Many individuals wake up feeling detached on challenging mornings, struggling to face daily routines like commuting due to a sense of disconnection. While this sensation prompts conversations about mental health, the term ‘dissociation’ often describes everyday overwhelm rather than a clinical issue. After coffee and a mental reset, most people proceed with their day.
Casual use of mental health terms fosters openness about anxiety, depression, OCD, and ADHD, yet it risks undervaluing severe conditions. TikTok features over 113,000 posts under #dissociation, blending clinical insights with memes that trivialize the issue.
Dissociative disorders involve a range of conditions triggering physical and psychological symptoms, such as detachment from oneself or surroundings, identity confusion, or memory lapses for events and periods. Data indicates 1% to 3% of the UK population experiences these disorders.
What Are Dissociative Disorders?
Three primary types exist:
- Depersonalisation-derealisation disorder: Surroundings appear foggy or lifeless, with individuals feeling like observers outside their own bodies.
- Dissociative amnesia: Inability to recall personal details or events, potentially leading to lost time or arriving at unfamiliar places without memory of the journey.
- Dissociative identity disorder (DID): Previously known as multiple personality disorder, characterized by distinct identities with unique voices, behaviors, and traits.
Why Do So Many People Relate to Dissociation?
Dr. Lauren Lebois, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, explains that dissociation operates on a spectrum. Everyday experiences differ from diagnosable disorders, similar to anxiety versus anxiety disorder.
She states: ‘Most people have had the experience of becoming so absorbed in a task or a thought that you lose awareness of what’s happening around you – it might happen with a riveting book or driving home. These types of dissociation don’t typically impact your daily functioning in a negative way.’
Persistent trauma-related dissociation disrupts work, school, and relationships, marking complex disorders. Dr. Lebois urges precise language to avoid minimizing severe cases: ‘We need to be careful that our use of the word “dissociating” to describe more mundane absorptive experiences, doesn’t minimise the more severe and distressing experiences of those with dissociative disorders.’
What Does Everyday Dissociation Feel Like?
Matt Bordonada, deputy clinical director at the Clinic for Dissociative Studies in London, describes dissociation as a standard response to stress, boredom, or overwhelm, where mind and body disconnect to cope.
Common examples include boarding a train and arriving at the destination with no recall of the trip—often called ‘zoning out.’ Sensations may involve floating away from one’s body or perceiving the world as unreal, like a video game.
Differentiating Dissociation from Anxiety and Depression
Dr. Lebois offers a clear analogy: Imagine navigating a tense intersection in a car. Anxiety grips the wheel tightly with sweaty palms. Depression prompts a desire to exit the road entirely. Dissociation feels like sitting in the backseat, observing oneself drive; in extreme cases, the driver seems like a stranger.
