Although dissociation
is a common experience those with an actual dissociative disorder
almost universally have a background of childhood trauma especially
sexual and physical abuse. Over 99% of those diagnosed with
DID have a history of prolonged and severe childhood sexual
abuse usually with an early age of onset (before the age of
eight) and the abuser being one or more of the child’s
caregivers. There has been no genetic link indicated. This
is probably because everybody is capable of dissociation as
a young child but few people are in the situation of having
to use it on a regular basis. This regular usage as a defence
leads to the ability to dissociate being retained into adulthood
and therefore leads directly to dissociative disorders.
There are a few cases where dissociative
disorders have developed after a single trauma and they have
been observed in those kept in captivity for long periods
of time. Little is currently known about the phenomenon of
dissociation itself. It is currently considered to be a highly
creative and intelligent defence and a ‘trick of the
imagination’. However newer studies have shown that
dissociation is a biological phenomenon – brain imaging
has shown that associative pathways in the brain are shut
down during the dissociative experience. This suggests that
the dissociative experiences may well be ‘real’
as opposed to imaginative.
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