Multiple Personalities

[Maria]

I agree with Oceanbreeze ... If they want to learn about the mental health issues ... read the books, websites etc ... not showing off to us they've experienced with someone who has a serious MH issue. It is like a "wow" to us. I find this is a kinda offensive. You can look up both site. Welcome | M-Power and NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness-The Nation's Voice on Mental Illness-Formerly National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Enjoy!

Well, that is YOUR opinion. You have to remember that this site is an open forum and everyone are more than welcome to discuss ANYTHIN'. It's amazin' to see that you KNOW what to type in the website to find them. Some people don't know what to type to find them, so they can come here to learn somethin' in general. It doesn't mean that it's like a " wow " - if, MODS find somethin' that IS offensive, then they can edit it or delete it or what ever they feel is right to them.

 

[XBGMER]

I voted "YES".. I have been wondered about someone is Jesus and definitely that Jesus had the multiple personalities, did you know that??

I am not here to be intend to bring religion about jesus stuffs up this that what i hate..

 

[Alex]

I don't see anything wrong with discussing this topic as long as there are no names being mentioned.

I admit I don't know much about this multiple personality disorder, or whatever you wanna call it, but it's interesting reading about some experiences and opinions here.

 

[JLFWildKat]

1st you say MPD is no longer used & called Schizophrenia..Now you say (after my reply post) its dissociative disorder, in which you forgot one word its "Dissociative Identity Disorder" Just for your information, yes they both mean the same thing. Yes they both are still used by psychiatrists. counselors, therapists, etc.. Some use diagnosis differently. For a number of different reason. It don't matter either way so you don't need to make a big deal out of nothing..

{Mod's Edit - Comments were removed.}

Your right, it could be anyone. Your right (if that was directed to me) it could be me to. I didn't ask who? I asked for feelings, thoughts, & experiences. Just like anyone else would do when making a thread about anything.




{Mod's Edit - Previous post were removed.}

You talk about Deaf Mental Health issues. Its not only Deaf people who have MH issues. There are more hearing that I know that does. But does not make any difference. It does not make them any different from each other.

Also when I was in high school I used to be a student helper with the motionally handicap kids. & None of them were deaf. There was one a year before I started my studies. I met him one time in gym class. & 2 whatever, so-called preps were making fun of him in the locker room. This is a big guy to & he was crying from it. I know how mean people can be because of his MH issues & being deaf. So I snatch them both by their throats & slam them into the lockers & bashed their heads repeatedly against them. Then I yank them their hair & made them apologize to him. They say "But he's deaf he can't hear us" So I say "I'm sure he can read lips" (which I really didn't know@that time). & That is when I learned my very 1st sign "Thank You". Shook his hand & then of course the 2 guys have already ran to the gym teacher & we all got suspended except for the deaf guy. They got 3 days & I got 5days.

But that has nothing to do with what I'm saying in this thread. I never said nothing like people with any MH issues are ignorant. Or has NOTHING to do with being deaf. Being Deaf, MPD, Bi-Polar, or any other types of MH does not stop that person with those problems from doing anything with goals they might have in their lives. You say people who don't have any type of MH are ignorant & don't know anything about MH well your wrong because people do. Not all, but yes some do.

There is no need to be offended by anything in this thread to relating to anyone with any type of Mental Health Issues. Those things are just a part of life. Many don't understand no, but yes many (like me) do.

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[deafmedicalpoet]

{Mod's Edit - The comment was removed}

if jlfwildkat says we state opinions, thoughts, etc. I think we should listen (read) and do what he asks of what he wants to see on his thread. Just my saying!! And how is MHI related to multiple personalities?? I would like to know how because I have been just confused with that now (Not like I am never confused on something, but at least its not everything in my life.) I think someone here knows what I mean..... Dang I am such a puss, with my life.

Well anyhow, with what I read at wikipedia on MPD directed me to DID. Here is the article: Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM), Revised, as the existence in an individual of two or more distinct personalities or ego-states, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. To qualify as dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder), at least two personalities must routinely take alternate control of the individual's behavior, and there must be a loss of memory that goes beyond normal forgetfulness. This memory loss is often referred to as "losing time". These symptoms must occur independently of substance abuse or a general medical condition.

Dissociative identity disorder is also known as multiple personality disorder, as detailed in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. In North America the name was changed to dissociative identity disorder due to the degree of controversy in the psychiatric and psychological communities there regarding the concept of one (physical) individual having more than one personality, where personality may be defined as the sum total of that (physical) individual's mental states.

While dissociation is a demonstrable psychiatric condition that is tied to several different disorders, specifically those involving early childhood trauma and anxiety, multiple personality remains controversial. Despite the controversy, many mental health institutes, such as McLean Hospital, have wards specifically designated for dissociative identity disorder.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a type of psychogenic amnesia (no medical cause, only psychological). Through this amnesia the person is able to repress memories of traumatic event/s or a period of time. This is a fragmentation of self and experience of the past. Through having several alters the host personality is living through healthy alters, aggressive alters, and often alters that are children. The therapy for this disorder is usually long-term.

Two characteristics of DID are depersonalization and derealization. Depersonalization is the distortion in the perception of self and one's reality. This person will often appear to be detatched from reality. Patients often refer to this as "feeling outside of their body and being able to observe it from a distance". Derealization is the distortion in the perception of others. Through derealization, others will not seem to be real to the person. To these patients others may look the same and sound the same, but their real identity is absent or has differed in some way.

Research has shown that patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder often hide their symptoms around others. The average number of alters is 15 and the onset is usually in early childhood, which is why some of a patient's alters are often children. Many patients have co-morbidity, which means that they also have another disorder, for example, generalized anxiety disorder.

Although it has been claimed this condition was re-categorized because there were so few documented cases (research in 1944 showed only 76[1]) of what was then referred to as multiple personality, in fact the "recategorization" is actually a name change that was made with the purpose of removing the confusing term "personality" from the DSM-IV name of this condition. The condition does have a long history stretching back in the literature some 300 years, and affects less than 1% of the population [2]. Thus, epidemiological data indicate that DID is actually twice as common as schizophrenia in the general population. Dissociation is now recognized as a symptomatic presentation in response to trauma, extreme emotional stress, and, as noted, in association with emotional dysregulation and borderline personality disorder[3]. In a longitudinal study, the strongest predictor of dissociation in young adults was maternal unavailability at age 2 (according to a study by Ogawa and associates). Many recent studies have found relationships between disordered attachment in early childhood and later dissociative symptoms, and it is also clear that child abuse and neglect are often involved in the origins of disordered attachment.
[edit]

The DSM re-dress

There is some controversy over the validity of the Multiple personality profile as a diagnosis. Although some have claimed that DID is only "subjective," in fact there are two valid psychometric instruments for diagnosing the dissociative disorders, both of which have higher reliabilities than the psychometric instruments (the various SCID's) used in research on personality disorders, mood disorders, and psychoses. These instruments are the SCID-D (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders, Revised) and the DDIS (Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule).
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Other positions

The debate over the validity of this condition, whether as a clinical diagnosis, a symptomatic presentation, a subjective misrepresentation on the part of the patient, or a case of unconscious collusion on the part of the patient and the professional is considerable (see Multiple personality controversy). Although some have claimed that the disorder is "subjective," it is clear that the experience of internal separateness, coupled with amnesia, is the essence of a disorder that is generally quite upsetting to those who are diagnosed with it.

The main points of disagreement are:

1. Whether MPD/DID is a real disorder or just a fad.
2. Whether or not MPD/DID is actually an iatrogenic disorder.
3. If it is real, is the appearance of multiple personalities real or delusional?
4. If it is real, should it be defined in psychoanalytic terms?
5. Whether it can be cured.
6. Whether it should be cured.
7. Who should primarily define the experience -- therapists, or those who believe that they have multiple personalities?
8. Whether it is invariably a disorder or simply a way of being.

Skeptics claim that people who present with the appearance of alleged multiple personality may have learned to exhibit the symptoms in return for social reinforcement. This point of view was the original evidence that called into question the overall efficacy of the "Sybil" case, made popular by the media, where the covering psychiatrist Herbert Spiegel [citation needed] stated his position that "Sybil" had been provided with the idea of "personalities" by her treating psychiatrist, Cornelia Wilbur, to describe states of feeling with which she was unfamiliar.

Another view is that multiplicity is not always a disorder (see: "healthy multiplicity") and that it can be normal to experience oneself as multiple, so that it is possible to be multiple without being clinically classifiable as having DID or MPD. From the standpoint of Carl Jung's Analytic Psychology, this position could be characterized as a hyper-awareness of one's personas. However, if this awareness is what healthy multiples are experiencing, then terms like "multiple" or "multiple personality" are inaccurate for them, in that their experience is not related to the clinical state being described here.
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Potential causes of Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative identity disorder is attributed to the interaction of several factors: overwhelming stress, dissociative capacity (including the ability to uncouple one's memories, perceptions, or identity from conscious awareness), the enlistment of steps in normal developmental processes as defenses, and, during childhood, the lack of sufficient nurturing and compassion in response to hurtful experiences or lack of protection against further overwhelming experiences. Children are not born with a sense of a unified identity--it develops from many sources and experiences. In overwhelmed children, its development is obstructed, and many parts of what should have blended into a relatively unified identity remain separate. North American studies show that 97 to 98% of adults with dissociative identity disorder report abuse during childhood and that abuse can be documented for 85% of adults and for 95% of children and adolescents with dissociative identity disorder and other closely related forms of dissociative disorder. Although these data establish childhood abuse as a major cause among North American patients (in some cultures, the consequences of war and disaster play a larger role), they do not mean that all such patients were abused or that all the abuses reported by patients with dissociative identity disorder really happened. Some aspects of some reported abuse experiences may prove to be inaccurate. Also, some patients have not been abused but have experienced an important early loss (such as death of a parent), serious medical illness, or other very stressful events. For example, a patient who required many hospitalizations and operations during childhood may have been severely overwhelmed but not abused.[4]

Human development requires that children be able to integrate complicated and different types of information and experiences successfully. As children achieve cohesive, complex appreciations of themselves and others, they go through phases in which different perceptions and emotions are kept segregated. Each developmental phase may be used to generate different selves. Not every child who experiences abuse or major loss or trauma has the capacity to develop multiple personalities. Patients with dissociative identity disorder can be easily hypnotized. This capacity, closely related to the capacity to dissociate, is thought to be a factor in the development of the disorder. However, most children who have these capacities also have normal adaptive mechanisms, and most are sufficiently protected and soothed by adults to prevent development of dissociative identity disorder.[4]
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Symptoms

Patients exhibit a remarkable array of symptoms that can resemble other neurologic and psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenic and mood psychoses, and seizure disorders. Symptoms of this particular disorder can sometimes include:

* depression
* anxiety (sweating, rapid pulse, palpitations)
* phobias
* panic attacks
* physical symptoms (severe headaches or other bodily pain)
* fluctuating levels of function, from highly effective to disabled
* time distortions, time lapse, and amnesia
* sexual dysfunction
* eating disorders
* sleeping disorders (insomnia, sleepwalking, night terrors)
* posttraumatic stress
* suicidal preoccupations and attempts
* episodes of self-mutilation
* psychoactive substance abuse[4]

Signs of DID include:

* discussion of self in 3rd person
* never feeling alone
* talk of looking through others' eyes
* talk of being half in and half out of their body
* says "we" when talking about themselves
* abused as a child-87% (physically, mentally or verbally)

Other symptoms include: Depersonalization, which refers to feeling unreal, removed from one's self, and detached from one's physical and mental processes. The patient feels like an observer of his life and may actually see himself as if he were watching a movie. Derealization refers to experiencing familiar persons and surroundings as if they were unfamiliar and strange or unreal.

Again, doctors must be careful not to assume that a client has MPD or DID simply because they present with some or all of these symptoms. Another factor in the diagnosis is the all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares idea, which is to say that although many of these symptoms may be present in an individual, he or she may not necessarily have DID. For example, someone may have severe PTSD (one symptom) and self mutilate with suicidal ideas, which is 3 of the above symptoms, but will not have DID. In order for DID to be diagnosed, there must be two or more distinctly present personalities.

Persons with dissociative identity disorder are often told of things they have done but do not remember and of notable changes in their behavior. They may discover objects, productions, or handwriting that they cannot account for or recognize; they may refer to themselves in the first person plural (we) or in the third person (he, she, they); and they may have amnesia for events that occurred between their mid-childhood and early adolescence. Amnesia for earlier events is normal and widespread.
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Diagnosis and treatment
[edit]

Diagnosis

If symptoms seem to be present, the patient should first be evaluated by performing a complete medical history and physical examination. The various diagnostic tests, such as X-rays and blood tests are used to rule out physical illness or medication side effects as the cause of the symptoms. Certain conditions, including brain diseases, head injuries, drug and alcohol intoxication, and sleep deprivation, can lead to symptoms similar to those of dissociative disorders, including amnesia.

If no physical illness is found, the patient might be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist. Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and personality assessment tools to evaluate a person for a dissociative disorder.[5]
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Prognosis

Patients can be divided into three groups with regard to prognosis. Those in one group have mainly dissociative symptoms and posttraumatic features, generally function well, and generally recover completely with specific treatment. Those in another group have symptoms of other serious psychiatric disorders, such as personality disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse disorders. They improve more slowly, and treatment may be either less successful or longer and more crisis-ridden. Patients in the third group not only have severe coexisting psychopathology but may also remain enmeshed with their alleged abusers. Treatment is often long and chaotic and aims to help reduce and relieve symptoms more than to achieve integration. Sometimes therapy helps a patient with a poorer prognosis make rapid strides toward recovery.[4]
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Treatment

Perhaps the most common approach to treatment aims to relieve simptoms, to ensure the safety of the individual, and to reconnect the different identities into one well-functioning identity. There are, however, other equally respected treatment modalities that do not depend upon integrating the separate identities. Treatment also aims to help the person safely express and process painful memories, develop new coping and life skills, restore functioning, and improve relationships. The best treatment approach depends on the individual and the severity of his or her symptoms. Treatment is likely to include some combination of the following methods:

* Psychotherapy: This kind of therapy for mental and emotional disorders uses psychological techniques designed to encourage communication of conflicts and insight into problems.
* Cognitive therapy: This type of therapy focuses on changing dysfunctional thinking patterns.
* Medication: There is no medication to treat the dissociative disorders themselves. However, a person with a dissociative disorder who also suffers from depression or anxiety might benefit from treatment with a medication such as an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medicine.
* Family therapy: This kind of therapy helps to educate the family about the disorder and its causes, as well as to help family members recognize symptoms of a recurrence.
* Creative therapies such as art therapy or music therapy: These therapies allow the patient to explore and express his or her thoughts and feelings in a safe and creative way.
* Clinical hypnosis: This is a treatment technique that uses intense relaxation, concentration and focused attention to achieve an altered state of consciousness or awareness, allowing people to explore thoughts, feelings and memories they might have hidden from their conscious minds[5]

People with DID generally respond well to treatment; however, treatment can be a long and painstaking process. To improve a person's outlook, it is important to treat any other problems or complications, such as depression, anxiety or substance abuse.
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Dissociative Identity Disorder in Fiction

Main article: DID/MPD in fiction

Often in fiction, characters with Dissociative Identity Disorder are used, often as characteristics of villains, but also in some heroes. The most famous example is probably Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Some heroes such as The Hulk and villains such as Two-Face (comics) have been rewritten through the years explicitly as having MPD. Another example might be the dichotomy of Bruce Wayne, whose decision to become Batman was based upon witnessing the shocking murder of his family at a very early age.

X-Men character Jean Grey, suffers from MPD in some form or the other, when her subconscious second personality, the Phoenix takes over her.

Sméagol in the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy has split personality due to the many years of having the One Ring in his possesion.

In the anime Sukisho, the two main characters develop alternate personalities as a result of abuse in a scientific experiment.

In the video game Xenogears, the protagonist, Fei Fong Wong, displays a very extreme case of DID/MPD. His alter, Id, shows not only distinct personality changes, but also staggering physical changes. Another alter, referred to as The Coward, represents Fei's true self,locked away in memories that took place before the violent death of his mother, which split Fei into three alter. In the course of the game's events, however, Fei is wrongfully diagnosed as being schizophrenic, though showing only symptoms of DID/MPD.

On TV shows and movies DID, otherwise known as MPD, is not always portrayed correctly. In "Raising Cane", a person is shown with DID and they often see their own alters in other corners of the room. This is unrealistic because patients with this disorder would rarely see their alters or have hallucinations at all. This disorder's characteristics and the characteristics of schizophrenia are often confused, but are actually nothing alike.

 

[deafmedicalpoet]

And for those of you that are confused on Dissociative's meaning well here you are: Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM), Revised, as the existence in an individual of two or more distinct personalities or ego-states, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. To qualify as dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder), at least two personalities must routinely take alternate control of the individual's behavior, and there must be a loss of memory that goes beyond normal forgetfulness. This memory loss is often referred to as "losing time". These symptoms must occur independently of substance abuse or a general medical condition.

Dissociative identity disorder is also known as multiple personality disorder, as detailed in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. In North America the name was changed to dissociative identity disorder due to the degree of controversy in the psychiatric and psychological communities there regarding the concept of one (physical) individual having more than one personality, where personality may be defined as the sum total of that (physical) individual's mental states.

While dissociation is a demonstrable psychiatric condition that is tied to several different disorders, specifically those involving early childhood trauma and anxiety, multiple personality remains controversial. Despite the controversy, many mental health institutes, such as McLean Hospital, have wards specifically designated for dissociative identity disorder.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a type of psychogenic amnesia (no medical cause, only psychological). Through this amnesia the person is able to repress memories of traumatic event/s or a period of time. This is a fragmentation of self and experience of the past. Through having several alters the host personality is living through healthy alters, aggressive alters, and often alters that are children. The therapy for this disorder is usually long-term.

Two characteristics of DID are depersonalization and derealization. Depersonalization is the distortion in the perception of self and one's reality. This person will often appear to be detatched from reality. Patients often refer to this as "feeling outside of their body and being able to observe it from a distance". Derealization is the distortion in the perception of others. Through derealization, others will not seem to be real to the person. To these patients others may look the same and sound the same, but their real identity is absent or has differed in some way.

Research has shown that patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder often hide their symptoms around others. The average number of alters is 15 and the onset is usually in early childhood, which is why some of a patient's alters are often children. Many patients have co-morbidity, which means that they also have another disorder, for example, generalized anxiety disorder.

Just my little research and few words. Hope that clears some things here for all of you. If I got off topic, then I am sorry!!!

 

[Sunshinelady]

Then obviously, 'you' don't need to discuss it (that's your own personal choice)--but don't get in the way of others who would like to discuss it.




~RR

RIGHT!!!

 

[Sunshinelady]

i voted, i do know someone, their has Multiple Personalities. *sigh* I know, that is no fun!!!

 

[Liebling:-)))]

It's okay to educate about multiple personalities. There's nothin' wrong with it. This AD is like a S C H O O L where every race can join and L E A R N and be participate in it.

Yes, that's right.

Forums is good educational for us... It's good to collect/share every experiences, education, etc. that's how we can help others.

{Mod's Edit - The comment was removed}

 

[EyesBlueDeaf]

Yikes, I hope this topic will not get locked up because it is getting heated. Let's go back to the topic and continue to l e a r n more about MPD / DID / whatever you wanna call it.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Yikes, I hope this topic will not get locked up because it is getting heated. Let's go back to the topic and continue to l e a r n more about MPD / DID / whatever you wanna call it.

Yes, I hope this topic won't lock because this topic here is good education like other several threads... unfortunlately, few other good topics are locked already... {Mod's Edit - Comments were being removed}

 

[Fo'Shizzle]

I remembered that one of my co-workers from Rutgers Univerisity (NJ)Neuroscience Dept told me that she did a research on a deaf person who has several personalities and one of the personalities is being a hearing person. Can hear and speaks clearly as a hearing person. I still struggle to believe it. I mean, how is that possible?? I would understand IF the person is hearing but by choice the person thinks and acts like deaf all its life. But my co-worker said the person is DEAF. I still don't get it.

I can hear and speak but this girl may be like me. I hear with my hearing aids on... But as the older I get them more hearing I lose. BUT I depend on lip reading. A lot of people assume that Im hearing but doesn't realize that untill I let them know. I don't sign at all and will never sign again.. so it depends on the person.

 

[EyesBlueDeaf]

I remembered that one of my co-workers from Rutgers Univerisity (NJ)Neuroscience Dept told me that she did a research on a deaf person who has several personalities and one of the personalities is being a hearing person. Can hear and speaks clearly as a hearing person. I still struggle to believe it. I mean, how is that possible?? I would understand IF the person is hearing but by choice the person thinks and acts like deaf all its life. But my co-worker said the person is DEAF. I still don't get it.

I can hear and speak but this girl may be like me. I hear with my hearing aids on... But as the older I get them more hearing I lose. BUT I depend on lip reading. A lot of people assume that Im hearing but doesn't realize that untill I let them know. I don't sign at all and will never sign again.. so it depends on the person.

Mmmm, that's quite possible. Never thought of it.

 

[Dixie]

I can hear and speak but this girl may be like me. I hear with my hearing aids on... But as the older I get them more hearing I lose. BUT I depend on lip reading. A lot of people assume that Im hearing but doesn't realize that untill I let them know. I don't sign at all and will never sign again.. so it depends on the person.

YAY! someone that understands what Ive been trying to say.

Im also losing my hearing as I get older as well. I started wearing aids in 8th grade when it got really bad then the more I wore the aids the less I felt I needed them because I kept picking up too much background noise instead of being able to hear the conversation. my audiologist realized I could function just as well by lip reading, so she said to not worry about using the aid, but if I felt like I needed it to go ahead and put it in. Mnay people do not realize I am hoh unless I disclose the information to them, and even then I am careful who I disclose it to because it can ruin my chances of finding work for potential employers.

Now back on topic...

I dont think any of us are professionals with a license to examine and diagnose, and therefore perhaps we should not be diagnosing anybody, but we can disscuss our experiences with those that suffer from MPD/Disassocitavie Identity Disorder, and other MIs.

/rant over

 

[Oceanbreeze]

I agree with Oceanbreeze ... If they want to learn about the mental health issues ... read the books, websites etc ... not showing off to us they've experienced with someone who has a serious MH issue. It is like a "wow" to us. I find this is a kinda offensive. You can look up both site. Welcome | M-Power and NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness-The Nation's Voice on Mental Illness-Formerly National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Enjoy!

Thank you for the links.

Because, I also find it offensive. VERY offensive. It's like showing off. If you wanted to learn about this, you could simply google it.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

I found interesting link...

Dissociative Disorders
This brochure is copyright by the Sidran Foundation and is reprinted here for personal use only. Copies of this brochure are available from Sidran in packages of 50 for a small fee.

Recently considered rare and mysterious psychiatric curiosities, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder-MPD) and other Dissociative Disorders are now understood to be fairly common effects of severe trauma in early childhood, most typically extreme, repeated physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse.

In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) was changed to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), reflecting changes in professional understanding of the disorder resulting from significant empirical research.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), widely accepted as a major mental illness affecting 8% of the general population in the United States, is closely related to Dissociative Disorders. In fact, 80-100% of people diagnosed with a Dissociative Disorder also have a secondary diagnosis of PTSD. The personal and societal cost of trauma disorders is extremely high. Recent research suggests the risk of suicide attempts among people with trauma disorders may be even higher than among people who have major depression. In addition, there is evidence that people with trauma disorders have higher rates of alcoholism, chronic medical illnesses, and abusiveness in succeeding generations.

WHAT IS DISSOCIATION?
Dissociation is a mental process, which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. During the period of time when a person is dissociating, certain information is not associated with other information as it normally would be. For example, during a traumatic experience, a person may dissociate the memory of the place and circumstances of the trauma from his ongoing memory, resulting in a temporary mental escape from the fear and pain of the trauma and, in some cases, a memory gap surrounding the experience. Because this process can produce changes in memory, people who frequently dissociate often find their senses of personal history and identity are affected.

Most clinicians believe that dissociation exists on a continuum of severity. This continuum reflects a wide range of experiences and/or symptoms. At one end are mild dissociative experiences common to most people, such as daydreaming, highway hypnosis, or "getting lost" in a book or movie, all of which involve "losing touch" with conscious awareness of one's immediate surroundings. At the other extreme is complex, chronic dissociation, such as in cases of Dissociative Disorders, which may result in serious impairment or inability to function. Some people with Dissociative Disorders can hold highly responsible jobs, contributing to society in a variety of professions, the arts, and public service -- appearing to function normally to coworkers, neighbors, and others with whom they interact daily.

There is a great deal of overlap of symptoms and experiences among the various Dissociative Disorders, including DID. For the sake of clarity, this brochure will refer to Dissociative Disorders as a collective term. Individuals should seek help from qualified mental health providers to answer questions about their own particular circumstances and diagnoses.

HOW DOES A DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER DEVELOP?

When faced with overwhelmingly traumatic situations from which there is no physical escape, a child may resort to "going away" in his or her head. Children typically use this ability as an extremely effective defense against acute physical and emotional pain, or anxious anticipation of that pain. By this dissociative process, thoughts, feelings, memories, and perceptions of the traumatic experiences can be separated off psychologically, allowing the child to function as if the trauma had not occurred.

Dissociative Disorders are often referred to as a highly creative survival technique because they allow individuals enduring "hopeless" circumstances to preserve some areas of healthy functioning. Over time, however, for a child who has been repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted, defensive dissociation becomes reinforced and conditioned. Because the dissociative escape is so effective, children who are very practiced at it may automatically use it whenever they feel threatened or anxious -- even if the anxiety-producing situation is not extreme or abusive.

Often, even after the traumatic circumstances are long past, the left-over pattern of defensive dissociation remains. Chronic defensive dissociation may lead to serious dysfunction in work, social, and daily activities.

Repeated dissociation may result in a series of separate entities, or mental states, which may eventually take on identities of their own. These entities may become the internal "personality states" of a DID system. Changing between these states of consciousness is often described as "switching."

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER?

People with Dissociative Disorders may experience any of the following: depression, mood swings, suicidal tendencies, sleep disorders (insomnia, night terrors, and sleep walking), panic attacks and phobias (flashbacks, reactions to stimuli or "triggers"), alcohol and drug abuse, compulsions and rituals, psychotic-like symptoms (including auditory and visual hallucinations), and eating disorders. In addition, individuals with Dissociative Disorders can experience headaches, amnesias, time loss, trances, and "out of body experiences." Some people with Dissociative Disorders have a tendency toward self-persecution, self-sabotage, and even violence (both self-inflicted and outwardly directed).

WHO GETS DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS?

The vast majority (as many as 98 to 99%) of individuals who develop Dissociative Disorders have documented histories of repetitive, overwhelming, and often life-threatening trauma at a sensitive developmental stage of childhood (usually before the age of nine), and they may possess an inherited biological predisposition for dissociation. In our culture the most frequent precursor to Dissociative Disorders is extreme physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in childhood, but survivors of other kinds of trauma in childhood (such as natural disasters, invasive medical procedures, war, kidnapping, and torture) have also reacted by developing Dissociative Disorders.

Current research shows that DID may affect 1% of the general population and perhaps as many as 5-20% of people in psychiatric hospitals, many of whom have received other diagnoses. The incidence rates are even higher among sexual-abuse survivors and individuals with chemical dependencies. These statistics put Dissociative Disorders in the same category as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, as one of the four major mental health problems today.

Most current literature shows that Dissociative Disorders are recognized primarily among females. The latest research, however, indicates that the disorders may be equally prevalent (but less frequently diagnosed) among the male population. Men with Dissociative Disorders are most likely to be in treatment for other mental illnesses or drug and alcohol abuse, or they may be incarcerated.

WHY ARE DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED?

Dissociative Disorders survivors often spend years living with misdiagnoses, consequently floundering within the mental health system. They change from therapist to therapist and from medication to medication, getting treatment for symptoms but making little or no actual progress. Research has documented that on average, people with Dissociative Disorders have spent seven years in the mental health system prior to accurate diagnosis. This is common, because the list of symptoms that cause a person with a Dissociative Disorder to seek treatment is very similar to those of many other psychiatric diagnoses. In fact, many people who are diagnosed with Dissociative Disorders also have secondary diagnoses of depression, anxiety, or panic disorders.

DO PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE "MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES"?

Yes, and no. One of the reasons for the decision by the psychiatric community to change the disorder's name from Multiple Personality Disorder to Dissociative Identity Disorder is that "multiple personalities" is somewhat of a misleading term. A person diagnosed with DID feels as if she has within her two or more entities, or personality states, each with its own independent way of relating, perceiving, thinking, and remembering about herself and her life. If two or more of these entities take control of the person's behavior at a given time, a diagnosis of DID can be made. These entities previously were often called "personalities," even though the term did not accurately reflect the common definition of the word as the total aspect of our psychological makeup. Other terms often used by therapists and survivors to describe these entities are: "alternate personalities," "alters," "parts," "states of consciousness," "ego states," and "identities." It is important to keep in mind that although these alternate states may appear to be very different, they are all manifestations of a single person.

CAN DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS BE CURED?

Yes. Dissociative Disorders are highly responsive to individual psychotherapy, or "talk therapy," as well as to a range of other treatment modalities, including medications, hypnotherapy, and adjunctive therapies such as art or movement therapy. In fact, among comparably severe psychiatric disorders, Dissociative Disorders may be the condition that carries the best prognosis if proper treatment is undertaken and completed. The course of treatment is longterm, intensive, and invariably painful, as it generally involves remembering and reclaiming the dissociated traumatic experiences. Nevertheless, individuals with Dissociative Disorders have been successfully treated by therapists of all professional backgrounds working in a variety of settings.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?

Read further in this link
Dissociative Disorders

It says that it can cure if you really want help...

 

[zips]

boy this thread is getting really technical....I'm blonde so bear with me ...i have to say that everyone has multiple personalities to some degree....i readily admit to it....I am one person at work (professional and non personal, and fight my corner (the only time I do)...private life is my own, etc) and can honestly say that no one i work with knows the real me. I have a "friends" personality...the daft me, who might get on the tables for a boogie and drink till i drop. Then there is the "family" me....I behave, don't burp out loud/break wind or guzzle vast quantities of lager. Finally there is the "romantic, I'm with the love of my life" me, where I am soft and snuggly, etc........I'm sure everyone has different personalities which we use for different situations.

zips x

 

[Oceanbreeze]

It's okay to educate about multiple personalities. There's nothin' wrong with it. This AD is like a S C H O O L where every race can join and L E A R N and be participate in it.

No, AD is not. AD is a forum. If people want to learn about DID, they can go talk to someone who treats people with the disorder.

 

[Maria]

No, AD is not. AD is a forum. If people want to learn about DID, they can go talk to someone who treats people with the disorder.

I know about AD is a forum. I said it is LIKE a school where every race can come and LEARN. So much just like a school. What part of a word don't you understand ? Gee - if, you want to argue with me on this issue, then GOOOOO to Alex and argue with him about this. Read what he says in his post earlier in this thread. I am sure you can't win.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

I know about AD is a forum. I said it is LIKE a school where every race can come and LEARN. So much just like a school. What part of a word don't you understand ? Gee - if, you want to argue with me on this issue, then GOOOOO to Alex and argue with him about this. Read what he says in his post earlier in this thread. I am sure you can't win.

This forum is a good education for us to learn something new. Alex said the same thing.