When your loved one experiences a mental health problem, it can feel overwhelming to offer your support. You want to be there for them, but mental health is complex, and you never know if you’re saying the right thing. 

Dissociative disorders are particularly difficult to understand and resolve. According to the American Psychiatric Association, only about 2 percent of Americans experience lasting dissociative disorders, so it’s likely that you’ve never dealt with these particular symptoms before.

In Utah, it’s rare to come across someone with dissociative disorder. If the national average of 2 percent holds true, about 64,000 out of 3.206 million people in Utah will have been diagnosed, and if your loved one is one of them, you’re probably anxious to learn all you can about what they’re experiencing. 

Knowledge is power when it comes to supporting a loved one with a dissociative disorder. Along with licensed mental health counselors in Utah, you can be there for your loved one. Here’s what you need to know.  

 

Symptoms of Dissociative Disorders 

Someone you love might be diagnosed with a dissociative disorder if they have any of the following symptoms: 

• A confused sense of identity 
• Memory loss characterized as amnesia in which time periods, people, personal information, and events go missing in their brains 
• Inability to cope with professional or emotional stress
• A detached sense of self 
• An unreal or distorted perspective of the things around them 
• Great stress in professional and personal life 
• Additional mental health problems that might include anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts and behaviors 

Patients with severe dissociative disorders might also experience self-harm, sexual dysfunction, alcohol and drug use, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and an inability to maintain relationships. 

If you live in Utah and someone you love experiences one or more of these symptoms, it’s worth encouraging this person to visit a psychologist in Utah. 

 

Three Main Types of Dissociative Disorders 

The American Psychiatric Association has categorized dissociate disorders into three main categories: 

Dissociative Amnesia: Although soap operas would have you believe amnesia is all-encompassing and common, it’s actually a very rare medical condition and usually involves memory loss of just a few events, people, or personal information. For example, a war veteran might have forgotten particularly difficult moments of combat and those involved. In other cases, a patient might wander away from their typical life or work schedule because they forgot what they were doing. Usually, amnesia lasts a few minutes or hours. Very rarely, it lasts longer than a day, although some cases of brain damage or severe trauma can lead to years of memory loss. 

Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder: This is most often referred to in layman’s terms as an out-of-body experience. A patient might feel like they’re observing their actions, thoughts, and feelings from a distance as if they were watching it on television rather than living it. Things and people might seem unreal, and the patient might develop a narrative to go with this “fake” sense of self. It can last just a few minutes or extend to years. 

Dissociative Identity Disorder: It has commonly been called multiple personality disorder, although the professional term is noted here. It involves a patient that might feel they are more than one person and switch between alternate identities. Each identity will be unique with personal history and telling characteristics. A patient might also hear multiple voices in their heads and talk to themselves as a result. This is one of the least common types of dissociative disorders.  

 

What Causes Dissociative Disorders? 

Some mental health counselors in Utah deal with dissociative disorders every day. Their research indicates that in almost every case, a patient with a dissociative disorder has experienced severe trauma, and their disorder is a way to cope with what’s happened. 

It’s often seen in children who have experienced long term emotional, physical, or sexual abuse.  Those who have experienced major events like war or natural disasters can also experience dissociative episodes. 

Children are at a higher risk for developing dissociative disorders because their personal development is disrupted by an unstable or abusive home or other trauma. 

 

What Is My Role in Helping My Loved One Heal?  

If you ask top-rated mental health counselors in Utah what you might do to help your loved ones heal, they would likely encourage an intervention as soon as possible. Children who receive help in coping with past traumas are more likely to develop a more secure sense of self and avoid dissociations in the future. 

Seeking counseling services in Utah might be the best way that you can support your loved one, but they also need a good support group. Family therapy may be recommended to get through difficult periods, and it helps to have outside support like church or educational programs. 

Mental health counselors in Utah help patients experiencing dissociative disorders every day, and they can help your loved one too. Contact a qualified therapist in Utah to find mental health help.