Dissociative Identity Disorder Introduction

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a mental condition in which at least two separate and distinct identities (or personalities states) control the person's behavior at different times. Formerly referred to as multiple personality disorder (MPD), an unconventional and highly controversial diagnosis, the disorder is one of the most talked about mental illnesses and became the center of much debate, criticism, and skepticism.

Multiple personality disorder captivated the interest of psychiatrists in late 1800's, although some researchers believe that the disorder is dating back to ancient forms of shamanism and demonic possessions. The first complete account of a patient with multiple personality disorder was published in 1865. Four years later Pierre Janet, a French psychiatrist, discovered traits of the disorder when hypnotizing some of his female patients. A similar phenomenon was noticed by William James, the father of American psychology, in his clinical work and named the condition dissociation.

The public became aware of the disorder first in 1957 and than in 1976 through two movies The Three Faces of Eve, and Sybil. The Three Faces of Eve is a movie based on a true story which portrays a depressed housewife named Eve White who was discovered to display three personalities: the original Eve, Eve Black (the wild, fun, loving personality), and Jane (the insightful and stable personality). Sybil revealed the story of another patient suffering from the disorder. The main character was portrayed in a manner that most people think of when they hear about multiple personality disorder.

Despite the media attention, by the beginning of last decade only 200 cases of multiple personality disorder were documented in psychiatric literature. The disorder was officially recognized as a genuine illness by the American Psychiatric Association only in 1980.

Multiple personality disorder is considered to be caused by severe childhood trauma (physical or sexual abuse). The trauma creates a mental split or what psychiatrists call "dissociation" which functions as a defense mechanism. It was hypothesized that individuals traumatized during childhood create multiple personalities (which develop separately) called alters and use them to cope with stress.

In time, the disorder became a source of criticism and most professionals were skeptical whether this disorder actually exists. The main argument centers around the idea that the condition is actually a form of manipulation used by patients to get what they want by making others feel sorry for them. Some professionals also have suggested that the disorder resembles two other conditions such borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia, but a closer look at each of these three disorders' clinical picture reveals major symptomatic differences. The source of debate was considered to be somehow caused by the constant changes underwent by the characteristics of the disorder and the lack of clear traits that a person needs to display in order to be diagnosed with MPD.

In the attempt to eliminate and correct the misconceptions determined by the multiple personality disorder term, the condition was reclassified as dissociative identity disorder. The new term framed the condition as a dissociative disorder, "condition which involves disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity, and/or perception." (1) Under the new terminology, the disorder emphasizes the disruption of the person's identity which is characteristic for this disorder.

Today, the disorder seems to be quite popular in the western society, approximately 20,000 cases were reported between 1980 and 1990. Due to the increased number of cases diagnosed with DID in the United States, some researchers believe that the condition is a culture-specific syndrome, which might be explained by the high rate of child abuse or the increased attention offered by media to criminals which invoke the multiple personality disorder as an insanity defense. However, it is still not clear whether the disorder was misdiagnosed and underreported in the past, or over-diagnosed in the present.

Conditions & Diseases: Psychological & Mental Health

Dissociative Identity Disorder
(formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder)

Conditions & Diseases: Psychological & Mental Health

Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder)

Dissociative Identity Disorder
(formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder)