Have you ever watched the movie Split? In the movie, the main character has 23 personalities that unravelled in the movie. It is a must-watch if you wished to learn more about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)!
What is Dissociative Identity Disorder?
According to WebMD (n.d.), DID is defined as a “severe form of dissociation [disconnection from your own thoughts and feelings, also known as “out of body experience”], a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions or sense of identity.”
As the name suggests, DID causes individuals to exhibit numerous personalities that are thought to result from a combination of factors. Some prominent factors include severe trauma since early childhood, such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse (WebMD, n.d.). The dissociative aspect is thought to be a coping mechanism in stressful and/or traumatic situations, causing a personality to emerge and shut off one’s consciousness.
Many individuals with DID described the personalities as a separate entity from themselves. The identities have their own gender, name, reported age, vocabulary and general knowledge, to name a few (Psychology Today, n.d.). An individual may even exhibit up to 25 different personalities! Just an interesting fact: Lady Gaga is one of the many celebrities who suffers from DID.
Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Version 5 (DSM-5), symptoms of DID include (Psychology Today, n.d.):
Two or more definite personality states (each has its own qualities that are unrelated)
When an identity surfaces, there is a change in “sense of self, behaviour and consciousness, memory, perception, cognition and motor functioning”. After the identity has ‘’left’, the individual has no recollection of what occurred
More than typical forgetfulness: lack of memories of personal history which includes people, events and places that took place in the latest and remote past
The collective symptoms should be a cause of distress to individual affected: different areas of functioning e.g. occupational, social is negatively affected
In many cases, individuals with DID reportedly hear voices and experience thoughts unexpectedly (Psychology Today, n.d.). They will also experience physiological changes: their muscles might shrink or expand and they feel themselves getting shorter or taller. In some cultures, closed ones who witnessed the surfacing of personality states as “demonic possessions”.
Treatments Available
Unfortunately, there is no ‘cure’ for DID. Long-term treatment is necessary to help individuals with DID come to terms with their personality states and manage them. Some treatments are (WebMD, n.d.):
Psychotherapy (Talk Therapy)
In psychotherapy, the therapist will work together with the client to uncover the underlying factors that activates the identities. Ultimately, the aim of psychotherapy is to ‘combine’ the different identities into one personality so that the individual can feel empowered, as well as a sense of control of his or her own body.
Hypnotherapy
Used alongside with psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis may be effective to help therapist uncover traumatic experiences and memories that result in the formation of each personality states.
Adjunctive Therapy
Research has shown that therapies like art or movement therapy may help clients to integrate their personality states, but the results are still inconclusive.
Self-help for individals with Dissociative Identity Disorder
While it may seem daunting to cope with DID, there are ways to help yourself reduce the fear and be aware of what happens when you are unconscious. Some tips include (MIND, n.d.):
1. Keeping a journal to help you recall your experiences
If possible, write in your journal when an identity surfaces
2. Attempt grounding techniques
These techniques keep you in the present and help you cope with the emotional distress associated with past traumatic experiences (that causes the disorder):
i. Breath in and out slowly
ii. Wrap yourself in something warm, like a blanket
iii. Listening to the sounds around you while closing your eyes
3. Visualisation
To feel safe and increase control over your own emotions, you can create internal scenarios like:
i. Wearing protective suits
ii. Being in a safe, comfortable place
iii. Other scenarios or scenery that helps you to be at peace
Summary
If you’re interested in how the different personalities emerge and behave, check out the video below! This lady has 20 personalities:
Hopefully, you now have a better idea of Dissociative Identity Disorder! Remember to take care of yourself physically and mentally. Lastly, if you have anything to share with us, please do! We would love to hear from you.
For a list of helplines, click here.
In the next post, which comes out next Wednesday, another mental disorder, Personality Disorder (General), will be discussed.
References
MIND (n.d.). Dissociation and dissociative disorders [Information on a page]. Retrieved from https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/dissociation-and-dissociative-disorders/self-care/#.Xfjyj9YzbBI
OWN (2014, July 29). Meet the Mother with 20 Personalities | The Oprah Winfrey Show | Oprah Winfrey Network [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2atzoaA2NI
Psychology Today (n.d.). Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) [Information on a page]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/conditions/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder
WebMD (n.d.). Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorders) [Information on a page]. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder#4-9
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