Dissociate Identity Disorder Trauma Model

Trauma Model of Dissociate Identity Disorder

Trauma, we know, can do many things. It can interrupt sleep. It can cause us to be hypervigilant. It can disrupt our moods and ability to handle the tasks placed upon us. Yet trauma also places us at risk of something most of us know little about – multiple personality disorder, more recently known as dissociate identity disorder (DID).

Thought to affect approximately one percent of the general population – similar to levels reported for schizophrenia – DID often presents only after having had several earlier misdiagnoses, including schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Unlike schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, DID is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct ‘identities’ or ‘personality states’ – each with their own perception of the environment and themselves.

And while some experts argue that DID is linked to trauma, such as chronic emotional neglect and/or emotional, physical, or sexual abuse from early childhood, and others contend that it is related to fantasy proneness, suggestibility, simulation or enactment, a study done by researchers at King’s College in London provides support for the trauma model of DID and challenges the core hypothesis of the fantasy model.

Comparing a sample comprised of a total of 65 women, some with a genuine diagnosis of DID, some female actors who were asked to simulate DID, some with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and some healthy controls, on a variety of questionnaires which measured traumatic experiences, suggestibility, fantasy proneness and malingering of psychiatric symptoms, the researchers found that patients with DID were not more fantasy prone or suggestible and did not generate more false memories compared to patients with PTSD, DID simulating controls (Vissia et al., 2016).

Moreover, the researchers found a continuum of trauma-related symptom severity across the groups, with highest scores in patients with DID, followed by patients with PTSD, and the lowest scores for healthy controls (Vissia et al., 2016).

These results support the theory that there is an association between severity of trauma-related psychopathology and the age at onset, severity and intensity of traumatization.

Dr. Simone Reinders from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, explained, “Our findings correspond with research in other areas of psychology and psychiatry, which increasingly implicate trauma with mental health disorders such as psychosis, depression, and now, dissociative identity disorder” (Reinders, 2016).

The hope of Reinders and her team is that insight into the causes and nature of DID will inform, among others, clinicians and forensic experts regarding differences between simulated and genuine DID – which will ultimately lead to faster diagnosis and treatment for patients and greater recognition of DID as a mental health disorder.

Related Online Continuing Education (CE) Course:

A Dissociative Identity Disorder CasebookA Dissociative Identity Disorder Casebook is a 4-hour online continuing education (CE) course that details the diagnosis, treatment, and case management of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), more recently known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

These clients are severely under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, ignored, and even ridiculed by their own family and many in the mental health profession. Therapists who deal with these clients may be ridiculed and attacked by other mental health professionals and the MPD/DID clients. The prognosis for treatment of MPD/DID is still tragically poor.

This course will include in-depth discussions of the confusion and controversies surrounding this relatively rare disorder, rule-outs and co-morbid conditions to be considered, and the numerous clinical challenges encountered in treating individuals with multiple personalities. All sections are richly illustrated with case examples from the professional and popular literature, as well as the extensive clinical experiences of the author. Course #40-14 | 2018 (updated) | 58 pages | 30 posttest questions

Click here to learn more.

Course Directions

Our online courses provide instant access to the course materials and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. Click here to learn more. Have a question? Contact us. We’re here to help!

Professional Development Resources is a nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) organized in 1992. We are approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board and Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners; and are CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Target Audience: PsychologistsCounselorsSocial WorkersMarriage & Family Therapist (MFTs)Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)Occupational Therapists (OTs)Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs)School Psychologists, and Teachers

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Dissociative Identity Disorder CE Update

Updated Online CE Course @pdresources.org

A Dissociative Identity Disorder CasebookA Dissociative Identity Disorder Casebook is a 4-hour online continuing education (CE) course that details the diagnosis, treatment, and case management of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), more recently known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

These clients are severely under-diagnosed, misdiagnosed, ignored, and even ridiculed by their own family and many in the mental health profession. Therapists who deal with these clients may be ridiculed and attacked by other mental health professionals and the MPD/DID clients. The prognosis for treatment of MPD/DID is still tragically poor.

This course will include in-depth discussions of the confusion and controversies surrounding this relatively rare disorder, rule-outs and co-morbid conditions to be considered, and the numerous clinical challenges encountered in treating individuals with multiple personalities. All sections are richly illustrated with case examples from the professional and popular literature, as well as the extensive clinical experiences of the author. Course #40-14 | 2018 (updated) | 58 pages | 30 posttest questions

Click here to learn more.

Course Directions

Our online courses provide instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. Click here to learn more. Have a question? Contact us. We’re here to help!

Professional Development Resources is a nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) organized in 1992. We are approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board and Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners; and are CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Target Audience: PsychologistsCounselorsSocial WorkersMarriage & Family Therapist (MFTs)Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs)Occupational Therapists (OTs)Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs)School Psychologists, and Teachers

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Genetic Link between Creativity and Mental Illness

By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe

Genetic Link Between Creativity And Mental IllnessThere may be an overlap between the genetic components of creativity and those of some psychiatric disorders, according to a new study.

In the study, researchers looked at genetic material from more than 86,000 people in Iceland and identified genetic variants that were linked with an increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The investigators then looked for these variants in a group of more than 1,000 people who were members of national societies of artists, including visual artists, writers, actors, dancers and musicians in Iceland.

The study revealed that the people in these artistic societies were 17 percent more likely to carry those variants linked with the mental health conditions than were people in the general population, who were not members of these societies.

“The results of this study should not have come as a surprise, because to be creative, you have to think differently from the crowd,” study author Kari Stefansson, the founder and CEO of deCODE, a genomic analysis company, said in a statement. “And we had previously shown that carriers of genetic factors that predispose to schizophrenia do so.” [5 Controversial Mental Health Treatments]

The investigators also looked at the link between creativity and psychiatric disorders using a different data set, from four studies previously conducted in the Netherlands and Sweden, which involved about 35,000 people. This group included people who worked in the fields of visual arts, music, dance, writing and theater, as well as those who worked in other professions. This study showed that the people who worked in the creative professions were almost 25 percent more likely to carry the genetic variants related to the psychiatric disorders than were people who worked in other occupations.

In a previous study, published in 2013 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, researchers found that when they compared all people working in creative professions with people working in other professions, the creative people were not more likely than people in other professions to be diagnosed with psychiatric disorders overall. However, the creative professionals were at an increased risk of having bipolar disorder, and in addition, people who were writers were more likely to be diagnosed with psychiatric disorders in general.

Previous research has also shown that family members of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are overrepresented in creative professions, the researchers said.

The new study “is partially confirming long-held beliefs about commonalities between creativity and psychosis,” said Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the study.

However, “the authors don’t necessarily define what kind of creativity they are talking about,” Manevitz told Live Science. There is a difference between people who may identify themselves as being creative, and people who actually work in creative professions, he said.

It is not clear whether the genetic link found in the study may apply to people who feel they are creative, or only to those who actually produce high-quality creative work, he said.

“Creative thinking occurs in rational, conscious frames of mind, not altered or transformed states,” Manevitz said. Therefore, having a full-fledged psychosis, in which a person’s rationality is altered, does not contribute to creativity.

However, if someone had a family member who had a serious psychiatric disorder, the genetic variants that this person carries may translate into a “diluted” form of a mental illness, that could in fact be conducive to creativity, if the traits are mild enough that they do not interfere with the person’s ability think rationally, Manevitz said.

The study was published on June 8, 2015 in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/creativity-mental-illness_n_7544374.html?ncid=newsltushpmg00000003

Professional Development Resources offers a wide variety of online continuing education courses for mental health and allied health professionals. Over 100 courses are available, including:

  • Unusual Paraphilias is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that describes a number of paraphilias and specific fetishes.
  • Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that discusses bipolar disorder in children and teens, including signs and symptoms, differences between child/adolescent and adult BPD, diagnostic types, medications for BPD, and other therapies.
  • The Inherited-Insanity Illusion is a 3-hour online CEU course that critically evaluates the research alleging the inherited, genetically-determined causes of mental disorders, behavioral disorders, substance abuse and intelligence.
  • A Dissociative Identity Disorder Casebook is a 4-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that details the diagnosis, treatment, and case management of Multiple Personality Disorder, more recently known as Dissociative Identity Disorder.
  • Understanding the Biology of Mental Disorders is a 3-hour online CEU course that reviews how the brain and body affect each other, and how medical illness can cause depression, anxiety, psychosis, and cognitive impairment.


Professional Development Resources
is approved to offer continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR); the California Board of Behavioral Sciences; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by theTexas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

Veteran’s Day Weekend Sale

During the weekend leading up to Veterans Day, Professional Development Resources is featuring ten of its continuing education courses that train professionals to treat mental health problems that are seen in many members of the military and their families. The following courses are 20% off through Monday, November 12, 2012:

Veterans DayOne of the most serious conditions among those exposed to combat is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

According to the National Institute for Mental Health, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal, in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.

People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially with people they were once close to. They may experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs summarizes the probabilities of certain groups having PTSD at some point in their lives:

  • About 7-8% of the general population
  • About 11-20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars (Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom)
  • About 10% of Gulf War (Desert Storm) Veterans
  • About 30% of Vietnam Veterans

“The numbers are staggering,” says Leo Christie, PhD, CEO of Professional Development Resources. “A recent White House Executive Order dated August 12, 2012 states: “Since September 11, 2001, more than two million service members have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Long deployments and intense combat conditions require optimal support for the emotional and mental health needs of our service members and their families. The need for mental health services will only increase in the coming years as the Nation deals with the effects of more than a decade of conflict.”

The stresses that are part of active deployment – particularly in combat areas – do not cease when service members finish their tour of duty and return to civilian life. The statistics noted above are remarkable when one considers that it is not only the individual service member who is affected by the symptoms, but also his or her family members. This means that specialty mental health services may be required for marital issues as well as child behavior problems and other family stressors.

Christie adds “with increasing numbers of returning service personnel and their families presenting in acute distress, it is unlikely that any mental health professional will NOT encounter them in his or her clinical office. Our goal is to offer them the specialized information they need in order to deliver effective treatment.”

“We are very pleased to have these courses and to offer them for accredited continuing education units,” says Christie. “I hope this special offer will make them available to every professional who works with veterans and their families.”

 

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Mental Health Month: Get Connected

Mental Health America first celebrated Mental Health Month in May 1949 to “raise awareness of mental health conditions and mental wellness for all.” Since then, a strong focus on mental health advocacy, awareness, and education in May is tradition.

To keep with tradition, Professional Development Resources is offering 25% off the following online mental health continuing education courses during May:

Visit www.pdresources.org for more details.

This year, Mental Health America is addressing these important issues through two themes:

Do More for 1 in 4 is a call to action to help the 1 in 4 American adults who live with a diagnosable, treatable mental health condition and the fact that they can go on to live full and productive lives. Download the Do More For 1in4 Toolkit.

The second theme, Healing Trauma’s Invisible Wounds, focuses on the impact of traumatic events on individuals and communities. It centers around asking the person-based question: “What happened to you?” Download the Healing Trauma’s Invisible Wounds Toolkit.

Pre-Holiday Sale – 50% Off Select Online Courses for One Week Only!

With the holidays quickly approaching it is easy to forget about keeping up with your license renewal continuing education requirements. We’re here to help with our pre-holiday sale! This week only you can save 50% on the online courses shown below. Hurry, sale ends November 24, 2010!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Professional Development Resources!

A Dissociative Identity Disorder CasebookA Dissociative Identity Disorder Casebook – 4 Hours CE – Reg $59 – Sale $29.50! – This course details the diagnosis, treatment, and case management of Multiple Personality Disorder, more recently known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. In-depth discussions include acknowledgement of the confusion and controversies surrounding this relatively rare disorder, rule-outs and co-morbid conditions to be considered, and the numerous clinical challenges encountered in treating individuals with multiple personalities. All sections are richly illustrated with case examples from the professional and popular literature, as well as the extensive clinical experiences of the author. 2008 | 50 pages | 30 posttest questions | Course #40-14 | Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, MFTs, OTs

Alcohol & Intimate Partner ViolenceAlcohol & Intimate Partner Violence – 2 Hours CE – Reg $24 – Sale $12! – This course, which was developed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), is focused on the definitions, profiles, detection and treatment of intimate partner violence (IPV) that is associated with alcohol abuse. It explores the complex relationship between alcohol and intimate partner violence for both victims and perpetrators, addressing various models that attempt to explain this relationship. The course describes the signs of alcohol-related intimate partner violence and a number of techniques for assessing and intervening with individuals who might be affected by or engaging in alcohol-related intimate partner violence. Appendices include the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST), a danger assessment protocol, and a beginning dialogue for an interviewing technique that clinicians can use to initiate a discussion about alcohol and IPV. NIAAA | 2005 | 24 pages | Course #20-23 | Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, MFTs, OTs

Diagnosing ADHD in AdultsDiagnosing ADHD in Adults – 3 Hours CE – Reg $42 – Sale $21! This course will describe the unique ways in which the symptoms of ADHD manifest in adults, including the distinction between attention deficit and attention regulation. It also includes a discussion about the difficulties of accurately diagnosing ADHD in adults and the reasons the disorder is simultaneously over- and under-diagnosed. The DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD – as they apply to adult functioning – are placed into a context of the actual “soft signs” that can help clinicians identify areas of functional weakness for clients with ADHD. The author lists and details the components of a comprehensive diagnostic interview and emphasizes the value of collateral sources of historical information needed to establish an accurate diagnosis. Various formal assessment instruments are described, along with commentary about their utility in the diagnosis of adult ADHD. Finally, there is a section on the important area of comorbid conditions like depression and anxiety that frequently obscure and/or accompany ADHD. 2007 | 32 pages | 20 posttest questions | Course #30-38 | Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, MFTs, OTs, SLPs

Improving Communication With Your Young ClientsImproving Communication With Your Young Clients – 3 Hours CE – Reg $42 – Sale $21! – Healthy professional and personal relationships rely heavily on effective communication techniques and respectful conversational skills. Clinicians and other professionals who work with children and their families can benefit from adding to their repertoire by learning communication techniques that improve the quality of these relationships. The correct use of language can increase your young clients’ self-esteem, motivate children to learn, engage their willing cooperation, defuse power struggles, and teach conflict resolution skills. With this information, you will also be better prepared to manage difficult conversations. The purpose of this course is to teach clinicians effective and practical communication and conversational skills to use in the classroom and in one-on-one situations with young clients and their families. 2009 | 62 pages | 20 posttest questions | Course #30-33 | Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, MFTs, OTs, SLPs, RDs


Mental Health MedicationsMental Health Medications – 1 Hour CE – Reg $12 – Sale $6! – A variety of medications are used to treat the symptoms of mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sometimes medications are used in combination with other treatments such as psychotherapy. This guide describes the types of medications used to treat mental disorders, side effects of medications, directions for taking medications, potential interactions with other drugs, and warnings about medications from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also included are alphabetical lists of medications arranged by trade and generic names with the FDA-approved ages for each. 2008 | 24 pages | 12 posttest questions | Course #10-22 | Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, MFTs, OTs, RDs
The Grieving SelfThe Grieving Self – 3 Hours CE – Reg $36 – Sale $18!The annual number of deaths reported in the United States in the early part of this century was 2.4 million, about four per minute. The Grieving Self looks at the stories of a few of those who are recently bereaved to determine the major issues for those who grieve: aloneness, loss of self, social connections, anniversaries and holidays, self and others’ expectations, the need to continue living, ambivalence of recovery, grief dreams, medical problems. Studies are reviewed which indicate some researchers’ conclusions as to: 1) Gender differences between men and women who grieve; there are important questions regarding the recruitment of subjects and the data gathering process for gender differences research. 2) And, who among the grief survivors are best served by counseling and psychotherapy. This author, while agreeing with much of the research, challenges the belief that the emotional loneliness suffered by the bereaved is the single, major dynamic of the bereaved, and can only be alleviated through passage of time. It is felt that an effort to reconnect those who grieve to a stable sense of self can help the bereaved regain better function and reduce the length of the time they are consigned to painfully distressing lives. 2010 | 34 pages | 20 posttest questions | Course #30-49 | Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, MFTs, OTs