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Current Treatments for Dissociative Disorder
Psychiatric diagnosis in the past has not always included a dissociative disorder, such as dissociative identity disorder (DID), depersonalization disorder, dissociative amnesia or dissociative fugue, yet this constellation of illnesses has been reconsidered in recent years. Part of the confusion surrounding these disorders is that they often manifest symptoms associated with other illnesses, such as depression, post traumatic stress syndrome, or eating disorders. Offering treatments for those problems doesn't generally result in improvements for those with dissociative disorders because the actual underlying disorder isn't addressed.
Many people might associate "dissociative" disorder with a multiple personalities problem but in reality the term constitutes four unique disorders- dissociative amnesia, fugue where the person forgets the past and goes away thinking of starting a new life, dissociative identity disorder or DID which involves multiple personalities and depersonalization. Even though amnesia and fugue are often consequences of some trauma and DID is because of a continuing childhood trauma that hinders development of a normal personality when the child grows up, they do not fall in the category of anxiety disorders.
Current treatments for a dissociative disorder pretty much always have psychotherapy as one of the elements, though hypnosis is frequently a key method for helping the amnesia patients restore the memories of a traumatic event or remember their real identity. Certain drugs, such as the medication called Pentothal (or thiopental) can also help restore memories that have been blocked out. For DID, the primary treatment is long-term psychotherapy to explore the past traumas and resolve them so the different personalities merge into one. Sometimes if the person's behaviour becomes too aggressive or strange, medical treatments in a hospital are used in conjunction with the psychological treatments. Depersonalization, too, is resolved with psychotherapy.
Treatments for a dissociative disorder may take time and work before resolution is achieved. Treating dissociative fugue, once diagnosed, often results in a fairly quick recovery, but traumatic amnesia and depersonalization can take longer to resolve. And even with the best treatments, it's possible that DID will recur, although this often becomes less likely as the person gets older. So the prospects of success might be discouraging to some people. But given that these dissociative illnesses can manifest as clinical depression symptoms, along with eating and other anxiety disorders, it is imperative that people with one of the dissociative disorders be treated, to give themselves the best chance of recovery.
Further information concerning dissociative disorder
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