Dissociative Amnesia - Depersonalization/Derealization

In previous posts, we saw that dissociation is often a consequence of a traumatic event. Traumas can lead to two other types of dissociative disorders:

• Dissociative Amnesia
• Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
  
  
  

Dissociative Amnesia, as the name suggests, is a situation where there is an inability to recall memories, often related to trauma. Amnesia can be:

• Localized: The individual is unable to remember a specific period of their life.
• Selective: The individual does not recall certain events within a defined period.
• Generalized: The individual has lost memory of their entire life history.

People may be unaware of their memory gaps or might downplay them, and they could feel frustrated when faced with this issue.

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder is characterized by episodes of depersonalization and derealization. But what do these two words mean?

Depersonalization is a feeling of detachment from oneself or one's body. It's as if you don’t feel ownership over your body, thoughts, or actions. A typical expression might be: "My thoughts don’t feel like my own!" In more severe cases, individuals experience an out-of-body sensation, as though they are watching their own body from outside.

Derealization, similarly, involves a sense of unreality regarding the external world. It’s as if the environment and the people in it feel artificial or not real.

In this disorder, the sense of time is often distorted, with a feeling that time is passing either too quickly or too slowly.

Sources:

• American Psychiatric Association (2013) - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.).
• Bernhill, J. W. (2014) - DSM-5 Clinical Cases.

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