When the Mind Protects: A deeper look into misdiagnosed mental health struggles

I would have loved to end this in just one episode, but as much as I desired to wrap it up, I soon discovered there’s still more ground to cover. The more I wrote, the more I realized that there’s still a need to explain how dissociative disorders are often confused with other mental health conditions. Last week, we explored what dissociation really feels like, how the mind, in its bid to protect, sometimes disconnects from memories, emotions, or even identity itself. We talked about how it’s not madness, but a coping strategy.

Still, many people are left wondering: how do I tell the difference between dissociative disorders and conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, or dementia? These questions matter. They’re real. And they deserve honest, simple answers. So, in this episode, we’ll take that walk together, not with heavy textbook terms, but with the kind of story and clarity that helps someone see their own story more clearly.

Dissociative disorders are among the most misunderstood mental health challenges. Many people who live with them go years without the right diagnosis, often mislabelled or dismissed because their symptoms don’t fit neatly into the boxes we expect. One reason for this confusion is that dissociation often looks like something else. When someone can’t recall parts of their life or has memory gaps, people may assume it’s early signs of dementia. When a person feels like the world around them isn’t real, or like they’re floating outside their body, it can be mistaken for schizophrenia or psychosis. And when they seem emotionally distant, moody, or unpredictable, people may think it’s bipolar disorder.

But even though these symptoms may look similar on the outside, the roots and experiences behind them are often very different. Dissociative disorders are almost always linked to past trauma.

The mind, as a survival tool, learns to disconnect from the pain. It’s like the brain saying, this is too much to bear, so I’m going to tuck this memory, this feeling, or even this part of me away. That separation, or splitting, is what we call dissociation. It often starts in childhood, especially for those who went through neglect, abuse, or emotional overwhelm before they were old enough to process what was happening.

Let’s break it down further. Schizophrenia, for instance, involves hallucinations, delusions, and confusion about what’s real and what isn’t. A person might hear voices or see things that aren’t there and fully believe in them. In dissociative disorders, the person may also hear inner voices or feel confused, but deep down, they often know something isn’t right. The voices might be connected to inner conflict or trauma, not a total break from reality. That’s a big difference.

PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, also comes from trauma, and yes, dissociation can be part of it.

But PTSD tends to show up as flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, and hypervigilance. Dissociative disorders go further. People might lose chunks of time, forget who they are, or develop alternate identities. PTSD is the alarm system still going off. Dissociation is what happens when the system shuts down completely to survive.

Now let’s talk about bipolar disorder. Bipolar is all about shifts in mood. You might see someone go from deep sadness and exhaustion to periods of high energy, fast speech, or impulsive behavior. Dissociative disorders aren’t about mood swings. They’re more about feeling disconnected from memories, emotions, surroundings, even the body itself. It’s not a rush of energy or a crash, but a kind of emotional numbness or fog that lingers.

Dementia, especially in older people, can also look a bit similar. Forgetfulness, confusion, and disorientation are common. But in dissociative amnesia, memory gaps often revolve around specific people, events, or places, especially ones connected to emotional pain. Unlike dementia, which typically gets worse with age and is linked to aging or brain damage, dissociative memory loss can improve with the right support. It’s more like trying to hide from pain, not an illness breaking down the brain itself.

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Triggers for dissociation are not always obvious. Sometimes, it’s not a loud traumatic event, but small reminders – a scent, a sound, a voice tone, a familiar place that quietly echoes a past experience.

Suddenly, the person might feel numb, distant, or even detached from reality. Some describe it as feeling like a robot going through the motions. Others feel like they’re watching themselves from outside their body, or that the world has turned into a movie they’re not really part of. In more intense cases, the person might switch between different identities, especially under stress. These aren’t made-up stories. They are very real, very protective survival responses.

Unfortunately, people who experience these things often don’t speak up. They’re afraid of being judged, dismissed, or called “crazy”. That silence deepens their struggle.

But they are not crazy. They are not dangerous. They are human beings whose minds did something remarkable to protect them from what was once unbearable.

The good news is that help exists. With support, people living with dissociative disorders can reconnect with themselves and heal. Therapy is key, especially trauma-informed therapy that goes gently and at the person’s pace. Treatments like EMDR, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and others have helped many people regain their sense of identity and safety. It doesn’t happen overnight. Healing is a journey. But it’s possible.

If you’ve noticed signs like emotional numbness, blackouts, memory gaps, or feeling detached from yourself or your surroundings, don’t ignore them. And don’t be afraid. Talk to a professional healthcare provider. The earlier the understanding, the more empowered the healing.

The human mind is powerful. It finds ways to protect itself from pain, even when those ways come with their own challenges. Dissociative disorders are not something to fear. They are something to understand. And if you are someone who lives with dissociative symptoms, know this: You are not crazy. You are not weak. You are not alone. What happened to you matters. And healing is possible.