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Dissociation

What is dissociation in bipolar disorder?

Dissociation is described as disruption or discontinuity in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, or behaviour. Common dissociative experiences include mild forms of absorption, such as daydreaming. Less common and more severe dissociative experiences include amnesia, derealisation, depersonalisation, and fragmentation of identity. Dissociative features may play a role in the pathology of bipolar disorder.

What is the evidence for dissociation symptoms in people with bipolar disorder?

Moderate to low quality evidence suggests less dissociation in people with the disorder than in people with dissociative disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, or conversion disorder. Similar scores were found in people with bipolar disorder and in people with other affective disorders, somatic symptom disorder, substance-related and addictive disorders, eating disorders, and schizophrenia.

October 2021

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Last updated at: 9:49 pm, 24th October 2021
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Tags:  Dissociation

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