By Gelana McCloud, MS, NCC, Psychotherapist
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is the new diagnostic name for the disorder previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Many will recognize this disorder in relation to the 1957 film Three Faces of Eve, or more recently the HBO 2009-2011 dramatic series of The United States of Tara. When looking at DID from this cinematic perspective, the disorder is flamboyantly displayed as a comical condition that causes the patient to “change” who they are by acting and dressing completely differently than their normal self. Cases such as these do exist but typically not in this extreme fashion.
Dissociation is considered to be a perceived detachment of the mind from the emotional state of the body. It is common for everyone to dissociate at times. For example, a common dissociation occurs when driving a familiar route but, upon arrival, you do not remember the trip. Your mind is busy thinking of other things while your body performs the task of driving. During a clinical dissociative event, a trigger causes a dissociation to protect the psyche from a perceived danger. Upon dissociation, an alter identity may step into consciousness and take over the body. This is a protective response created by the mind when the person (typically a child) cannot handle a traumatic situation.
When one experiences significant trauma, particularly in childhood, it is possible for DID to develop as a coping system. Not everyone will develop PTSD or DID, but some highly sensitive people do.
The Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org, 2014) identifies symptoms of DID as:
- Memory loss (amnesia) of certain time periods, events, and people
- Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and attempts
- A sense of being detached from yourself (feeling floaty, out of it, zoned out)
- A perception of the people and things around you as distorted and unreal
- A blurred sense of identity (Not feeling like yourself or anyone)
- Significant stress or problems in your relationships, work, or other important areas of your life
People might say these things to you:
- “Do you remember when?” You have no memory of the event; especially when the other person says you were there.
- “Did you hear me?” You feel like you just woke up and don’t remember hearing anything.
- “You aren’t acting yourself.”
- “Are you awake?”
Things that might have happened to you may include:
- Finding items in your home you don’t remember buying
- Wearing clothes you don’t remember putting on or purchasing
- People saying you did something or said something you don’t remember
- The movement of objects in your home you don’t recall moving
- Not recognizing you own handwriting, or not remembering writing something
- Blackouts and loss of time
Often people who have DID also have other mental health conditions that hide the real symptoms of the disorder. Depression, anxiety disorders, or other personality disorders may also be present. It might take a professional a significant period of time to identify the true nature of this particular disorder. However, once identified, treatment is possible and progress can be made quickly. While DID is not commonly diagnosed, it is probably under diagnosed because people do not know what to report to their mental health practitioners.
For more information, contact John R. Day & Associates, Christian Psychological Associates, located at 3716 West Brighton Avenue, Peoria at or their locations in Normal, Canton, Pekin, Princeton, or Eureka. Call us at 309-692-7755 or visit us online: christianpsychological.org.