[jk2833]

Hi all I know this may sound a little silly but could you explain to me what dissociative disorders are in simple terms please? Or what sort of experience you endure?
I've searched the net for an easy explaination but there's many words I don't understand
Sorry to sound so dense
Thank you
JK

It's not silly at all. It's a hard concept to wrap your head around.I got this from NAMI...Hope it helps

Dissociative disorders are so-called because they are marked by a dissociation from or interruption of a person's fundamental aspects of waking consciousness (such as one's personal identity, one's personal history, etc.). Dissociative disorders come in many forms, the most famous of which is dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder). All of the dissociative disorders are thought to stem from trauma experienced by the individual with this disorder. The dissociative aspect is thought to be a coping mechanism -- the person literally dissociates himself from a situation or experience too traumatic to integrate with his conscious self. Symptoms of these disorders, or even one or more of the disorders themselves, are also seen in a number of other mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

I personally lose time, forget a lot and am forced to rely on post-it notes!
I sometimes wonder if I actually experienced something or dreamed it. It's really unsettling at first, but once you get used to it (if you can) you recognise it for what it is and are not as afraid.

Originally Posted by jk2833

Hi all I know this may sound a little silly but could you explain to me what dissociative disorders are in simple terms please? Or what sort of experience you endure?
I've searched the net for an easy explaination but there's many words I don't understand
Sorry to sound so dense
Thank you
JK

Oh I just saw you referred to yourself as dense! NO!! Not at all! Intellegent people ASK questions.
Imagine driving a boring route and your mind wanders. Next thing you know, you've missed your exit, forget what song was on the radio etc. That is normal disociation. When it interferes with everyday life it becomes more of a "disorder" (but I personally dislike that word).
Does that help at all?

[Omers]

Ever sit in a class or at work, get bored, look out the window and the next thing you know 30 minutes have gone by? When it happens within 'normal' limits we often call it day dreaming... our mind goes off someplace else.
For those of us with dissociative disorders we do it more frequently, we do it to escape, we can find ourselves someplace different without knowing hoe we got there, other personalities can come out and 'take over'.... There are a bunch of different ways that this same kind of thing is more severe and begins to cause problems in every day life... more than missing half a class of notes or pissing off the boss for the moment.

[porcupine2]

I've recently been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. I dissociate a lot, and it's been getting worse the last few months. The main thing (like Calista+12 said), is sometimes it is hard to distinguish between what is real and what is not. I hear doorbells, phones ringing, knocks at the door, crashes, whispers, etc. I think it is an escape mechanism I use, because I used to do a lot of meditation that would actually purposefully dissociate from this reality. I kind of wonder if I did this to myself because of that.

[Korin]

Most people with DID don't think of DID as a disorder. In most cases, DID was created in them unconsciously when they were small children as a way of protecting themselves from trauma. Trauma that can vary from an unhealthy environment to physical and sexual abuse.

DID is a kind of escape from overwhelming situations. When things become too much for some people they can become depressed. People with DID can also become depressed but they can also do a kind of involuntary zoning out until situations improve. This can result in us feeling like someone else took over the situation, another part of us, a stronger part, a part that is more able to cope with these types of situations. People with DID zone out for more than a few minutes, it can last days, months, even years. And this can leave us with a feeling of 'not being ourselves'. In the case of years, we can be left with a feeling of awakening from a long sleep. I experienced this and it was quite traumatic in itself and resulted in a breakdown and hospitalisation.

Have you ever experienced a few moments of 'not being yourself' where you have said, "I'm not myself today"? People with DID experience that but in much longer periods of time. Sometimes we realise it's happening and struggle to 'come back' but other times we don't realise it has happened until we are 'back' and left feeling anxious and confused as to what happened while we were 'not ourselves'.

Talking about terms we prefer. I never accepted the term Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD). I think that's why it took so long to be diagnosed. Dissociative Identity Disorder fits my experiences better. As for the resulting depression and anxiety and post traumatic stress that is associated with DID, I prefer the term Dissociative Distress. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to before I had all the information I have now. Knowledge IS power. I cope with DID quite well today but it was a very different story back in my twenties. I didn't know what was going on and it was very frightening.

[jk2833]

Originally Posted by Calista+12

Oh I just saw you referred to yourself as dense! NO!! Not at all! Intellegent people ASK questions.
Imagine driving a boring route and your mind wanders. Next thing you know, you've missed your exit, forget what song was on the radio etc. That is normal disociation. When it interferes with everyday life it becomes more of a "disorder" (but I personally dislike that word).
Does that help at all?

Hi all and thank you so much for explaining this to me,I totally understand it now,I realise I've been doing this for years but I thought it had something to do with my epilepsy. My husband always asks if I'm ok as I've gone inti a stare mode that seems to last hours sometimes.
I actually done it at my last PDoc appointment but I thought it was from the lighting in the room.
Sorry to ask another question of you all but how on earth do you describe this to the psychiatrist? I don't want to say I stare for hours lol
Thank you all again and thank god for this forum
Best wishes
JK

[Korin]

I struggled for a long time to get across what I was experiencing. What I found helpful was keeping a journal that I would share with psych-doc but no one else. Creating a timeline can help too. It can be quite difficult depending in the extent of your dissociation. But it can also help to pinpoint the most vulnerable phases and help you to recognise what caused particular ‘episodes’. Even taking a copy of posts here which you feel you can relate to. And even if you only say it’s like that but not exactly, it will still give T some idea of what you are trying to get across.

[jk2833]

Originally Posted by Korin

I struggled for a long time to get across what I was experiencing. What I found helpful was keeping a journal that I would share with psych-doc but no one else. Creating a timeline can help too. It can be quite difficult depending in the extent of your dissociation. But it can also help to pinpoint the most vulnerable phases and help you to recognise what caused particular ‘episodes’. Even taking a copy of posts here which you feel you can relate to. And even if you only say it’s like that but not exactly, it will still give T some idea of what you are trying to get across.

Hi Korin thanks for the reply,I'm already keeping a mood diary for my official diagnosis,ridiculous I know I've only had depression 18 years!
However I've not been putting this starey thing in writing because as I mentioned earlier I thought it was my seizures.
I think I will just write a piece down at the end stating that I go into a daydream sort of thing that can last for hours,do you think that is suitable enough?
Take care
JK

You might want to mention to P-doc that you "lose time". That should be understandable to him. Good luck!

[porcupine2]

I've recently moved to a new state and have been looking for a doctor in this area. Been thinking the same thing....how to go about explaining it. I finally decided I would cut and paste some of the input from this site (without names of course) and just print it out and hand it over. I'll let you know if that works.

[Korin]

Sounds good to me.

Your post made me smile because I have a little granddaughter who stares like she is miles away when she’s tired.

[yellowted]

just to throw the cat in , i have dissociative motor disorder, i do not lose time or find i am somewhere else, my symptoms are muscle spasms, difficulty sincronising when waking up, inability to weight bare, past pointing and poor core stability!!!! ok Like most dissociatives i had a difficult childhood, but I am me , no alters though i can relate to little one alters at times but think that is because i was a preschool teacher for years before i became ill and no time loss!

[Korin]

It’s hurt and separate parts of you, parts that heal at different stages. Being kind and gentle with yourself helps. So treating them like hurt or shy little kids can be very helpful. It’s a very personal healing process, one that cannot be rushed. Everyone must be allowed to go at their own pace with a very gentle nudge towards healing and recovery.