Dissociative Disorders

From the seminal writing of Pierre Janet (b. 1859–d. 1947) to the present, dissociative disorders have fascinated, puzzled, and provoked controversy among scientists and clinicians, while providing fodder for sensationalized accounts in the public domain. This article will steer readers toward the best sources of information about dissociative disorders at both introductory and advanced levels, with readings often representing divergent perspectives regarding dissociation and dissociative psychopathology. The dissociative disorders have stirred much attention and contentiousness in the scientific community because their presentation is often perplexing, dramatic, and variable across and within individuals. Readers will be able to use the bibliography to understand the historical underpinnings of current conceptualizations of dissociation; the symptoms and characteristics of major dissociative disorders, including depersonalization/derealization disorder, dissociative amnesia, and dissociative identity disorder (DID, formerly called multiple personality disorder); the prevalence of dissociative disorders in clinical and nonclinical populations; the major theoretical divides that splinter the contemporary study of dissociation and encompass competing notions (the idea that the genesis of dissociation is closely linked with a history of trauma versus the idea that serious dissociative disorders can be accounted for in terms of social and cultural variables, such as the influence of the media and suggestive approaches in psychotherapy in shaping symptoms); and the assessment and treatment of dissociative disorders. References will be provided that touch on potential biological etiologies of dissociative disorders, the role of sleep in dissociation, and topics including memory in dissociative disorders.