...Assignment: Dissociative Identity Disorder and its representation in the media This essay will look at Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and its portrayal in the media. DID was formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD).This essay will cover the symptoms of DID, the criteria used for diagnosis, causes and triggers of disorder, how the disorder is portrayed in the media and the reality of the disorder for sufferers. According to the (American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders pg 519) Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of the individual’s behaviour accompanied by an inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. It is a disorder characterized by identity fragmentation rather than a proliferation of separate personalities. Multiple Personality Disorder is more commonly known as a person with a split personality or a schizophrenic. This is most common in the form of alter egos. The personalities need to interact with the environment by taking control of the person’s behaviour. According to http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Dissociative-identity-disorder.html the name of the disorder changed from ‘Multiple Personality disorder’ because ‘Dissociative Identity Disorder’ because DID is a much more accurate description of the disorder as it...
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...Dissociative Identity Disorder was formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. This was changed in the year 1994 because of further understanding of the disorder, and realizing that the disorder was a result of early childhood trauma. Dissociative Identity Disorder is when a person possesses two or more personalities, which take control of the body and mind at different times. A person who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder forgets and often blacks out at times in which a different personality takes over. This forgetfulness is often described as “beyond ordinary forgetting”. During these times of “blacking-out” is when a secondary personality takes over, and that is the reason for the forgetting. The main identity is called the host identity and often is unaware of the secondary personality or personalities. Before the 1980’s Dissociative Identity Disorder was a rare disorder that did not seem to have much attention. Dissociative Identity Disorder was not mentioned by more then a sentence in the DSM that was under the category of “hysterical neurosis”. There was no separate listing for Dissociative Identity Disorder until 1980 where a group of interested therapists lobbied to have Dissociative Identity Disorder become a full part of the DSM. (Acocella 6) As defined in the DSM-IV TR Dissociative Identity Disorder is “the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of behavior.” (526) Dissociative Identity...
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...Running Head: DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER: ITS CAUSES AND TREATMENTS Dissociative Identity Disorder: its causes and treatments: What are the roots causes and treatments of Dissociative Identity Disorder Abstract Research shows that Dissociative Identity Disorder, the most extreme form of dissociative disorders, is usually developed in childhood as a means to cope with emotionally difficult situations, whether it is sexual abuse or other childhood trauma. In the past, it has been assumed that Dissociative Identity Disorder has no treatment because of the complexity of the condition. However, recent studies have shown that structured clinical psychiatry sessions can alleviate the symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder and actually reduce the number of memory relapses. These conclusions stand as testimonies to the fact that Dissociative Identity Disorder can be treated despite the claims of past studies. “What if pretending she was somebody else was the only way a little girl knew how to defend herself. But she had to pretend so intensely that the pretending became real” (Sargent, 2007). In the 2007 docudrama film Sybil, directed by Joseph Sargent, the main character Sybil Dorsett suffers from 16 personalities because of her Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which she developed as a child. Dissociative Identity Disorder is defined as “a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities (known as alters or parts), each with its own pattern of...
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..."Identity" is a Psycholgical Thiller about man with Dissociative Disorder. The movie starts off with the audience being introduced to Malcolm Rivers. He is charged with such a serious crime, that he is about to be executed the next day. His psychiatrist wants to prove that Rivers is not mentally able to be the person to commit the crimes, and he convinced a judge to stand before Rivers and check again to make sure he didn't really commit his crimes. Miles away in a small hotel, a bad storm has brought many strangers together. George, his wife Alice, and his stepson Timmy have pulled into a hotel after an accident injured Alice. The accident had Alice getting hit by limo driver Ed, who hit her while they were changing a tire. Ed is bringing the former famous actress Caroline to wherever she needs to be. They go to the hotel after learning that the roads are flooded, and it turns out that the phones at the hotel do not work because of an accident involving a woman named Paris hitting the telephone polls. Two more clusters of people come to the hotel. One is a cop named Rhodes who is bringing a murderer to someplace, and a newlywed couple. All of these people rent rooms in the hotel from Larry, and everything is all right. They agreed to wait until the storm lets up to get help. Everything is going fine until one of the guests die in a brutal way. Everyone is shocked and one by one the guests begin to die, as the remaining people try to figure out who is doing the killing, and who...
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...Dissociative Identity Disorder, formally known as Multiple Personalty Disorder is a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in, and alternately take control of an individual. The person also experiences memory loss that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. I picked this topic because the way the brain works interests me. I plan on going to school to be a psychiatrist and work/help with people who have this or something else. This is a good interesting topic that I will be able to get a lot of interesting information on. I’ll be able to see what might cause it, how many people have the disease, symptoms, and what might be able to help it. I’ve seen lots of detective type shows and seen people who have this disease. I myself don’t know anybody who has a multiple personalties disease. But ever since I’ve seen detective type shows, I’ve found an interest in helping people and doing this. You may wonder if there are any treatments for this disorder. The disorder can not permanently go away. The primary treatment for this disease is long term psychotherapy with the goal of deconstructing the different personalities and uniting them into just one. Some other treatments would be cognitive and creative therapies and some medications. There are not specific medications for this disorder, but antidepressants, anti-anxiety and tranquilizers can help with this. For this project I interviewed David Clayman...
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...Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder, first appeared in DSM-III as a diagnostic unit (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980). Although research on DID has become prevalent in the last 30 years, knowledge and acceptance of this disorder is still far from certain. While there are professionals that believe they regularly see DID in clinical practice, there are still many professionals that believe it does not exist. In order to decide if DID is a valid disorder, it is important to take the concerns of both arguments into account. These concerns include: validity, diagnostic, cultural and conceptual challenges (Dorahy, et al., 2014, pp. 402-417). After examining current research, I believe...
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...According to Harrison, Dissociative identity disorder (DID), also known as multiple personality disorder (MPD), is a mental disorder that takes controls of the person’s behavior due to the presence of two or more distinct identities within the body. DID is accompanied with the inability to recall important personal information that can’t be explained by ordinary forgetfulness (1). Coons claims, “people with MPD experience physical symptoms including headaches, changes in voice, unexplained pain, alterations in handwriting styles, conversion symptoms, palpitations, sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal disturbances including bulimia and anorexia, menstrual irregularities, and dermatological conditions” (Coons 47). This personality disorder occurs in different cultures worldwide where the individual has different mood, memories, and behavior for each of the...
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...Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) has a unique position in psychopathology; in previous eras and still, in modern-day society, the idea and validity of the occurrence of dissociative identities, inside a single person, has caused much debate and conflict between mental health care specialists (Traub, 2009). It produces an extraordinary combination of both approval and refutation in the scientific world. Starting with approval, DID is a formally documented diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM; APA, 2013) in addition to the International Classification of Diseases. Furthermore, the study of DID yields a mild but stable output of publications supporting cases of the disorder in nations all...
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...Dissociative Identity Disorder is often depicted in movies, books, and TV shows. Unfortunately, these medias often leave the public with a skewed view of the disorder. DID, as this disorder is often referred to as, is a dissociative disorder, that is more commonly known by its informal name, multiple personality disorder. Those who suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder start developing alternative personalities as young as six years old. They can have anywhere from two to one hundred personalities, although average is about ten. These alter egos can have different physical needs, medical needs, relationship preferences, thoughts, feelings, genders, and behaviors. These egos all serve different purposes, although their main purpose is...
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...Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder (MPD) is one of the most controversial mental disorders known to man. Although it only accounts for 1-3% of the general population, it has been advancing quickly. More and more researchers have been trying to find a cure for this mind altering disorder. Dissociative identity disorder is a condition wherein a person’s identity is fragmented into two or more distinct personalities. The identities are made to cope with different parts of the person’s life. They are unique and distinct from the person’s core personality. One of the personalities is always present, usually being the dominant one. There is no recollection of each other's roles in the body they...
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...Statistical Manual (DSM) calls Dissociative Identity Disorder, but they may not know they have it (Smith, 2009). General awareness of Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality Disorder could help people put a name to the symptoms that characterize this disorder. Individuals who have Multiple Personality Disorder, which is found in the DSM as a Dissociative Disorder, present a chronic, dissociative psychopathology indicated by memory distortion or loss and changes in personality or identity caused by a traumatic experience (Kluft, 1991). Even now, Multiple personality disorder is a contested topic among...
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...RASHIDAT POPOOLA READ 0950:18 12/07/2015 MY TOPIC: DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER; (CAUSES, SYMPTOMS & TREATMENT OPTIONS) Summary Treating patients with Dissociative identity disorder take a long process and in some cases 5-7 years, depending on its severity. Just as the ailment is vast, encompassing, so does its treatment because it is customized to unify the scattered indentity. In the journal of family psychotherapy,20:72-88,2009 ISSN: 0897-5353 print/ 1540-4080 online.DOI: 10.1080/08975350802716566, titled Family Therapy and Mental Health; SHOBIA PAIS of the department of Family Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis.Indiana USA wrote extensively on the psychotherapeutic measures of treating DID sufferers,under the topic; “A systemic Approach to the Treatment Dissociative Disorder”. SHOBIA commented that because sufferers of “DID” are mostly victims of sexual abuse at childhood, the involvement of immediate family members in the treatment can not be undermined.. This article dived deep into the various Psychotherapeutic measures that could be applied to treat sufferers of ‘DID’ . The influence and support neede from the immediate family members of the sufferer can not be compromised or underestimated. Basically the treatment is in 3 phases or stages tor an effective outcome, meanwhile the success of each phase is interrelated. According to SHOBIA PAIS , the stages could be enumerated as follows: 1.Pretreatment/Preliminary phase: involves...
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...Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a mental health illness that affects individuals who have experienced trauma in a continuous aspect whether it is physical, emotional, neglect or sexual (Ellason, J. W. & Ross, C. A., 1997, p. 832). It can also develop as a result of living through a war and using dissociation in order to deal with the situation, hence some soldiers can develop DID after being in active combat (Ellason & Ross , 1997, p. 832). This disorder was was initially known as multiple personality disorder or hysteria and it was also thought of as the possession of the body by a demon , but in 1994 it was officially introduced into the DSM-4 as DID (Stickley, T. & Nickeas, R., 2006, p.180). The name change resulted in more research...
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...Introduction: One of the most controversial psychiatric disorders; Dissociative identity disorder is a rare chronic condition, and is considered controversial due to the likely comorbidity with other mental conditions making diagnosis and treatment difficult. Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder is one of a cluster of dissociative disorders. The dissociative disorders are a group of psychiatric conditions characterized by individuals experiencing an alteration of memory, consciousness, or identity for no natural reason. Individuals experience this escape from reality in ways that are involuntary and unhealthy causing problems with functioning in everyday life (Mayo Clinic, 2017). History: The...
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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...
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