Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder, popularly known as multiple personality disorder, is the most talked about disorder and also the most controversial diagnosis that evokes myriads of responses. It is a very severe mental health condition that originates in early childhood because of severe trauma that a child experiences. This eventually creates two or more distinct personas used as a defense mechanism against that trauma (Barreda-Hanson, n.d.). Some people characterize it as someone being possessed because it is unwanted and involuntary (APA, 2013). The involuntary personalities develop separately and later on in adulthood help deal with stress by calming the main personality (Cherry, 2005). People with …show more content…
Without treatment, there are different possible complications that a person may suffer such as broken relationships and jobs, insomnia, depression, eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, drug use, and many more (Better Health, 2012). Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most recommended approach to treat dissociative identity disorder. Gillig (2009) states that it is often recommended because it:
Incorporates communicating effectively with the alters and helping the patient find more adaptive coping strategies than “switching” when distressed. This can be enhanced by teaching relaxation exercises, suggesting breaks from the setting for a few minutes, and helping the patient gain control over cognitive distortions of the self and the
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Instead of eye movement, some psychiatrists use other bilateral stimulation sets because patients can tolerate it much better. For patients to not be exposed to additional traumatic materials, longer sessions might be a necessity, but instead for them to “process and integrate material at the pace that they can tolerate and to restabilize them before concluding the session (Van der Hart et al.,
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a psychological condition in which a person will create one or more alternate identities. DID (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) is just one of three dissociative disorders. This disorder is set apart by the way the identities “switch” from one to another. Patients who suffer from dissociative identity disorder can often lead normal lives when diagnosed properly and treated accordingly; sometimes, they cannot. People suffering from dissociative identity disorder often have similar causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Dissociative identity disorder can be diagnosed with, “the presence of two of more distinct identities or personalities states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self), b. at least two of these identities of personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior, c. inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness, d. the disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or general medical condition”, (Levy & Swanson. 2008. Clinical Assessment of Dissociative Identity Disorder Among College Counseling Clients. p. 11). Physicians argue that the evidence that the patient presents is real, they are looking for something more, or rather dig deeper to diagnose each separately as its own issue. Psychiatrists also argue that criminals may “get off” due to the individual’s alters playing a role in the diagnoses’ everyday life.
The mental illness called dissociative identity disorder or DID brings up many controversies in the world of psychology. Many psychologists have their doubts as to whether it is a "real" diagnosis or not. In the article "Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Controversial Diagnosis" the author goes into detail, providing facts that have been collected from many sources and gives information as to why it is such a controversial topic. The article answers many questions regarding the topic, providing the reader with enough information to understand why there is such a controversy surrounding this topic.
In the article Dissociative Identity Disorder : A Controversial Diagnosis , stated that patients of dissociative are “ possess extreme sensitivity to interpersonal trust and rejection issues” (Gillig ,2009) . This creates a hard time for therapists to treat patients with multiple identity disorder because of trust and rejection issues.The treatment for consist of psychotherapy and hypnosis . Hypnosis is used for communicate with different personalities and to understand their role. There are different types of psychotherapy that decrease the symptoms of dissociative identity disorder .One of the following types of psychotherapy is cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps the patient to cope with negative thoughts and
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
Imagine living with a mental disorder that even your doctor refused to believe was real. For those living with Dissociative Identity Disorder, this is an unfortunate reality for far too many. Within the population, 1%-3% meet the criteria for DID, making the disease as common as other more familiar disorders like Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder (Gray). If the latter are easily identifiable, then why are both the public and certain mental health professionals reluctant to accept DID? Dissociative Identity Disorder is an authentic disease that can usually be prevented within the person’s childhood, can make the person’s life extremely difficult, and is frequently mistaken for other diseases with similar symptoms.
According to the DSM-IV-TR, the person must meet certain criteria in order to be diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. This includes two or more distinct identities or personality states being present, each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self, at least two of these identities or personality states recurrently taking control of the person’s behavior, the person having an inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness, and the disturbance not being due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (such as blackouts or chaotic behavior during alcohol intoxication) or a general medical condition (such as complex partial seizures).
Today psychotherapy like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is the mainstay of treatment for dissociative identity disorder. It is used in a way that helps individuals improve their relationship with others, preventing crises, and experience feelings they are not comfortable with having. Another common treatment that is used today is Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), this treatment method integrates traumatic memories with the patient's own resources. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is also effective. Although medications can be helpful in managing emotional symptoms that sometimes occur. Medications are prescribed in order to avoid making the individual feel re-traumatized by feeling controlled. Medications such as antidepressants are often used to address the other conditions an individual may be facing, for example impulse control problems, anxiety, anger and depression. (Gillig, 2009).
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
Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously called multiple personality disorder, is a severe form of separation. It is the most dramatic, least common, and most controversial dissociative disorder (King, 2012, p.569). Individuals that suffer from this disorder have more than one distinct personality, or identity. One of the identities is dominant, each identity takes over at different times. One identity may or may not be aware of the other, if someone has more than two, the identities may be aware of only certain others or none at all. If a situation is thought to be too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate with their main personality, the person with dissociate themselves and switch to another identity.
Approximately 43 million Americans suffer from some kind of mental illness. Although this statistic suggests it’s a normal and accepted fact, the reality of the situation is that mental health does not get enough awareness as it should. This is because a lot of people believe that these ailments such as depression and bipolar disorder are “all in their heads.” Technically speaking, these people are not wrong since these things do occur in the brain, hence the name “mental” illness. One disorder that has grabbed my inner psychologist’s attention is dissociative identity disorder also known as DID. Dissociative identity disorder is a controversial disorder because psychologists are split on its existence and validity.
It is estimated that up to two percent of the general population experiences dissociative disorders (NAMI). Dissociative disorders are characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness and memory (NAMI). Dissociative disorders are not discriminative; people from all races and socioeconomic backgrounds can suffer from one. The symptoms of this disease usually develop as a way to deal with a traumatic event and can be worsened during stressful situations. Although, the symptoms one may experience can differ based upon which dissociative disorder they have. Treatment for dissociative disorders often involves psychotherapy and medication. Though finding an effective treatment plan can be difficult, many people can live
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
In the mental health industry myths persist because of a lack of knowledge about dissociative identity disorder. These myths create a aspect around the disorder and continue the belief that this disorder is extraordinary. For example one myth is that there are different people inside someone with dissociative identity disorder. Adding to the problem are poorly trained therapists who promote atypical treatments that aren’t supported by the expert clinical
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) also commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. The dissociative aspect is a coping mechanism of people who may have experienced serious trauma and abuse. The person dissociates themselves from the situation or experience that has been traumatizing for them and made a “companion” within themselves to either protect them, or help them cope with the trauma. Dissociative identity disorder has always been at the top of the list when it comes to the aspect of it being real or not. Some mental health professionals believe that dissociative identity disorder is a phenomenon of another psychiatric problem. The abused person uses a coping mechanism such as creating a people to handle the situations that are happening, and they feel they cannot handle. In one case a person will create a personality to be a protector if they cannot physically defend themselves, or they will a