What the exam asks
- Concept application (MCQ): You will be given brief clinical vignettes and asked which disorder the described symptoms are most consistent with, often requiring you to distinguish dissociative identity disorder from schizophrenic spectrum disorders or retrograde amnesia.
- Research and argumentation (AAQ/EBQ): Summarized studies may examine correlation coefficients between childhood adversity scores and dissociative symptoms, or evaluate treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In an EBQ, you might use specific symptoms or etiology (such as dissociative coping or classical conditioning of fear triggers) to explain how research evidence supports a claim.
Core ideas
Dissociative disorders
Dissociative disorders are characterized by disruptions and fragmentations—or dissociations—in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control, and behavior. These disruptions are involuntary and are not caused by a direct physiological condition (such as a traumatic brain injury or substance use).
| Disorder | Key Characteristics | Typical Exam Clues |
|---|---|---|
| Dissociative amnesia (without fugue) | An inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is incompatible with ordinary forgetting. | Sudden memory loss for personal identity or a specific stressful period, with no physical brain injury and intact procedural skills. |
| Dissociative amnesia (with fugue) | Dissociative amnesia accompanied by dissociative fugue: purposeful travel or bewildered wandering away from home or work, linked with amnesia for identity or other autobiographical memories. | A person is found in a new city with no memory of their past identity, sometimes having assumed a new name and routine. |
| Dissociative identity disorder (DID) | The presence of two or more distinct personality states (identities), accompanied by recurrent gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information, or traumatic events. | Shifts in voice, posture, preferences, and demeanor across distinct identities; missing time (e.g., finding unfamiliar items in one’s closet). |