Raghav, a 20-year-old college student, has episodes in which he feels cut off from his own feelings. At such times his body and his surroundings seem unreal to him, as if he were watching himself in a film. Which group of psychological disorders do these symptoms belong to?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Dissociative disorders
Option (1) Somatic symptom and related disorders — Incorrect. In these disorders a person has psychological difficulties but complains of <strong>physical symptoms</strong>, such as paralysis or constant worry about health, with no biological cause. Raghav reports no body complaint. His problem is feeling unreal and cut off.
Option (2) Trauma- and stressor-related disorders — Incorrect. This group, such as PTSD, follows an event like a natural disaster, a bomb blast or a serious accident. Its signs include flashbacks and recurrent dreams. Raghav's case has no such event and no flashbacks.
Option (3) Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders — Incorrect. This group means being unable to stop thinking about an idea, or repeating acts like washing, checking or counting again and again. Raghav has no such thoughts or acts.
Option (4) Dissociative disorders — Correct. Dissociation is a <strong>cut in the link between ideas and emotions</strong>. Feeling cut off from his own feelings, and seeing himself and the world as unreal, are <strong>depersonalisation and derealisation</strong>. These belong to the dissociative disorders.
NCERT (2026-27): “Dissociative Disorders |