Section 3: Dissociative Disorders

1. Section 3: Dissociative Disorders

2. Dissociative Disorders • Dissociation – separation of certain personality components / mental processes from conscious thought • Somewhat common • Becomes a disorder when used to avoid stressful events or feelings • Lose memory of an event, forget identity

3. Amnesia • Sudden loss of memory, usually following traumatic event • Can’t remember anything surrounding event • May even forget identity • Memory returns as suddenly as it was lost • Wartime and natural disasters huge causes

4. Fugue • Forgetting personal information and past events, but also relocating and taking on new identity • Usually follows traumatic event • May not appear to be ill at all • Eventually ends, can’t remember anything

5. Dissociative Identity Disorder • (multiple personality disorder) • Two or more personalities that may or may not be aware of one another • Different voice, facial expressions, handedness, age, gender, allergies, etc. • Usually severely abused as kid • Suffered severe physical sexual and or psychological abuse

6. Depersonalization Disorder • Feelings of detachment from one’s mental processes or body • Usually preceded by stressful event • Third most common complaint among psychiatric patients

7. Explaining Dissociative Disorders • Psychoanalytic theory – dissociate in order to repress unacceptable urges • Learning theorists – learned not to think about disturbing events in order to avoid feelings of guilt, shame, or pain

8. Section 4: Common Disorders in Children

9. Overview of ADHD • Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder • Trouble focusing on task at hand • May be easily distracted • Causes problems at school (learning and social) • Most common reason kids are referred to mental health professional

10. Diagnosing ADHD • Usually young boys • Most common in USA • Ritalin (actually a stimulant) is most helpful drug • Pregnant mothers that smoke 3x more likely to have ADHD child • Side effects can be a problem • If not dealt with – problems in school, relationships, delinquent behavior, substance abuse, etc.

11. Autism • Early signs • Aloof and unresponsive babies • Attach to inanimate objects instead of family • Inappropriate speech • Unexplained tantrums • Difficult to feed • Don’t like being held or cuddled • Very little sensitivity to pain • Rarely maintain eye contact

12. Symptoms • Failure to develop normal communication patterns, social interactions, emotional responses • Strong and negative reaction to change • Few able to speak normally, many practice echolalia (repeating what has just been said) • May abuse themselves or repeat single hand motion for hours

13. Famous people Rumored to have Autism • Emily Dickenson • Mozart • Albert Einstein • Thomas Jefferson • Jane Austen • Vincent Van Gogh • Alexander graham bell • Bach • Beethoven • Leonardo Da Vinci • Thomas Edison • Isaac Newton • Michelangelo • Mark Twain

14. Who it affects • 1 in 88 kids born today • Usually boys • Kids regardless of parental styling (doesn’t mean autistic kids have bad parents) • Neurological problem – make up of brain is different • Possible link between autism and schizophrenia

15. Causes of Autism • Mothers that • Don’t take pre-natal vitamins • Are obese • Are older when giving birth • Other possible causes: • Vaccines • Food allergies • Immune system deficiencies • Heredity • Premature birth • Environmental factors (pollutants, etc.)

16. Autistic Savant • Extraordinary skill of some kind • Complicated numerical operations, musical talents, artistic ability, memory capability • A medical mystery

17. Asperger's • High functioning Autism • Difficulty with social situations & limited, repetitive behaviors • 1 in 500 kids • Literal thinking (difficulty noticing sarcasm) • Trouble reading body language and emotions • 3 to 4x more likely in boys • Many are highly intelligent • Behavior therapy can help, drugs to help anxiety