“Blind in the Mind”: An IPA Study of Self-Stigma Related to Living with a Dissociative Disorder

Self-stigma has been shown to produce a treatment barrier while dissociation has been shown to produce a secondary treatment barrier. In individuals that suffer from dissociative disorders, self-stigma can lead to worsening symptoms and increase distress around feeling misunderstood. This qualitative study asked ten participants living with a dissociative disorder to describe what their experience was like. Themes have pointed to the ways explicit judgment and implicit perception carry equal weight and can lead to isolation to the degree that, because of the shame experienced, individuals feel helpless to improve relationships or even associate with peers. The hope of this study is to shed light on a unique condition that has crucial implications for compassionate and successful treatment.