Why It Feels Like Everyone Is Dissociating Right Now
At 6 a.m. on a Monday morning, assaulted by the bright light in my bedroom and barely able to sit up, I texted my best friend: 'I can’t face the commute, I’m literally dissociating right now.' But was I truly experiencing dissociation? The term 'dissociating' gets bandied around frequently in casual conversation. While I might have been feeling tired and overwhelmed, I was ultimately okay. After having my coffee, shaking off the cobwebs, and heading to work, I reflected on the broader implications of such language.
The Rise of Mental Health Terminology in Everyday Discourse
Using mental health terms in daily dialogue can foster more open discussions around conditions like anxiety, depression, OCD, and ADHD. However, it also risks diminishing the severity of serious clinical disorders. Currently, there are over 113,000 posts on TikTok using the hashtag 'dissociation.' While some offer genuine clinical advice, others meme-ify a significant mental health issue, potentially trivializing the experiences of those who suffer.
What Are Dissociative Disorders According to the NHS?
The NHS defines dissociative disorders as a range of conditions that can cause both physical and psychological problems. Symptoms may include feeling disconnected from oneself and the world, uncertainty about one's identity, or forgetting specific time periods and events. Data indicates that approximately 1% to 3% of the UK population suffers from a form of dissociative disorder, highlighting its relevance in public health discussions.
Types of Dissociative Disorders
The NHS outlines three main types of dissociative disorders:
- Depersonalisation-derealisation disorder: Individuals report that people and things around them feel 'foggy' or 'lifeless,' as if existing outside of themselves.
- Dissociative amnesia: Characterized by periods where one cannot remember information about themselves or their surroundings, potentially including forgetting learned skills or arriving at destinations with no recollection of the journey.
- Dissociative identity disorder (DID): Previously known as multiple personality disorder, DID involves the presence of other identities with distinct voices, mannerisms, and personalities.
Why Many People Relate to the Concept of Dissociating
If most Brits do not have a diagnosable dissociative disorder, why do so many relate to the idea? Dr. Lauren Lebois, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, explains that dissociation exists on a spectrum. Similar to the distinction between feeling anxious and having an anxiety disorder, most people experience a 'normative type' of dissociation. She notes that becoming absorbed in a task, like reading a riveting book or driving home, can lead to a loss of awareness of surroundings without negatively impacting daily functioning.
Dr. Lebois emphasizes the importance of using the term 'dissociating' correctly to avoid minimizing the severe experiences of those with dissociative disorders. She states, 'We need to be careful that our use of the word 'dissociating' to describe more mundane absorptive experiences doesn’t trivialize the more distressing experiences of those with clinical conditions.'
What Does Normative Dissociation Feel Like?
Matt Bordonada, deputy clinical director at the Clinic for Dissociative Studies in London, describes dissociation as a normal human reaction to stressful, overwhelming, frightening, or even boring situations. He explains, 'It’s about the mind and body disconnecting and coping. For example, you might get on a bus or train and arrive at your destination, feeling like time has disappeared and you can’t remember the journey. This is normal.' Many people refer to this as 'zoning out,' where they might feel like they are floating away from their bodies or that the world around them doesn’t feel real, akin to being in a video game.
Differentiating Between Anxiety, Depression, and Dissociative Disorders
Dr. Lebois offers a basic analogy to illustrate the differences: Imagine driving a car through a tense intersection. Anxiety is gripping the wheel too tightly with sweaty palms slipping. Depression is feeling like you don’t want to drive anymore, perhaps thinking other cars would be better off without you on the road. Dissociation, however, is feeling as if you’re in the backseat watching yourself drive. In more extreme cases, it’s like being in the backseat watching someone else drive, where that person feels like a different identity altogether.
This nuanced understanding helps clarify why casual use of mental health terms requires caution, ensuring that serious conditions receive the attention and respect they deserve in both clinical and everyday contexts.
