Dissociative Identity Disorder

Diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (DID) accounts for an estimated 1% of the general population and up to 20% of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric populations (Brand & Loewenstein, 2010). DID can also be triggered and manifested in individuals which is why trauma is especially prevalent in individuals diagnosed with DID; about 71% have experienced childhood physical abuse and 74% sexual abuse (Foote, Smolin, Kaplan, Legatt, & Lipschitz, 2006). Due to trauma being so prevalent in DID many individuals with dissociative disorders suffer from a multitude of psychiatric issues that may include

Each identity has unique characteristics whether or not the personalities are aware of each other. The Mayo Clinic’s article states, “Each identity may have a unique name, personal history and characteristics, including obvious differences in voice, gender, mannerisms and even such physical qualities as the need for eyeglasses” (Mayo Clinic Staff). People with dissociative identity disorder may experience amnesia from time to time. The Cleveland Clinic’s article states, “The person may experience amnesia when an alter takes control over the person’s behavior” (“Dissociative Identity Disorder”). In certain instances, patients with DID may actually benefit from their disorder. The Cleveland Clinic’s article states, “In some cases, the person with DID may benefit from a particular alter (for example, a shy person may use a more assertive alter to negotiate a contract)” (“Dissociative Identity Disorder”). Though, in most cases, people suffering from dissociative identity disorder will have problems and added chaos in their lives due to their disorder. The Cleveland Clinic’s article also states, “More often DID creates a chaotic life and problems in personal and work relationships. For example, a woman with DID may repeatedly meet people who seem to know her but whom she does not recognize or remember ever meeting. Or she may find items around the home that she does not remember buying” (“Dissociative Identity Disorder”).

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a condition where there are two or more distinct identities that are and will become present in an individual. These personalities can and will eventually take control of the individual, many people consider having dissociative identity disorder an experience of being possessed. The individual can and most likely will experience memory loss that is more extensive than ordinary everyday forgetfulness (Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). Around two percent of people will experience dissociative disorder, women are more likely than men are to be diagnosed with DID. "Almost half of adults in the United States experience at least one depersonalization/derealization episode in their lives, with only 2% meeting the full criteria for chronic episodes” (Dissociative Disorders).

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a severe psychological disorder characterized by at least two or more distinct personalities or different identities. The different personality states are said to occur spontaneously and involuntarily and function more or less independently of each other. The person suffering from the disorder also experiences memory loss that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. Many people who experience this type of behavior are unaware that they have more than one personality because they can not remember anything that is happening while one of the mind alters are

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a mental disorder where an individual experiences two or more distinct personalities. When an individual is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, one personality has dominant control of an individual. This personality controls how a person may act and how they live everyday life. A person diagnosed with this disease may or may not be aware of their alternate personalities. Each personality is contrasting of each other with distinctive likes and dislikes. They can differ in eyesight, prescriptions, language, and education levels. Many people who suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder have experienced severe childhood trauma. Many Psychologist and others argue

A dissociative amnesia may be present when a person is unable to remember important personal information, which is usually associated with a traumatic event in his/her life. The loss of memory creates gaps in this individual's personal history.

National Alliance on Mental Illness says that there are many dissociative disorders some are dissociative amnesia, dissociative fugue, depersonalization disorder and dissociative identity disorder that was called multiple personality disorder (NAMI, 2016). This paper will look at dissociative identity disorder and what brain abnormalities occur. According to Mayo Clinic, dissociative identity disorder (DID) is written off as the swapping of alternate identities in one person. The person may feel like there are one or more other people living inside them or talking to them. They may have their own names and different personality accompanied by different voices and even gender. People with DID usually have dissociative fugue and amnesia as

Through out the years there has been many disorders that continue to be diagnosed on people, many can be difficult to deal with. Some of these disorders can be uncontrollable and can make it harder on the patients who are trying to get better. Disorders are not sicknesses that can be cured and gone with a couple of doses of medicine, disorders are serious problems a person has to deal with usually if not for a large amount of time, it can be every day for the rest of their life. Sometimes they can worsen with time but others can better as well. Dissociative identity disorder is one of the many disorders which is uncontrollable and difficult to deal with. Patients with this disorder suffer from many symptoms and because of that they can find it hard to live their every day life on their own. Dissociative Identity Disorder has a background that shows that it is caused by many psychological reasons, many cases and stories also prove the same but there is always people who disagree and believe the disorder is unreal.

Most of the time, Dissociative Identity Disorder is brought upon a person due to him or her experiencing traumatic events, mostly in their childhood. Although, not everyone who goes through distressing and emotionally disturbing events and dissociation, develops DID (Aldridge-Morrison 53). Defense mechanisms contribute to why someone develops, because they can not cope with their behaviors. Defense mechanisms are mental processes where their mind unconsciously avoids conscious anxiety of conflicts (Bray Haddock 147). That results in the patient constructing a victim, “splitting,” or protective identity. Victim identity is the identity that experiences the traumatic events so that the main person and other identities do not have memory of it or have to go through it. The “splitting” identity is the one identity who acts childish, so that it keeps the protective and victim identities away from gaining control over the host’s body and mind. The identity that shields and defends against awareness of disturbing events and environmental threats as its role is the protective identity (Aldridge-Morrison 56). The most effective defense mechanism that contributes to the development of DID is dissociation, being in a state of disconnection or feeling disconnection towards something. As well as trying to position pain, anger, sadness somewhere else or blocking the painful memories, like denial, repression, sublimation etc, which are defense mechanism (

Defining what is abnormal is not necessarily easy. There are many different criteria to determine what exactly is normal and what is abnormal. According to Ciccarelli and White (2012) as early as 3000 B.C.E. there have been human skulls found with holes in them. Archaeologists suspect this was caused because of the treatments they had years ago such as “trepanning”. Trepanning is done nowadays as well to remove extra fluids from the brain, as for years ago doctors did it to release the supposed “demons” taking over a person’s body and mind (Ciccarelli & White, 2012, p.553). This was due to technology not being as updated as today, many disorders were seen as witchcraft, and/or demons possessions.

Dissociative Identity Disorder, also known as DID, is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD. This disorder will onset in childhood and is treatable with several options, but in the last few years Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, also known as EMDR has become an acceptable treatment option. Using EMDR therapy the therapist can reinsert the memories of the traumatic childhood experience, this will allow the patient to recognize and overcome the trauma (Fine & Berkowitz, 2001). This treatment will allow access to the trauma in each personality of the DID patient while allowing the patient to overcome the trauma (Fine & Berkowitz, 2001).

Originally known as Multiple Personality Disorder, or MPD, DID is the most rare of the dissociative disorders. Like other dissociative disorders, DID is characterized by abrupt dissociations, or breaks in consciousness. Where it differs from other dissociative disorders is in those breaks. Rather than simply losing identity, awareness and even memory, another identity, a completely different personality, takes the place of the other. DID diagnosis requires that there be at least two personalities, but there are often more. There is a main identity known as the “core”, that doesn’t know about the alternate identities, but is aware of gaps in memory and time. Each alternate identity, too, has its own memories and behaviors that are completely different, separate and, importantly, hidden from the core identity. As with other dissociative disorders, DID switching is usually triggered suddenly by psychological stress. Unlike other dissociative disorders, DID is not

People diagnosed with this disorder experience an inability to recall important personal information. This is largely due to being taken over by the other alters or personality states. People often find themselves in another place with no knowledge of how they got there. They describe feeling separated, detached or floating above their body during dissociative episodes. It is also not uncommon for people to feel, “That they are sharing their body with others. DID is based on the idea that an individual has more than one distinct personality and people with DID usually experience the sensation that others are living in their body” (Stickley). Despite this feeling, patients are usually unaware of these other identities and even the people close to them may not notice the changes in personality. Some of these alters may be violent, but almost exclusively towards the host. These people are often violent towards themselves and suicidal as one personality attempts to kill off another. DID is a dissociative disorder which most of the time are a response to stress. Most clinicians view dissociation broadly, “With nearly everyone having some experiences of being lost in a daydream, reverie, book, or movie, and relatively few having the experience of complex and chronic dissociative experiences resulting in functional impairment”

When children do not get diagnosed with DID at a young age, it can cause the disorder to intensify the personalities as an adult. Adults who have DID have multiple identities within them. These various personalities could range from the typical personality of the person to a change in sex, voice, race, and age (Multiple Personality Disorder). While switching from one personality to the next, a person will enter a dissociative state, which is the disconnection or separation of the mind from physical encounters. This allows a person to feel a sense of safety by having a “defense against the trauma” (Cherry). However, dissociation hinders a person’s ability to remember, and the host will not recall how he/she behaved while in an altered identity. This forgetfulness is part of the amnesia symptom. Even though people with DID have numerous characters inside their bodies, only a select few can remember how other alters act while the dominant personality is gone. Typically the host does not know how each identity behaves. Dissociation and amnesia could also hamper with an individual’s normal functions and cause problems with social interaction

“Dissociative Identity Disorder is defined as a dissociative disorder in which a person has two or more distinct, or alter, personalities” (Nevid, Rathus, and Greene 572). Dissociative Identity Disorder is formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder. A person who has been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder has two or more personalities that are within one person. Each personality has its own specific qualities, memories, mannerisms, and sometimes different speaking voice (Nevid, Rathus, and Greene 201). Some people’s multiple personalities are aware of each other and in other people, the personalities are not aware of the others. There may be one dominant personality in a person but this is not always the case (Nevid, Rathus, and Greene 202).