Dissociation Symptoms of Major Depression: Types, Treatment

In today’s fast paced world, everyone is living an extremely stressed life. Most people, irrespective of age, ethnicity, etc. are found to be battling the common psychiatric problems of acute depression. Depression is a disease characterized by mental and emotional disturbance like mood swings, sadness, low self-esteem, sleep disturbance, fatigue, difficulty in concentration and even suicidal tendencies. The individual also experiences loss of appetite. Depression drains all the energy, interest and motivation from the patient. These symptoms are generally chronic, last for two weeks or more, often recur time and again, and also hamper a person’s daily activities and their overall quality of life. Major depression is most often coupled with dissociation. Wish to know more about the dissociation symptoms of major depression, treatment options, etc?

Dissociation Symptoms of Major Depression

Following is a detailed piece of read to help you understand dissociation symptoms of major depression better.

About Dissociation Symptoms Of Major Depression & Its Types

Acute depression is generally partnered with dissociation. Dissociation is basically a process, in which an individual consciously moves away from their thoughts, feelings, memory, identity etc. An extreme mentally-stressful environment, abuse during childhood, etc. are some of the common reasons because of which symptoms of dissociation develop. Dissociation symptoms of major depression can either be sudden, chronic or transitory. They can be classified into dissociative identity, dissociative amnesia and dissociative fugue.

Dissociative Identity: Severe depression in the patient leads to dissociative identity. Events which have a traumatic effect on the mind, mainly during childhood, trigger this type of dissociation symptom. In this condition, the individual shows two or more personalities, or identities to cope with the traumatic event or distress. As the child grows, the identities which they had created in order to protect themselves or dissociate with the stressful event, become so strong that they start to personify those identities.

Dissociative Fugue: Dissociative fugue is a kind of complete memory loss or amnesia wherein the patient forgets their name, identity, environment and also their past. This type of dissociation symptom can last for few weeks to few months and occurs in conjunction with acute depression.

Dissociative Amnesia: The loss of memory caused due to a traumatic event in the individual’s lifetime is termed as dissociative amnesia. It generally occurs due to stressful emotional, mental or physical events during childhood or adulthood. It is commonly associated with major depression; and in this type of dissociation symptom, the concerned individual is unable to recollect the events which occurred and people who were present in their life during that period.

What Are The Treatment Options For Dissociation Symptoms Of Major Depression?

Most people experiencing dissociation symptoms of major depression can recover completely with the help of certain treatments. Most commonly used therapies to treat dissociation symptoms of major depression are:

Physical Therapies for Treating Dissociation Symptoms: Physical therapies can be used to address peculiar physical symptoms like speech loss, paralysis and walking difficulties, experienced by patients of dissociation.

Talking Therapies for Treating Dissociation Symptoms: One of the most recommended treatments for dissociative symptoms of major depression is talking therapy. The main goal of talking therapies, like psychotherapy and counselling is to help the patient cope with the underlying cause of their symptoms, and also learn and practice effective techniques to manage the times of feeling disconnected.

Medications for Treating Dissociation Symptoms: There is no specific medication to treat dissociation symptoms. However, the doctor may prescribe medications like anti-depressants to treat related conditions like anxiety, depression and panic attacks to resolve the dissociation symptoms.

What To Do If The Patient Has Suicidal Thoughts?

If the patient has suicidal thoughts and has developed suicidal tendencies, then they must seek help immediately. They are advised to talk to someone close to them, like family members or a close friend, who they trust. This will help the patient to calm down and find some breathing space. These individuals must also visit their doctor and discuss their issue at the earliest.

Conclusion

It may be difficult for ones suffering from dissociation symptoms of major depression to fully judge and understand their own condition. So, it is very important for the near and dear ones to make these patients aware of their problem and also let these individuals know that they are not alone and help is always in reach. The patients should be assured that their condition of dissociation symptoms is treatable. The right treatment coupled with good care and support from family members and friends can help the individuals suffering from dissociation symptoms of major depression recover faster and better.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:May 30, 2018

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