Dissociative Identity Disorder Research Paper

Dissociative Identity Disorder, commonly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder, has been one of the more controversial diagnoses in psychology and psychiatry. On one side of the debate, many psychologists and psychiatrists believe the disorder to be an actual phenomenon that occurs in individuals that have suffered through some traumatic experience. On the other side of the debate, however, are the many psychologists and psychiatrists that believe the disorder is simply the result of a therapist’s suggestion and guidance. The present paper, therefore, aims to look into this debate. In particular, the paper discusses the criteria in which one is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, explores the history of the disorder, and presents both sides of the controversy of the disorder.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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 formerly known as multiple personality disorder is a disorder that researchers and doctors have shown immense interest in over the past century. Even though DID has evident symptoms and causes, some professionals in the healthcare system doubt that this disorder is real or it even exist. Dissociation is something that happens to every one of us; most of the time this is like day dreaming or being lost in thought while doing something like a project. However, DID is a more complicated form of dissociation. In this state, there is a disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity or perception of the environment (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV). When this

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.

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

Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder is “a condition wherein a person's identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personality states” (psychologytoday.com). Disassociation is the act of separating oneself from awareness and occurs naturally for most people in the form of daydreaming or when performing uninteresting and monotonous tasks. However, it is considered a mental disorder when dissociation exists on a continuous spectrum and an actual identity shift occurs. My hypothesis is that Dissociative Identity Disorder is derived from the environment and experiences as a defense mechanism due to extreme trauma, rather than genetics. “Among people with dissociative identity disorder in the United

This paper will discuss dissociative identity disorder which is one of several dissociative disorders. Dissociative identity disorder has not been around as long as many other mental disorders, the earliest cases of persons reporting dissociative identity disorder symptoms were not recorded until the 1790’s. (Frey R.J., Ph.D. Cataldo L.J., RN, Ed.D. Longe J.L., 2015.). Even though it has not been around for that long psychiatrists are debating whether dissociative identity disorder was previously misdiagnosed and underreported, or currently over diagnosed. (Frey et al 2015.). Psychiatrists may not find out wither if it is over, under or misdiagnosed but people need to know what DID is. People also should

Dissociative personality disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is an illness that is characterized by two or more distinct sub-personalities that repeatedly take control of the patient’s conscience and behavior. Each unique personality may exhibit behavior patterns, memories, and social relationships exclusive to that personality. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, the occurrence of DID is in one percent of the population of the United States (National Alliance of Mental Illness, n.d.). There is a rough estimate of 316 million people in the United States according to the census in 2013. Rendering to this statistic, 3.16 million people have Dissociative Identity Disorder in the United States.

My topic of choice for this research paper is Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. This appellation is rather new; therefore, most are more familiar with the disorder's older, less technical name: Multiple Personality Disorder or MPD. When first presented with the task of selecting a topic on which to center this paper, I immediately dismissed Dissociative Identity Disorder (which for the sake of brevity will be referred to as DID for the remainder of this paper) as a viable topic due to the sheer scope of the disorder. However after an exhaustive examination of other prospective topics, I found myself back at my original choice. There are several reasons why I chose DID. The foremost of which is the widespread fascination of this

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