trauma bergen county

Dissociative Identity Disorder

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

Dissociative Identity Disorder

By: Nicole Staub

Dissociative Identity Disorder, DID, can happen when kids are in a traumatic situation and they don’t quite know how to handle their emotions so the kid dissociates from the situation and their mind essentially “shuts off”. When a kid dissociates, it means that the kid is disconnecting from their thoughts, feelings, and memories. What dissociating may look like is that the kid will “space out”. They will stare blankly at things, look disconnected from the conversation or whatever is going on around them. There can be a sudden shift in their mood or behavior as well. Dissociating looks like the kid is daydreaming. When someone “shuts off” during an incident, they will compartmentalize the experience and how they feel. This is a way of their body protecting themselves from facing the incident at hand. The type of situations a kid might be in could be emotional, physical, or even sexual abuse. Most of the time, Dissociative Identity Disorder forms when you’re an adolescent. There have been examples of DID in movies or TV shows. However, more likely than not, movies and TV shows portray the disorder incorrectly.

Dissociative Identity Disorder can help kids keep their ability to understand humor, have creativity, and reflection. If someone has DID, it could be hard for their family and friends to notice when someone is switching. People rarely see the symptoms if someone is experiencing DID. One of the symptoms someone may have is “memory gaps”. Memory gaps are considered missing memories. What this means is that someone might not be able to recall important events or details that have happened in their lives because they weren’t present for that memory. A different identity was present for that event and will remember it. If the patient doesn’t know they have the disorder, it can be scary for them to have “memory gaps”. Having Dissociative Identity Disorder in your adult life can become more of a problem if the threats of the incidents are no longer there. If you are an adult and are first seeking help for DID, it could be more a difficult recovery process but not impossible.

To get diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, you need to experience these criteria:

– The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states.

– At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior.

– Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.

– The disturbance is not due to the direct psychological effects if a substance (blackouts due to alcohol) or a general medical condition (seizures).

This disorder is treatable. Typically, how the treatment goes is that it is done in three phases. Phase one is about the patients’ stability and safety. Make sure that the patient has healthy coping mechanisms in general and if the patient has thoughts about or has harmed themselves or has had suicidal thoughts. Phase two is to identify the traumatic situation, address it and working through the problem. Finally, phase three is for the patient to not rely on dissociating when difficult situations occur.

If you or someone you know is having mental health difficulties and/ or experiencing symptoms of Dissociative Personality Disorder, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our offices at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Source

Dissociative identity disorder: What you need to know | McLean hospital. Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder. (2024, July 6). https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/did

PTSD: Trauma

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

PTSD: Trauma

By: Elizabeth Lynch

                   Every day you unknowingly pass by, interact with, or speak to someone who is suffering from PTSD. In the US alone 70% of adults experience some kind of trauma throughout their life; 20% of them will develop PTSD from the events they faced. While PTSD is known to develop more frequently in women than in men this mental illness does not discriminate across gender, race, sexual orientation, social status, or age. This is what many people don’t realize about PTSD. It doesn’t just affect those who go off to war. It can affect anyone who experienced a major trauma.

Experiencing the following could lead to the development of PTSD:

  1.        Sexual Assault or Rape
  2.        Severe beating or physical assault
  3.        Serious accident or injury (car or train accident)
  4.        Being a victim of or witnessing a shooting or stabbing
  5.        Sudden, unexpected death of a family member or friend
  6.        Child’s life-threatening illness which can affect both child and parents
  7.        Witness to murder or serious injury
  8.        Natural disasters

Look for the signs:

       Behavioral

  • Irritability
  • Social Isolation
  • Self-Destructive Behavior
  • Hyper-vigilance
  • Easily Startled

       Psychological

  • Flashbacks
  • Mistrust
  • Avoidance of places, people, or things that serve as a reminder of trauma
  • Difficulty Remembering

       Sleep

  • Frequently Disturbed
  • Nightmares/Terrors
  • Insomnia
  • Bed wetting

       Mood

  • Guilt
  • Loneliness
  • Loss of interest
  • Hopelessness
  • Fear
  • Tension/ Anxiety

If you or a loved one appears to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, the licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy can assist you. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/

Psychopaths and Sociopaths

GalleryJudy Gurfein Leave a comment

By Stephanie Osuba

People often tend to use the terms psychopath and sociopath interchangeably while both disorders are listed under the category of antisocial personality disorders in the DSM-5, there are some distinctions. Shared traits between the two include: a disregard for the law, morality, and human rights; not feeling any remorse; and having violent tendencies.

The first major distinction is that psychopaths are born, while sociopaths are made. Psychopaths are a product of genetics and, from research, they have a physiological defect that leads to an underdevelopment of the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and emotion (the amygdala). Sociopaths, on the other hand, are a result of a history of repeated childhood trauma and physical or emotional abuse. Because of this distinction, sociopaths are capable of forming attachments and feeling empathy in very restricted situations. They are more emotional in that they are nervous and easily agitated. They are prone to emotional outbursts and exhibit fits of rage. Crimes committed by sociopaths are often spontaneous, messy, and unorganized.

Psychopaths are exceptionally dangerous. They are completely incapable of forming attachments to anything and have absolutely no remorse for the things they do. They simply do not feel. Psychopaths are excellent manipulators who mimic emotion to get people to trust them. They are often very successful, smart, and charismatic which leads others to believe that they are normal. Some psychopaths even have families and other long-term relationships with people who are unaware of their diagnosis. Crimes committed by psychopaths are meticulous, premeditated, and often have a contingency in place. Even the violent ones. Psychopaths make up at least 40% of all serial killers.

Source: Bonn, S. A., Ph. D. (2014, January 22). How to Tell a Sociopath from a Psychopath. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201401/how-tell-sociopath-psychopath 

If you or someone you know appears to be exhibiting signs of psychopathy or sociopathy, the licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy can assist you. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/.