Identify the dissociative disorders from the following disorders:
(A) Dissociative amnesia
(B) Illness anxiety disorder
(C) Dissociative identity disorder
(D) Derealization/ Depersonalization disorder
(E) Dissociative fugue
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (C), (D) and (E) only
Dissociation is a severance of the connections between ideas and emotions. Sudden temporary alterations of consciousness that blot out painful experiences are the defining feature of dissociative disorders.
(A) Dissociative amnesia Correct. It is extensive but selective memory loss with no known organic cause; the person cannot recall important personal information, often related to a stressful event.
(B) Illness anxiety disorder Incorrect. It belongs to the somatic symptom and related disorders: the person keeps worrying about the possibility of developing a serious illness. There is no break in memory, identity or awareness.
(C) Dissociative identity disorder Correct. Often called multiple personality, it is the most dramatic dissociative disorder: the person assumes alternate personalities that may or may not be aware of each other.
(D) Derealization/ Depersonalization disorder Correct. It involves a dreamlike state in which the person feels separated both from the self and from reality.
(E) Dissociative fugue Correct. It is a part of dissociative amnesia: an unexpected travel away from home and workplace, the assumption of a new identity, and the inability to recall the previous one.
NCERT (2025-26): “Dissociative Disorders … Dissociation can be viewed as severance of the connections between ideas and emotions. Dissociation involves feelings of unreality, estrangement, depersonalisation, and sometimes a loss or shift of identity. Sudden temporary alterations of consciousness that blot out painful experiences are a defining characteristic of dissociative disorders. Conditions included in this are Dissociative Amnesia, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Depersonalisation/Derealisation Disorder.…” “Dissociative Disorders … A part of dissociative amnesia is dissociative fugue. Essential feature of this could be an unexpected travel away from home and workplace, the assumption of a new identity, and the inability to recall the previous identity. The fugue usually ends when the person suddenly ‘wakes up’ with no memory of the events that occurred during the fugue. This disorder is often associated with an overwhelming stress.…” “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders … These include conversion disorders, somatic symptom disorder, and illness anxiety disorder among others.…” |