Essay on Dissociative Identity Disorder

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 is called a multiple personality disorder up until 1994 when they changed the name to give us a better understanding of the condition. Some people believe that patients with DID can become easily hypnotized and their symptoms are iatrogenic, "meaning they have arisen in response to therapists' suggestions. Brain imaging studies, however, have corroborated identity transitions in some patients." Usually a primary identity will carry the individual's name and is passive, dependent, guilty, and depressed. When an

The most common signs and symptoms experienced by patients with Dissociative identity disorder are amnesia and depersonalization. The amnesia in patients with DID is typically manifests with gaps in their memory often gaps in memory in their past or even their entire childhood. The majority of patients with DID have memory gaps when a personality has taken over the host (primary personality). Some patients may describe as being outside their body and watching something take place in front of them that they cannot control, which is also known as depersonalization. According to Hart (2103), another sign is derealization, which is when the patient may not recognize people such as friends and family, which can lead to difficulties maintaining a healthy relationship.

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

Although there are many scientific facts that come with Dissociative Identity Disorder; there are many other factors that come along with it. A person with Dissociative Identity Disorder may have different likes and dislikes with taste of foods; and a person who may be allergic to peanuts may not be allergic to them the next day. The reason for this is, their alternate personality is not allergic to them. A person will not know how to play the piano one day, but the next day they know how. The most supported physical evidence of Dissociative Identity Disorder is the dramatic upsurge of eye vision in an individual (Visual Function in Multiple Personality Disorder 1). A person with multiple personalities can have contrasting eye vision. Along with eye vision comes medical needs. A person may have asthma one day and the next day they don’t. Many of these factors come along with Dissociative Identity

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a disorder distinguished by the existence of two or more distinct personality states. It is also known as DID or Multiple Personality Disorder. It is very rare, with only 20,000 to 200,000 known US cases per year. Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment can sometimes help. Many believe that DID can be caused by a significant trauma and is used as a coping mechanism to help avoid bad memories. The disorders most often form in kids victim to long-term physical, sexual or emotional abuse or, sometimes just a home environment that 's frightening or highly unpredictable. The stress of war or natural disasters close by also can bring on dissociative disorders.

To begin to understand what happens within a person with dissociative identity disorder, it is important to first explain what the disorder is exactly. As defined by a forensic psychiatry and forensic psychology book: “Dissociative identity disorder (DID or multiple personality disorder) represents a ‘disruption of identity’ in which ‘two or more distinct personality states’ (also referred to as ‘alters’) occur. Further characteristics include: ‘marked discontinuity in the sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning.’ There may be gaps in recall of every day events, important personal information, and/or traumatic events inconsistent with ‘normal forgetting’”

Dissociation is defined as “a mental process, which produces a lack of connection in a person 's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity” (Grohol, 2016). The Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a severe condition in which two or more separate, distinct identities or personality states are present in an individual. In other words, a person has, what seems like, actual distinct and contrasting people in their head and these “alters” are able to take control of an individual’s mind and body at any time and act as a completely different individual. Each alter is capable of having its own set of likes, dislikes, talents, memories, and personal experiences. The alters’ usually have a specific name, age, gender and possibly race. According to Psychology Today (2014), the alters’ characteristics are typically very different from the primary identity, including their history, self-image, vocabulary, knowledge and predominant mood. The primary identity tends to be passive, dependent, guilty and depressed. A person with DID experiences extensive memory loss which is typically more extensive than what would be experienced by ordinary forgetfulness. For instance, if an alter were to take over, once the individual is back in control of his or her own body, they typically report not remembering anything that was done or said. Some individuals report feeling “familiar” with the conversations or experiences that were had by the alter, but as if they had only overheard

According to the (American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders pg 519) Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of the individual’s behaviour

Sexual molestation, beating, neglect, burning, and verbal abuse. All of these horrible happenings are believed to be linked to a condition known as Multiple personality disorder (MPD). Multiple personality disorder, also known as dissociative identity disorder, is a mental illness in which a person has two or more identities or personalities. Single personalities randomly take control of the individual's behavior. Usually, the sufferer gives the personalities their own names. These multiple personalities almost always have characteristics that greatly differ from the person's primary identity. A person with this disorder always experiences some amount of amnesia. Most of the time the individual forgets

“Dissociative identity disorder is a condition in which a person manifests at least two or more distinct identities or personality states that alternate in some way in taking control of behavior” (Butcher, 2013, p. 285). Dissociative identity disorder has taken the place of the term "multiple personality’s disorder" because they needed a more accurate name for the disorder due to the fact that "the alternate identities are now seen as fragments of a single personality like a mirror broken into shards sometime in childhood." (Lost in the mirror: Women with multiple

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

The person could be a thirty year old and have one alter that is twenty, one that is five, and one that is sixty. Most tend to be children because that is the age that the person was abused, so it typically holds the most trauma (jrank.org). Each alter has its own behaviors and mannerisms (“Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)” webmd.org). The host could be very shy and weak while one alter may be strong and commanding, and another irrational and energetic. No two personalities are the same, so no two alters are the

Dissociative identity disorder is a type of dissociative disorder. A dissociative disorder can be explained as an individual becoming dissociative with his or her sense of self. These disorders disturb both memory and identity and usually have a psychological cause. Dissociative identity disorder is a disorder in which two or more identities or personality states are present in one individual. These identities alternatively take control of the individual. This causes frequent gaps in memory, which are believed to be caused by the other personality. When one personality takes control, the other one does not remember anything that took place. There has been continuing research about what causes the disorder. It is believed that the disorder is caused by intense physical or sexual trauma (Dissociative Disorders). The disorder was once called multiple personality disorder until 1994. This changed to reflect a better understanding of the

This research paper aims to explore the mental disease known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder. I explore the meaning, symptoms, and effects of DID. My research describes those diagnosed with DID and the probable reasons of why they have the disorder. This study also explains the many different treatments and the effects those treatments might have on a person that has the disorder. I include a research study done on someone diagnosed with DID, the method used to help treat her, and the results of her treatment. Lastly, I state my opinion on DID and the methods I believe with help people prevent, treat, and cope with