Essay on Dissociative Identity Disorder - 2044 Words

Many years ago, any individual that appeared to host other â€Å"entities† or speak in different voices and act with different mannerisms would have been considered demonically possessed. In more recent years, it was determined in the mental health community that certain individuals actually experience fragmenting into various separate personalities. Each personality has its own distinguishable traits and purpose within the host individual. In this essay, we will explore the symptoms of this unique disorder, as well as the potential causes and treatments utilized to benefit the patient. The fascinating disorder formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder is now called Dissociative Identity Disorder. It is indeed unusual and†¦show more content†¦In the DSM-IV-TR, the criteria for Dissociative Identity Disorder includes the following: â€Å"A. Two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self) are present. B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior. C. Inability to recall important personal information is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g. complex partial seizures). Note: In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fan tasy play† (Lyons Martin, 2011, p. 250). The individual may switch to another personality when experiencing stress. The switch can occur within a very brief amount of time. Some other symptoms may include conversion symptoms and headaches (Lyons Martin, p. 249). It seems that when the main individual, or host, is transitioning into another personality, he/she is unaware of the change. The individual would then have difficulty remembering what he/she has done while behaving as any of the other personalities. This explains why people with DID experience black-outs or bouts of lost time. Part of theShow MoreRelatedDissociative Identity Disorder ( Dissociative Disorder )1040 Words   |  5 PagesDissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a mental illness that is greatly misunderstood, much like many other mental illnesses. Nicholas Spanos, Professor of Psychology, hypothesized Multiple Personality Disorder as a defense against childhood trauma that creates â€Å"dissociation† or a split mental state. The trauma sustained during childhood is so substantial, that the individual creates different identities to cope with itRead MoreDissociative Identity Disorder ( Dissociative Disorder )1194 Words   |  5 PagesDissociative Identity Disorder is a disorder distinguished by the existence of two or more distinct personality states. It is also known as DID or Multiple Personality Disorder. It is very rare, with only 20,000 to 200,000 known US cases per year. Currently, there is no known cure, but treatment can sometimes help. Many believe that DID can be caused by a significant trauma and is used as a coping mechanism to help avoid bad memories. The disorders most often form in kids victim to long-term physicalRead MoreDissociative Identity Disorder970 Words   |  4 Pages Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is a severe condition in which two or more dissimilar identities, or character states, are present and alternately take control of an individual. The person experiences memory loss that is vaguely extensive to be explained as common forgetfulness. These symptoms are not taken in consideration for by seizures, substance abuse or any other medical conditions. Description of DID: Symptoms: Read MoreDissociative Identity Disorder2780 Words   |  12 PagesDissociative Identity Disorder Imagine waking up in a new house, town, city, even state and not knowing how you got there. Now add onto that thought of forgetting almost a year of your life because someone else, or something, has taken over your body. That is just a look into dissociative disorders in general. 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DID in which a person could have many different parts to their personality due to severe stress and an experience of a trauma. A person with DID when the have control over their one identity they cannot remember what they did when their other identities were in control. Most of the time people with DID have two personalities but they could have more than two which is referred as alters. ThenRead MoreDissociative Identity Disorder : Dissociative Identification Disorder1485 Words   |  6 PagesDissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder is a mental disorder where an individual experiences two or more distinct personalities. When an individual is diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, one personality has dominant control of an individual. This personality controls how a person may act and how they live everyday life. A person diagnosed with this disease may or may not be aware of their alternate personalities. Each personality is contrasting of each other withRead MoreDissociative Identity Disorder2158 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"Dissociative Identity Disorder† Through out the years there has been many disorders that continue to be diagnosed on people, many can be difficult to deal with. Some of these disorders can be uncontrollable and can make it harder on the patients who are trying to get better. Disorders are not sicknesses that can be cured and gone with a couple of doses of medicine, disorders are serious problems a person has to deal with usually if not for a large amount of time, it can be every day for the restRead MoreDissociative Identity Disorder1030 Words   |  5 PagesDissociative Identity Disorder Defining what is abnormal is not necessarily easy. There are many different criteria to determine what exactly is normal and what is abnormal. According to Ciccarelli and White (2012) as early as 3000 B.C.E. there have been human skulls found with holes in them. Archaeologists suspect this was caused because of the treatments they had years ago such as â€Å"trepanning†. Trepanning is done nowadays as well to remove extra fluids from the brain, as for years ago doctors didRead MoreDissociative Identity Disorder ( Dissociative Personality )1254 Words   |  6 PagesDissociative identity disorder (previously known as multiple personality disorder) is thought to be a complex mental condition that is likely brought on by numerous variables, including serious injury amid early adolescence generally compelling, repetitive physical, sexual, or psychological mistreatment. The greater part of us have encountered mild dissociation, which resemble wandering off in fantasy land or losing all sense of direction at the time while taking a shot at an undertaking. In any