Dissociative Disorder, also known as conversion disorder, is a mental disorder in which the person suffers from a psychological imbalance, with changes in consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception of the environment, control of movements and behavior.
Thus, the person with this disorder may experience different types of signs and symptoms of psychological origin, which appear in isolation or together, without any physical illness that justifies the case. The main ones are:
- Temporary amnesia, either from specific events or from a period of the past, called dissociative amnesia; Loss or alteration of body part movements, called dissociative movement disorder; Slowness of movements and reflexes or inability to move, similar to fainting or a state of catatonia, called dissociative stupor; Loss of awareness of who you are or where you are; Movements similar to an epileptic seizure, called dissociative seizure; Tingling or loss of sensation in one or more places on the body, such as mouth, tongue, arms, hands or legs, called dissociative anesthesia; State of extreme confusion mint l; Multiple identities or personalities, which is the dissociative identity disorder. In some cultures or religions, it can be called a state of possession. If you want to know more about this specific type of dissociative disorder, check out Dissociative Identity Disorder.
It is common for people with dissociative disorder to exhibit behavioral changes, such as a sudden heated or unbalanced reaction, which is why this disorder is also known as hysteria or hysterical reaction.
Dissociative disorder usually manifests or gets worse after traumatic or stressful events, and it usually comes on suddenly. Episodes may appear from time to time or become frequent, depending on each case. It is also more common in women than in men.
The treatment of dissociative disorder should be guided by a psychiatrist and may include the use of anxiolytic or antidepressant drugs to relieve symptoms, with psychotherapy being very important.
How to confirm
During crises of dissociative disorder, it can be believed that it is a physical disease, so it is common that the first contact of these patients is with the doctor in the emergency room.
The doctor identifies the presence of this syndrome when researching changes in clinical evaluation and exams intensively, but nothing of physical or organic origin that explains the condition is found.
The confirmation of the dissociative disorder is made by the psychiatrist, who will assess the symptoms presented in the crises and the existence of psychological conflicts that may be triggering or aggravating the disease. This doctor should also assess the presence of anxiety, depression, somatization, schizophrenia or other mental disorders that worsen or that are confused with dissociative disorder. Understand what they are and how to identify the most common mental disorders.
How the treatment is done
The main form of treatment for dissociative disorder is psychotherapy, with a psychologist, to help the patient develop strategies to deal with stress. The sessions are held until the psychologist thinks that the patient is able to manage his emotions and relationships safely.
Follow-up with the psychiatrist is also recommended, who will assess the evolution of the disease and may prescribe medications to relieve symptoms, such as antidepressants, such as Sertraline, antipsychotics, such as Tiapride or anxiolytics, such as Diazepam, if necessary.
