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Introduction

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known


as Multiple Personality Disorder, is classified as a
dissociative disorder. Involving the presence of two
or more distinct personality states, or alters,
individuals affected by this illness experience a
What is DID?
Dissociative Identity Disorder is a severe condition
where an individual posses two or more distinct
alter identities or personality states. The average
number of personality states is approximately 15,
however, there can be upwards of 90 different
alters. In most, but not all cases, the main
personality is unaware of the other personalities.
Individuals diagnosed with DID are said to have
experienced traumatic or abusive events during
childhood. The theory behind the development of
alter personalities is that individuals found they
could escape the trauma of abuse by creating new
personalities to deal with the stress.

disruption of identity and


aWhat
range
emotions.
is of
Dissociation?

Multiple Personalities?

According to the Oxford


Dictionary dissociation is the

Bewildering Blackouts?

separation of normally related


mental processes resulting in
one group functioning
independently from the rest,
leading in extreme cases to
disorders such multiple
personality. From a
psychological standpoint, this
term is an applicable
characteristic to many disorders.

These types of transient


experiences occur in 50% of
the population to some
degree. They are not always
indicative of a disorder.

Dissociation?

Dissociative
Identity Disorder
A brief overview of Dissociative
Identity Disorder

Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and


Treatment
Learn more about Dissociative Identity Disorder from
your healthcare professional.

Is DID real?
Many professionals debate the veracity that dissociative identity disorder exists. However, psychological
research indicates that between different alter states there are a few disparities. In many cases, medical
conditions between different states are differing. An example of this would be optical changes. Some
alters may need glasses or contacts, whereas, others may have perfect eyesight. In addition, research
examining the brain in a functional MRI; indicate that there are changes in brain functioning between
personality states. Research on brain dysfunction is still a new idea, but pre-existing evidence suggests
that structural differences in brain are present. Significant brain dysfunction in areas involved with
memory and emotion was found. Although research on brain functioning and DID has just begun to skim
the surface, there are numerous reasons and preexisting evidence that supports the existence of this
disorder.

Signs
-

The signs of a person with DID are very


interesting, and show a great deal about the
disorder. Individuals diagnosed with DID
Symptoms
are generally extremely skilled at selfAlcohol/drug abuse
hypnosis, and are able to convince
Depression
themselves of anything unknowingly. When
Mood swings
an alter personality is present the person
Anxiety
may lose time, sometimes even days or
Nervousness
months. Recurrent gaps in the recall of
Eating disorders
Hearing voices telling you to everyday events, important personal
information, and/or traumatic events that
say and do things
are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.
Panic attacks
Individuals may not recognize clothing or
Disorientation
other items that their alter has purchased,
Flashbacks
they often find unfamiliar belongings. As
Suicidal ideation
Changes in sleeping patterns characterized in the DSM-5, these
symptoms cause significant impairment in
Changes in personality
many areas of an individuals life. Often
Failure to recall important
times, this type of distress is seen in many
personal information
important areas of functioning such as
Memory loss (amnesia)
social or occupational settings. In addition,
Experiencing confusion
this disorder cannot be accounted for
Hallucinations
through the use of drugs.
Delusions

What causes Dissociative


Identity Disorder?
Aside from childhood abuse or trauma,
individuals suffering from DID usually lack
support from others in many areas of their life.
According to the Diathesis Stress Model there
are certain personality traits that may
predispose an individual to foster dissociative
experiences. Ability for hypnosis, and openness
to new states of consciousness, have the ability
to help form a dissociative disorder, in the
prese
nce
of a
trau
matic

How is Dissociative Identity Disorder Treated?


Psychotherapy Group and Individual
Psychotherapy is considered to be the main treatment for dissociative identity disorder. Although this type of treatment is best accomplished on an
individual basis, it can also be done in a group setting. When utilizing psychotherapy, psychoanalysts seek to provide assistance to those with
dissociative identity disorder by helping them to reveal their early childhood trauma, and postulate coping mechanisms to deal with such issues. Medical
professionals frequently recommend a direct interaction with the alter personality, to help open lines of communication. During this time the disclosure
of abuse and confronting undesirable childhood issues is an integral part of therapy. In sessions the triggers or causes of trauma are brought on by the
therapist in order to help the identities come to the forefront. The goal of psychotherapy is reintegration of the personalities into one, making it possible
for coexistence among all alters. After this takes place the therapist will help the individual manage the anxiety and depression associated with their
episodes.

Dissociative
Experiences Scale

EMDR and Hypnosis


In addition to psychotherapy other
methods that are often used at hypnosis,
and eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing or EMDR. Hypnosis is used
to hypnotize the patient into their other
alter states, to help reintegrate them.
EMDR is used because trauma hinders
the integration of memory. EMDR is a
psychotherapeutic technique that helps
to speed up the processing of
information and facilitates the
reintegration of fragmented memories.

The diagram to the left is


the dissociative
experiences scale. When a
medical professional
evaluates a prospective
client with DID, this the
scale that is utilized to help
diagnose the patient. The
patient is asked a series of
questions, and the
psychotherapist or
evaluator then bases their
experiences on this scale
and refers back to the mean
scores. This scale also helps
professionals to have well
documented diagnostic
papers.

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