Essay on Creating Intense and Curative Therapeutic Relationships

The dissociative identity disorder is a mental health problem, which is relatively new and under-researched, while mental health care professionals still cannot come into agreement on the definition of the health problem as its distinction from other similar mental health conditions. Nevertheless, today, the dissociative identity disorder is basically recognized as a mental health problem that needs the psychotherapy as the main method of treatment. At the same time, the further study of the dissociative identity disorder and, especially causes and possible treatment of the mental health problem are very important because many patients suffering from this disorder face considerable problems in their regular life and need effective treatment.

In actuality, many specialists (Dorahy, 2001) associate the dissociative identity disorder with memory problems. Hence, memory dysfunction is a central feature of dissociative identity disorder (Dorahy, 2001). In this regard, the mechanism of the development of the dissociative identity disorder may progress when amnesic barriers between alter personalities are typically impervious to explicit stimuli, as well as conceptually driven implicit stimuli. Autobiographical memory deficits are also experimentally evident in dissociative identity disorder (Dorahy, 2001). However, such a view on the development of the dissociative identity disorder is quite debatable. At any rate, there is no common view on the origin and development of the dissociative identity disorder.

At this point, some specialists point out that women are nine times are more likely to develop the dissociative identity disorder compared to man (Sanneke, et al., 2006). Such paradox can hardly be explained by memory issues alone. Instead, some other factors may also contribute to the development of the disorder. On the other hand, patients with the Munchausen’s syndrome, sexual abusers, and other patients with mental health problems often pretend having the dissociative identity disorder to justify their actions and to ease the burden of remorse. This is why mental health care professionals may have difficulties with the diagnosis of the dissociative identity disorder.

Technically, the development of the dissociative identity disorder may be related to the lower level of hippocampal and amygdalar in patients with the dissociative identity disorder. At any rate, one of the studies has revealed the fact that hippocampal volume was 19.2% smaller and amygdalar volume was 31.6% smaller in the patients with dissociative identity disorder, compared to the healthy subjects (Sanneke, et al., 2006). In fact, the study conducted by Sanneke and other researchers (2006) is very important in terms of understanding the development of the disorder and its causes at the biological level. The understanding of causes of the dissociative identity disorder may also help to develop effective methods of treatment. For instance, Sanneke’s finding may be useful for the development of the medication that can help to cope with the dissociative identity disorder through the stimulation of the increase of the level of hippocampal and amygdalar in patients with the disorder. At the same time, the study of Senneke is still insufficient to understand the full extent to which the low level of hippocampal and amygdalar affects patients with the dissociative identity disorder. More important, it is unclear whether the low level of the hippocampal and amygdalar is the cause or consequences of the disorder, although, in all probability, researchers (Senneke, et al., 2006) are right in their assumptions that the low level of the hippocampal and amygdalar is rather the cause than effect of the disorder.

At the same time, one of possible causes of the dissociative identity disorder may be psychological and physical trauma patients have suffered in childhood. For instance, many specialists (Ross, 2009) point out that abusive experience, such as domestic violence, rape, and other abusive actions could provoke the development of the dissociative identity disorder. Even though there is no homogeneous view on this issue among mental health care professionals, the empirical study of patients with the dissociative identity disorder give implications to take into consideration the abusive experience of patients, while diagnosing the disorder. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the abusive behavior in the past, for instance, in the childhood of an individual, could have provoked the development of the dissociative identity disorder as a defensive mechanism of the nervous system of the individual. As a result, the individual that have suffered abuse in childhood may have the dissociative identity disorder in the adulthood.

However, the studies conducted on the hypothesis of the traumatic cause of the dissociative identity disorder have poor methodology and their findings are often disputed (Kohlenberg & Tsai, 1991). Therefore, today, the trauma’s effect is debatable in regard of the development of the dissociative identity disorder. Nevertheless, trauma may be one of possible causes of the disorder and further researches in this field are needed to understand the full extent to which trauma individuals suffered in their childhood, for instance, can increase the risk of the development of the dissociative identity disorder.

In actuality, the study of the dissociative identity disorder is based mainly on case studies. In fact, among the variety of studies that involved the dissociative identity disorder the overwhelming majority of studies used case studies as the key method to study the disorder. However, taking into consideration the complexity of the mental health problem and issues involved in the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder, the case study is not enough to understand the essence of the disorder, its causes and ways of its effective treatment.

The lack of agreement among specialists on causes and nature of the dissociative identity disorder raise the problem of the effective treatment of the mental health problem. As a rule psychotherapy is applied. The application of psychotherapy is traditionally justified by the possible positive effect of psychotherapy on the behavior of patients with the dissociative identity disorder. In addition, psychotherapy helps health care professionals keep patients under control and supervision and stimulate the development of positive models of behavior in patients. As a result, patients with the dissociative identity disorder develop positive models of behavior and attempt to cope with their mental health problem.

However, some researchers (Ross, 2009) suggest using hypnosis to treat the mental health problem, while their opponents (Kohlenberg & Tsai, 1991) argue that hypnosis and similar methods may be one of the causes of the dissociative identity disorder. Even though no direct correlation between hypnosis and the emergence of the dissociative identity disorder has not been identified yet, still this method should be applied very carefully. At this point, mental health care professionals should take into consideration that the dissociative identity disorder may affect memory, while hypnosis influences memory and often professionals using hypnosis attempt to help patients to understand their past better through recall of past events that could be of the utmost importance for them at the moment or for understanding of their current mental health problems.

Therefore, the further studies are needed to find out causes of the dissociative identity disorder and to find effective approaches to the treatment of the mental health problem. Current studies, which intertwined the dissociative identity disorder and memory problems, are apparently insufficient for the understanding of the disorder. Nevertheless, mental health care professionals keep working on the study of the dissociative identity disorder, revelation of its causes, and elaboration of effective approaches to its treatment.

Thus, the dissociative identity disorder is a serious condition, which may involve memory of individuals as well as changes in the level of hippocampal and amygdalar. Some specialists (Senneke, et al., 2006) believe that the low level hippocampal and amygdalar may be the cause of the dissociative identity disorder. On the other hand, some specialists (Dorahy, 2001) maintain the traditional view on the dissociative identity disorder as the mental health problem related to the memory. The diversity of views on causes of the disorder naturally engenders the diversity in approaches to the treatment of the disorder. Traditionally, psychotherapy is applied to patients with the dissociative identity disorder. However, the use of hypnosis and similar methods is also possible, although effects of using hypnosis and similar treatments are uncertain, if not to say risky. Hence, further studies of the dissociative identity disorder are needed.