Dissociative Identity Disorder: What is it and the Available Treatments

We all had at some point in our childhood a moment that we at the time thought was just horrible, terrifying. However, did you know that a true traumatic occurrence in childhood could lead to a personality disorder? The personality disorder I am speaking of is most commonly known as Multiply Personality Disorder, but is now known by medical professionals as Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Multiple Personality Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID is more then likely caused from severe traumatic event that happened early in childhood. Also according to Merck.com some other factors that may cause a person to develop Dissociative Identity Disorder are stress, as well as "an ability to separate one's memories, perceptions, or identity from conscious awareness; abnormal psychologic development, and insufficient protection and nurture during childhood." According to medical professionals most people with DID have between 8 and 13 distinct personalities. There are usually the personalities of the actual person, a child, a protector, the risk taker, and so on.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a very complicated disorder considering that there are many factors that can "agitate" the situation. On Merck.com's information site dealing with DID they point out that a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder other personalities may or may not know information about the actual person. Causing behavior for each individual personality to be even more quite different. The example Merck.com gives is this "...personality A may be aware of personality B and know what B does, as if observing B's behavior; personality B may or may not be aware of personality A. Other personalities may or may not be aware of personality B, and personality B may or may not be aware of them." Also people with Dissociative Identity Disorder may be more apt to suicide and may be more likely to cause harm to themselves. It is hard to say that a person with DID is actually the one committing the acts of self harm. Some people with this disorder are very creative individuals and live a quite "normal" life and can operate like what society considers to be a "common" "normal" way of life.

PsychologyToday.com says some of the underlining symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder are gaps in a persons memory, where they can not account for time, events, or activities. Also suicide attempts or self mutilation may occur, along with "visual or auditory hallucinations." Psychology Today also says that the time from a first known symptom to diagnosis can be as long as 6 to 7 years.

As with most disorders psychotherapy is needed to help a person learn to cope with each personality and help each come together as one "united" personality. Currently there are not any medications that can help treat the symptoms or effects of Dissociative Identity Disorder but Merck.com and Psychology Today some other drugs on the market can help ease the disorder. Some of the most commonly used medications are anti-depressants, or tranquilizers.

When conducting my research into this disorder it seems to be common consensus that Dissociative Identity Disorder may be inherited. There are well documented cases and accounts of many people within a family having DID. It is also more common in females then in males and this is evidently due to more females being sexually assaulted or abused as children, which would support the idea of the disorder being brought on by a traumatic event. It is also a common belief that people with Dissociative Identity Disorder may just have inherited a biological predisposition for a mental illness such as Multiple Personality Disorders. This according to SoberRecovery.com.

As previously mentioned a key in learning to deal with Dissociative Identity Disorder is seeking help through local mental health clinics and organizations. Treating DID and other mental health issues takes a large commitment from the patient, their family, and in some cases friends. Just remember, it is possible to live a productive life with DID or Multiple Personality Disorder. If you or someone you know suffers from this disorder take it upon yourself to educate yourself about the disorder as much as possible. Learn to interact with your loved one, and learn to help them through episodes when the other personalities within them are in control.

RESOURCES:

Merck.com ~ http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec07/ch106/ch106d.html

PsychologyToday.com ~ http://psychologytoday.com/conditions/did.html

SoberRecovery.com ~ http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-4105.html