Does Herschel Walker Have Multiple Personality Disorder?

Former pro-football player Herschel Walker recently wrote a book called "Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder." Dissociative identity disorder used to be known as multiple personality disorder. The name changed in 1994, and the diagnostic criteria changed a little bit, but it's essentially the same condition.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a condition in which a person has two or more distinct personality states that periodically take over the person's behavior. A person with dissociative identity disorder also is unable to recall important personal information, beyond what might be explained by mere forgetfulness. It is believed that dissociative identity disorder is usually caused by severe childhood abuse, usually before the age of seven.

In his book, Herschel Walker says that he has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. However, some people who have DID and some therapists who treat DID have questioned whether Mr. Walker really has the disorder. I used to work as a social worker but I do not have a Maser's degree, so I am not really qualified to diagnose anyone. Even if I was, I couldn't diagnose someone I haven't even met, and neither can anyone else. Still, I can address the issue of what symptoms of DID Mr. Walker describes in his book and whether or not those symptoms appear to meet the diagnostic criteria for DID.

Despite the fact that the book is called "Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder," the book doesn't really devote much time to discussing Mr. Walker's life with DID. Much more time is given to discussing what it was like playing football, first in high school, then in college, and finally for pro-football teams. However, Mr. Walker does talk about feeling like he was a different person on the football field. He does talk about times when he was very angry and felt like an angry personality was taking over. He talks about times after his football career was over when he was suicidal and played Russian roulette with a gun, and says he didn't feel like himself at those times. He also talks about having an affair and says he felt like that was unlike himself since he is a Christian man.

However, none of those things really suggests a person has DID. After all, many people have suicidal urges without have multiple personalities. And many Christian men have affairs, and it may seem out of character for them or go against their personal and religious beliefs, but it doesn't mean they have DID. Having an anger management problem doesn't mean someone has DID, either.

In order to be diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, a person must have two or more distinct personality states that take over the person's behavior from time to time. But Herschel Walker doesn't really describe two distinct personality states. Sure, the Herschel that played professional football was different in some ways from the Herschel that was present at home with his wife, but we all act differently at work than we do at home, don't we? In a person with DID, these two different personalities would have very different ways of thinking and behaving. They would probably talk differently. They would have different preferences and dislikes; for instance, one might love chocolate ice cream and the other might hate it. But Mr. Walker does not describe two separate personalities in this way.

In order to be diagnosed with dissociate identity disorder, a person must also have the inability to recall important personal information, more than could be explained away by simple forgetfulness. For instance, a person with DID may have no memory of his life between the ages of eight and ten. A person with DID may be unable to remember anything about the house he lived in as a child. In addition, a person with DID may periodically "forget" current information, like his telephone number or address. A person with DID may "get lost" on his way home from work, even though he travels the same route every day and has for the last two years.

However, Herschel Walker does not describe any episodes of amnesia. In fact, he describes his childhood, even his early childhood, with a fair amount of detail. He does allow for the possibility that there may be episodes from his childhood that he has forgotten, because he says he doesn't recall any episodes of severe childhood abuse and he acknowledges that DID is usually caused by severe childhood abuse. It is not uncommon for someone with DID to block out episodes of abuse, but they usually have greater "blank spots" than just that.

What Herschel Walker describes does sound like some degree of dissociation. He talks about feeling detached from his emotions and feeling like he wasn't really himself. Perhaps what he is describing is depersonalization, which is a type of dissociation. Just because you dissociate to a degree, though, does not mean you have DID. Perhaps a more accurate diagnosis might be dissociative disorder - not otherwise specified (DD-NOS).

So how did Mr. Walker get diagnosed with DID if he doesn't fit the criteria? Well, there is the possibility that he does fit the criteria but just didn't share those symptoms in his book. But it is also important to understand who diagnosed him. Mr. Walker says that after having several episodes in which he lost his temper and several episodes in which he played Russian roulette, he decided he might need some professional help. He wondered if he was crazy. He happened to have an acquaintance that happened to be a psychiatrist, so he went to this doctor and asked if he was crazy. It just so happened that this doctor-acquaintance specialized in DID.

That doesn't mean Mr. Walker doesn't have DID, but I do find it curious. I also find it curious that this acquaintance evaluated or treated Mr. Walker in the first place, because in the mental health field, it is considered inappropriate to evaluate or treat a patient that you have a prior relationship with. It is considered a conflict of interest. The appropriate and professional thing to do in such a case is to refer your acquaintance to another qualified mental health practitioner, but that's not what this doctor did.

In the end, there is no way for us to know whether Herschel Walker really has multiple personalities or not. It seems quite possible that he doesn't and that he may have been misdiagnosed. If you have symptoms like those Herschel Walker describes, you should seek professional help, but don't jump to the conclusion that you have DID. On the other hand, if you think you might have DID or if you have been diagnosed with DID but your symptoms are different than those Herschel Walker describes, don't worry. His symptoms aren't really typical of dissociate identity disorder. Talk to a qualified mental health professional about your symptoms and your diagnosis; don't try to diagnose yourself, especially based on Herschel Walker's book.

Sources:

Herschel Walker. "Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder."

WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder).