Dissociation vs. Disassociation: What’s the Difference?

At Neurish Wellness, we believe in educating our community about complex mental health topics to promote understanding and support those affected. One area of frequent confusion is the difference between dissociation and disassociation—after all, they’re spelled and pronounced almost exactly the same, and they represent very similar ideas. This article will clarify these terms, explore related mental health disorders, and discuss treatment options.

Understanding Dissociation

Dissociation refers to a mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity. The dissociation definition refers to a coping mechanism often triggered by traumatic events, such as emotional abuse or a traumatic event. Dissociation can range from mild detachment to severe cases where it disrupts daily life. Symptoms of dissociation might include:

• Memory Loss (Amnesia): Forgetting specific time periods, events, or personal information.
• Out-of-Body Experiences: Feeling as though you are watching yourself from outside your body.
• Emotional Numbness: A sense of detachment from your emotions or a lack of emotional response.
• Identity Confusion or Alteration: Feeling unsure of who you are or experiencing multiple distinct identities (as seen in Dissociative Identity Disorder).
• Depersonalization: A feeling of being detached from your own body or thoughts, as if you are an outside observer.
• Derealization: A feeling that the world around you is unreal, dreamlike, or distorted.
• Difficulty Connecting with Reality: Struggling to distinguish between what is real and what is not.
• Detachment from Surroundings: A sense of disconnection from your environment and the people in it. 

Understanding Disassociation

Disassociation is not a recognized term in psychology or psychiatry. It is often confused with dissociation but lacks a clinical definition. In everyday language, disassociation may be used informally to describe a general sense of disconnection or disengagement, but it does not refer to a specific mental health condition. Symptoms of disassociation might include:

• Zoning Out: A temporary loss of focus or attention during conversations or tasks.
• Mild Disengagement: Feeling mentally checked out or not fully present in the moment.
• Temporary Disconnect: Momentarily feeling disconnected from your surroundings, often due to boredom or fatigue.

Types of Dissociative Disorders

Now that we’ve established the difference, we can talk a bit more about dissociative disorders, which are within the realm of mental health psychology. A dissociative disorder is a mental health condition characterized by disruptions in memory, consciousness, identity, and perception. The three major dissociative disorders are often linked to trauma and include:

• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, DID involves the presence of two or more distinct personality states or identities within a single individual. Each identity may have its own name, age, history, and characteristics. DID is typically a result of severe trauma during early childhood.
• Dissociative Amnesia: This disorder involves an inability to recall important personal information, usually related to a traumatic or stressful event. The memory loss can be localized (specific event or period), selective (particular aspects of an event), or generalized (complete loss of identity and life history).
• Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder: Individuals with this disorder experience persistent or recurrent feelings of detachment from their own body (depersonalization) or the environment around them (derealization). They may feel as though they are observing themselves from outside their body or that the world around them is unreal.

Dissociative Symptoms and Related Disorders

Dissociative symptoms can vary widely but often include:

• Memory loss (amnesia) for certain periods, events, or personal information
• A sense of being detached from oneself and one’s emotions
• A perception of the people and things around as distorted and unreal
• A blurred sense of identity

These symptoms can occur in the context of various mental health disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and certain other mental health disorders.

Treating Dissociation

So, how do we treat dissociation at Neurish? Effective treatment for dissociation typically involves psychotherapy. Some of the common therapeutic approaches include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors associated with their dissociative symptoms.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT combines CBT techniques with mindfulness strategies to help individuals manage emotions and reduce self-destructive behaviors.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is particularly effective for individuals with PTSD and dissociative symptoms, helping them process and integrate traumatic memories.
• Medication: While there is no specific medication to treat dissociative disorders, medications can help manage symptoms of co-occurring conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Understanding the difference between dissociation and disassociation is crucial for recognizing and addressing dissociative disorders. At Neurish Wellness, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive mental health services to help individuals heal from trauma and manage their symptoms. If you or a loved one is experiencing dissociative symptoms, seeking professional help is the first step toward recovery. Our team of experienced mental health professionals is here to support you on your journey to wellness.