Dissociative Disorders in Teens
Reality for a teen isn’t always fun. There’s school stress, family problems, and the pressure of trying to figure out who you are and what you want to be. But there are mental health disorders that cause your mind to escape from reality and warp your sense of self.
Your memories, thoughts, actions and identity all work together to make up who you are and how you present yourself to the world. Dissociative disorders cause those aspects of yourself to disconnect from each other and take you out of your reality. The good news is that Lightfully Teen can help treat dissociative disorder symptoms so that you can work toward a happy and healthy future.
What Are Dissociative Disorders?
Dissociative disorders are mental disorders that cause a recurring feeling of disconnection between your memories, sense of self, thoughts and feelings. They often stem from a traumatic event, particularly trauma from childhood.
The symptoms can interfere with your quality of life by preventing you from effectively carrying out your daily functions and maintaining healthy connections with those around you.
Symptoms of dissociative disorders include:
- Feeling disconnected from yourself
- Derealization, or feeling like the world isn’t real
- Difficulty managing emotions
- Memory and concentration problems
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Anxiety
The 3 Types of Dissociative Disorders
There are several types of dissociative disorders that a teen can be diagnosed with, and each one requires proper support and treatment.
The three types of dissociative disorders are:
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Dissociative identity disorder (DID) — Previously known as multiple personality disorder, DID means having at least two separate identities that have their own traits and history.
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Dissociative amnesia — This disorder refers to forgetting details about yourself and your history, particularly details surrounding a traumatic event or experience.
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Depersonalization/derealization disorder — Depersonalization means feeling disconnected from your body, thoughts and feelings, while derealization means feeling disconnected from your surroundings. They often occur at the same time.
How Can Lightfully Teen Treat Dissociative Disorders?
At Lightfully Teen, we can help you manage your dissociative disorder symptoms by helping you work through the root of your trauma so that you can learn healthy coping mechanisms and emotion management.
We use process-based therapy (PBT), which is a clinical model that helps to make sure that you’re receiving personalized treatment for your entire well-being, not just your diagnosis. Because you’re more than just your dissociative disorder.
PBT uses integrated interventions, such as values clarification and motivational enhancement, to show measurable results as you move through your mental health journey. The interventions stem from four core processes that contribute to your dissociative disorder:
- Difficulty with emotions
- Difficulty with thoughts
- Difficulty with behaviors
- Difficulty with relationships
Lightfully Teen Programs Can Help Treat Your Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders can make you feel out of control of your own mind and body, but Lightfully Teen is here to help.
Process-based therapy can help your dissociative disorders in our three levels of care: Residential Treatment, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), also called our Day Treatment Program.
Get Connected Today
We’re here when you’re ready. Send us a message using the link below or give us a call at 916.269.5371. Let us help shine a light on your path.
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