Dissociative personality disorder
Dissociative personality disorder (also called multiple personality disorder) is considered to be the result of serious childhood trauma, such as repeated physical, mental or sexual abuse.
What is dissociative personality disorder?
Most of us have experienced mild dissociation, such as when we are working on a project and momentarily disconnect from reality.
With dissociative personality disorder however, it is a serious problem, a severe form of dissociation in which the brain cuts off a person’s connection with his thoughts, memories, feelings, actions and in general with identity.
Usually this disorder is the result of violent trauma. This is believed to be the brain’s way of dealing with trauma – the person literally disconnects from themselves to distance themselves from the event that has stressed them to an extremely high degree.
Is Dissociative Personality Disorder Real?
You may be wondering if Dissociative Identity Disorder is real. After all, understanding the development of multiple personalities in one person’s body is extremely difficult, even for highly skilled specialists in the field.
The diagnosis itself remains a highly controversial issue among mental health professionals, with some experts believing it to be an “offshoot” or phenomenon of another psychiatric diagnosis, such as borderline personality disorder.
According to others, it is the product of deep and serious difficulties in a person’s ability to cope with the tensions associated with relationships with other individuals.
What are the symptoms of dissociative personality disorder?
Dissociative personality disorder is when 2 or more personalities or personalities exist and have control at the same time in the same person’s body.
Another characteristic feature of dissociative identity disorder is the inability to recall key facts and important personal information that is too significant to simply be accepted as forgotten.
Significant discrepancies in memories are observed, which is precisely due to the split that the person experiences.
The fact that separate personalities living in the body of the same person can be extremely impressive is be of different ages, races and even of different genders! Each distinct identity has its own gestures, posture and way of speaking.
In some cases it is even possible that the other persons are animals and not people.
Since each individual governs himself and is responsible for his own actions, this transition from one individuality to another is known as “switching”.
When under hypnosis, a person’s different personalities can be really responsive to the therapist’s questions.
Along with split personality, people with dissociative identity disorder may experience the following other symptoms:
– Depression;
– Mood swings;
– Suicidal thoughts and desire;
– Sleep disorders (sleep walking, insomnia and others);
– Anxiety, panic attacks attacks and phobias;
– Alcohol and drug abuse;
– Compulsive thoughts and rituals;
– Psychotic symptoms (e.g. hallucinations);
– Eating disorders;
Other symptoms may include losing track of time, trance, amnesia, and feeling as if one is out of one’s body.
Some people with dissociative disorders have a tendency towards self-harm, self-sabotage, and even violence (directed or externalized).
A person with dissociative identity disorder may do things they would not normally do, such as speeding, driving recklessly, or stealing money from their employers or friends.
Although they don’t want to, sometimes those affected feel obliged and compelled to do so. Some describe this feeling and say that they feel more like passengers in their own body while it is led by someone else.
In other words, they really believe they have no other choice.
