The topic of Dissociative Identity Disorder was chosen because there are many misconceptions surrounding the disorder which spread through media and film. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is commonly mistaken as a multiple personality disorder. In reality it is a detachment of an individual’s identity. Dissociative identity surpasses the classification of coping mechanism toward the realm of disorder. According to Dr. David Spiegel, Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, dissociative disorder “...involves a lack of connection among a person’s sense of identity, memory and consciousness...” (Spiegel, "Expert Q & A: Dissociative Disorders"). Thus, an individual enduring DID tends to undergo a detachment from reality and have …show more content…
Nickeas (2006) discuss one individual who suffered recurrent verbal, physical, and sexual abuse from her parents and relatives, throughout childhood, in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing (p.180-187). Rachel would dissociate from the abusive events so that she seemed to be a bystander. She called these “dreams” which eventually allowed her to develop a numbness to physical pain. Once the disorder developed, she frequently return to reality and find herself in a place she could not remember traveling to, or wake up “...to find herself walking across the fields near her house…” (Stickley & Nickeas, 2006). Not only did Rachel experience loss of time, but she also heard voices and saw varied versions of herself in the room. She learned to imitate the behavior of other people to seem normal in social situations. She also paid close attention to the time and would write notes to herself, either on paper or on her hand, and wore an identity bracelet in case she got lost. For a while, these strategies did not hinder Rachel from work, but eventually Rachel began talking to herself more, daydreamed more, heard voices more often, and began to have frequent panic attacks. Rachel found psychological help and learned ways to help to re-associate herself with