Understanding Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders are a group of mental health conditions that involve a disconnection between a person's thoughts, memories, identity, or sense of reality. This disconnection can manifest in a variety of ways, including memory loss, identity disturbance, and perceptual disturbances. Dissociative disorders can be caused by a variety of factors, including trauma, genetics, and brain chemistry.

The Concept of Dissociation

The concept of dissociation was first promoted over a century ago by the French neurologist Pierre Janet. Dissociation can be defined as “a disruption of and/or discontinuity in the normal, subjective integration of one or more aspects of psychological functioning, including—but not limited to—memory, identity, consciousness, perception and motor control (Hooley et al, 2019).

Dissociation is a normal mental process that everyone experiences from time to time. However, dissociation can become a mental health condition when it is disruptive, causes memory loss, or results in a loss of sense of self.

Unconscious Mental Processes

A lot of our thoughts and feelings happen without us even realizing it. This is called unconscious mental processing. For example, you might remember something that you didn't even know you remembered, or you might react to something without even knowing why. Unconscious mental processing can also play a role in things like learning, memory, and decision-making.

The idea of unconscious mental processing has been around for a long time, but it's only recently that scientists have been able to study it in depth. There are a number of experimental techniques that can be used to investigate unconscious mental processing, and the study of this topic is a growing field of research.

Dissociative Disorders

 People with these disorders have difficulty integrating information and experiences into their conscious awareness. This can lead to symptoms such as amnesia, identity disturbance, and perceptual disturbances.

 It is theorized that dissociative disorders may be a way of avoiding anxiety and stress, or of managing life problems that have overwhelmed the person's usual coping resources. Dissociative disorders can also be a way of denying personal responsibility for unacceptable wishes or behavior.

 This paragraph summarizes the key points of the passage. It is important to note that dissociative disorders are complex conditions, and there is no single explanation for why they develop. However, the passage provides some insights into the possible causes and symptoms of these disorders.

Conclusion

Dissociative disorders are a group of conditions involving disruptions in a person’s normally integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception. While mild dissociation is a normal part of everyday life, pathological dissociation can result in significant disruptions to an individual’s sense of self and ability to function.

References

 Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033

Factitious Disorder vs Malingering: Understanding the Differences

Factitious disorder and malingering are two conditions that can be easily confused, but they have some key differences. In this blog post, we will explore these differences and provide some insight into these two conditions.

What is Factitious Disorder?

Factitious disorder is a condition in which a person intentionally produces or exaggerates physical or psychological symptoms, without any external rewards. In other words, the person is not motivated by any tangible external incentives such as avoiding work or military service, or evading criminal prosecution.

Patients with factitious disorders may alter their own physiology in order to simulate real illnesses. For example, they may take drugs to produce symptoms. This can put them at risk for serious injury or death, and they may even need to be committed to an institution for their own protection.

The prevalence of factitious disorder is not well established, but it is estimated to be around 0.5 to 0.8 percent of patients in general hospital settings. The disorder is also thought to be more common in women than in men. However, systematic research on this disorder is lacking and there is currently no theoretical model of why it develops (Hooley et al, 2019).

What is Malingering?

Malingering, on the other hand, is a condition in which a person intentionally produces or grossly exaggerates physical symptoms for external incentives. These incentives can include avoiding work or military service, evading criminal prosecution, or obtaining financial compensation.

Key Differences

The key difference between factitious disorder and malingering is the motivation behind the behavior. In factitious disorder, the person receives no tangible external rewards for their behavior. In contrast, the person who is malingering is motivated by external incentives.

Another important difference is the potential harm caused by the behavior. In factitious disorder, the person may be at risk for serious injury or death due to their actions. In malingering, the harm caused by the behavior is typically limited to financial or legal consequences.

A Dangerous Variant: Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another

A dangerous variant of factitious disorder is factitious disorder imposed on another (sometimes referred to as Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy). In this condition, the person seeking medical help has intentionally produced a medical or psychiatric illness (or the appearance of an illness) in another person. This person is usually someone (such as a child) who is under his or her care.

In a typical instance, a mother presents her own child for treatment of a medical condition she has deliberately caused. To produce symptoms, the mother might withhold food from the child, add blood to the child’s urine, give the child drugs to make him or her throw up, or heat up thermometers to make it seem as if the child has a fever. If the child is hospitalized, the mother might deliberately infect an intravenous (IV) line to make the child more ill.

This form of child abuse can seriously endanger the health of the victim and may require intervention from social service agencies or law enforcement. In as many as 10 percent of cases, the actions of the mother may lead to a child’s death.

This disorder may be suspected when the victim’s clinical presentation is atypical, when lab results are inconsistent with each other or with recognized diseases, or when there are many frequent returns or increasingly urgent visits to the same hospital or clinic. The perpetrators (who often have extensive medical knowledge) tend to be highly resistant to admitting the truth about what they are doing. They also appear to be devoted to their child, making it hard for healthcare providers to suspect that they are the cause of the child’s problems.

It has been estimated that it takes an average of 14 months to confirm a diagnosis of factitious disorder imposed on another. If the perpetrator senses that medical staff are suspicious, he or she may abruptly terminate contact with that facility and show up at another one to begin the process anew. Compounding the problem of detection is that healthcare professionals who realize they have been duped may be reluctant to acknowledge their fallibility for fear of legal action.

One technique that has been used with considerable success in diagnosing this disorder is covert video surveillance of the mother and child during hospitalizations. In one study, 23 of 41 suspected cases were finally determined to have factitious disorder by proxy, and in 56 percent of those cases,

Video
surveillance was essential to diagnosis.

Conclusion

In conclusion, factitious disorder and malingering are two conditions that can be easily confused but have some key differences. The main difference between these two conditions lies in their motivation: while people with factitious disorder receive no tangible external rewards for their behavior, those who are malingering are motivated by external incentives such as avoiding work or military service or evading criminal prosecution.

References

Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033

 Depression is associated with disrupted immune function.

 People with depression are more likely to get sick and have a more difficult time recovering from illness.

Depression is linked to heart disease.

 People with depression are more likely to develop heart disease and have a heart attack.

Stress activates the immune system, triggering the production of proinflammatory cytokines. These cytokines can lead to changes in the brain that manifest as symptoms of depression (Hooley et al 2019).

Depression may interact with stress to further enhance inflammatory responses. This can increase the risk of heart attack.

People with heart disease are three times more likely to be depressed than healthy people. Depression is also a risk factor for the development of heart disease (Hooley et al, 2019).

• People who are depressed have shorter telomeres than people who are not depressed.
  
  
  

Telomeres are protective caps on the ends of chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are associated with an increased risk of disease and death.

These findings suggest that depression is a stressful condition that can have a negative impact on physical health. Depression can disrupt immune function, increase the risk of heart disease, and shorten telomeres. If you are struggling with depression, it is important to seek professional help. There are effective treatments available that can help you improve your mental and physical health.

References

 Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033

The Effects of Discrimination and Stress on Health

 

The Effects of Discrimination and Stress on Health

Discrimination and stress can have a negative impact on health.

Discrimination can lead to increased blood pressure and signs of cardiovascular disease, potentially through the mediation of C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein that signals widespread inflammation in the body. A study found a significant correlation between everyday discrimination and CRP levels in older African Americans (Hooley et al, 2019).

Stress can also shorten the length of telomeres

the protective end parts of chromosomes. Short telomeres have been linked to an increased risk of disease. A study found that stress reduced telomere length in mothers caring for a chronically ill child, equivalent to 10 years of aging (Hooley et al, 2019).

Research has shown that cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress, can reduce the activity of telomerase

The enzyme that maintains telomere length. Other factors that can shorten telomeres include sugar-sweetened soda, pessimism, and lack of exercise. Meditation may promote telomerase activity (Hooley et al, 2019).

These findings highlight the importance of living in a happy, healthy, and relaxed manner. By reducing stress and discrimination, we can improve our overall health and well-being.

 

References

 Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033

 Stress and the Immune System

Stress can slow down the healing of wounds by 24 to 40 percent due to its link to suppression of the immune system. In a study, 11 dental students had a punch biopsy wound performed on their hard palate twice. The first biopsy was during summer vacation and the second was 3 days before a major examination. The wounds healed 40 percent more slowly during the stressful period before the examination than during vacation. For every person in the study, the healing time was longer when the wound occurred during high stress versus low stress ( Hooley et al., 2019).

Stress and the Immune System

Stress can have a negative impact on the immune system, making us more susceptible to illness. This is because stress can disrupt the production of cytokines, which are small protein molecules that serve as chemical messengers and allow immune cells to communicate with each other.

There are two main types of cytokines: proinflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Proinflammatory cytokines help to amplify the immune response, while anti-inflammatory cytokines help to dampen the response.

Under conditions of stress, the production of proinflammatory cytokines is disrupted. This can lead to a decrease in the number of immune cells and a decrease in the production of antibodies, which are proteins that help to fight infection.

As a result, people who are under stress are more likely to get sick. They are also more likely to have slower wound healing and to have more severe symptoms when they are sick.

References

Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033

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WHAT TO DO IF YOU'VE HAD AT-RISK SEX WITH SOMEONE WHO IS HIV+

PEP Must Be Started Within 72 Hours of Possible Exposure to HIV (Conversation Starters, 2023).

 

Talk right away (within 72 hours) to your health care provider, an emergency room doctor, or an urgent care provider about PEP if you think you’ve recently been exposed to HIV (Conversation Starters, 2023) :

🟥during sex (for example, if the condom broke),
🟥through sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs (for example, cookers)
🟥if you’ve been sexually assaulted.

The sooner you start PEP, the better. Every hour counts. If you’re prescribed PEP, you’ll need to take it daily for 28 days (Conversation Starters, 2023) :
🏳️‍🌈PEP is for Emergency Situations
🏳️‍🌈PEP is given after possible exposure to HIV.
🏳️‍🌈PEP is not a substitute for regular use of other HIV prevention.
🏳️‍🌈PEP is not the right choice for people who may be exposed to HIV frequently.
🏳️‍🌈If you are at ongoing risk for HIV, such as through repeated exposures to HIV, talk to your healthcare provider about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).

How can I pay for PEP?

Paying for PEP After a Sexual Assault

You may qualify for partial or total reimbursement for medicines and clinical care costs.

Find resources available in your area.

Paying for PEP After an Exposure at Work

Your workplace health insurance or workers’ compensation will usually pay for PEP.

Paying for PEP for Another Reason

If you cannot get insurance coverage, your healthcare provider can apply for free PEP medicines through the medication assistance programs run by the manufacturers.

These requests for assistance can be handled urgently in many cases to avoid a delay in getting medicine (Conversation Starters, 2023).

 Enrollment applications

1. https://services.gileadhiv.com/content/pdf/gilead_enrollment_form.pdf/
2. https://services.gileadhiv.com/content/pdf/gilead_enrollment_form.pdf
3. https://nastad.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/PDF-CPAPA-Form-Fillable-2020.pdf
   

 

References
 

 Conversation Starters. (2023, June 30). Start Talking. Stop HIV. https://www.cdc.gov/stophivtogether/hiv-prevention/pep.html

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