ABSTRACT
The dissociative disorders were a main concern of psychiatry and psychology in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. They became a focus of controversy regarding fragmentation of memory, identity and consciousness, especially regarding amnesia and memory retrieval of traumatic events. It became clear that trauma and dissociation are closely linked, both at the time of trauma and in its aftermath. The very discontinuity of experience brought about by trauma can be reflected in the discontinuity of memory and personal identity. As our understanding of other reactions to trauma led to the formulation of PTSD, recognition grew of a dissociative subtype in the DSM-5 that reflected suppression of trauma-related affect. Neurobiological research on dissociation has demonstrated characteristic activity in the region of the posterior cingulate cortex and a corresponding altered relationship with the prefrontal cortex. Dissociative disorders have been underdiagnosed and disrespected, but despite that they have not disappeared, and continue to be increasingly integrated into mainstream psychiatric and psychological thought.
