be a somatization disorder, but has since been re-classified as an anxiety disorder by the DSM-IV (Ehrlich, 2013). A somatization disorder is a chronic condition in which a person has physical symptoms involving multiple body parts that have no physical cause, it is currently one of the hardest diseases to diagnose.

The purpose of this assignment was to accurately diagnose Marla and to find causes and prospective treatments for her disorder. Marla is a 42 year old Hispanic female who comes to the mental health clinic complaining of having trouble sleeping, feeling “jumpy all the time,” and experiencing an inability to concentrate. (Joan Rachmel, syllabus description of final assignment) These symptoms are causing problems for her at work where she is an accountant. Upon first look at her case a few different disorders come to mind like ADHD, PTSD, and depression with mania.

Chapter Thirteen of the textbook discussed psychological disorders (Licht, 2014). Depression and anxiety are just a few common ones. A subsection in the chapter analyzed the psychological roots of depression - one, of which, was the intriguing concept of ‘learned helplessness.’ “According to researcher Martin Seligman, people often became depressed because they believe they have no control over the consequences of their behaviors” (Licht, 2014).

Somatization disorder is define as a mental condition with medically unexplained physical, symptoms. The minor symptoms will consist of nausea, bloating, diarrhea, headaches, pain in the back or joints, difficulty swallowing or speaking, and urinary retention. The worst of the physical symptoms can disable a patient completely such as seizures, problems with coordination, balance, or paralysis. Many studies have shown that patients with panic disorders are more aware to the changes in their breathing and heartbeats. There are different levels of somatoform such as Catastrophizing Thinking. A patient with a headache will then associate it to having a tumor, or shortness of breath would indicate asthma. Many patients then seek medical treatment

According to the Mayo Clinic (Dissociation Disorders) or multiple personality disorders are categorized as instabilities or disconnection of reality, self-awareness, and character of an individual. According to the Mayo Clinic indicators of dissociation disorders could vary and depends on the type of disorders. Some of these symptoms that could identify the disorder are partial amnesia, lack of emotions, disconnection with reality, issues in maintaining relationships, inability to deal with life stressors factors or emotions, and sense of out of body experiences. Also, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (Dissociation Disorders) there are three main dissociation disorders recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. These disorders are classified as dissociation amnesia, depersonalization/deserialization, and dissociation identity disorder. The National

Children who dissociate themselves for an extended period of time, may use this coping mechanism in response to stressful situations throughout their lives.

In this paper it is understood that evaluating and shaping a mental health diagnosis can be challenging due to several of the conditions presenting comparable indicators. In addition, a client may not outwardly present symptoms, therefore, the only way to detect them involves using a scale. It is important in finding a dependable and effective scale that regulates whether an individual encounters the diagnostic criteria that will serve a purpose in the individual’s life when it comes to the correct research. The sole purpose of this paper is to dissect the Dissociative Experiences Scale which is a solely dependable and effective scale that

Stress related factors that interfere with work and other parts of day to day living