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Dissociative Identity Disorder Research Paper

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Dissociative Identity Disorder
The diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder has long been a controversial topic. (American Psychological Association Dictionary of Psychology 2015) It is my belief that things are sometimes controversial because they make others uncomfortable. This discomfort, in my opinion, can lead to false information, denial, fear and dismissal. I have never been someone who runs from discomfort. I try to embrace and understand it. This is what I have tried to do here with the research on dissociative identity disorder. There are a few reasons that this topic is of interest to me. First, trauma is prevalent in our country. It is a constant topic in my education, practicum and in the media. We discuss trauma informed …show more content…
Truddi actually helped with the screenplay for this movie unlike the other movies that have been made about dissociative identity disorder. One of the things I found quite interesting is that Truddi does not want to integrate her personalities. Up until this research I had understood that integration was the ultimate therapeutic goal of treatment. A famous quote from the movie is “2-4-6-8 we don’t want to integrate” (Mickelson, Sherman & Johnson, 1990) and yet Truddi is considered a high functioning adult with dissociative identity disorder.
On the opposite end of the movie spectrum is Split. Split portrays a man with dissociative identity disorder as violent, angry and a criminal. The obsession the entertainment industry and people have with dissociative identity disorder started in 1886 with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It continued with the movie Psycho and others. A review in The Guardian states that “Psycho is a horror masterpiece but as a portrayal of a real-life mental-health condition, it’s nonsense. Just as autism in the movies makes you a math genius, so DID makes you a psycho.” (Rose, …show more content…
How do you fix something if you don’t understand where it’s coming from? In Oprah Winfrey’s report on trauma on 60 Minutes Dr. Bruce Perry states “It’s crucial, he tells them, to understand what has happened to traumatized children before trying to “fix” their behavior.” (“Treating Childhood Trauma”, 2018) I’d like to be educated on this subject so that I am more equipped to help those in need. Especially if the prevalence rates for dissociative identity disorder continue to rise as the number of traumas one experiences

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