[Based on one case of dissociative disorder: a conceptual review]

Based on the description of a clinical case treated by the authors, and diagnosed of dissociative disorder, a review of the diagnosis of dissociative disorder and its polemics is carried out. The authors discuss concepts such as dissociation and hysteria, their historic evolution and their relationships. Some modern cognitive theories on dissociative disorders and their relationship or opposition to psychodynamic theories are presented. The differences between dissociation and repression with these two different approaches are also mentioned. The authors conclude that at the present time important questions must be solved in the area of dissociative disorders in order to progress in the psychiatric knowledge of dissociative processes.