...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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...The Many Faces of Dissociative Identity Disorder Abstract This research paper aims to explore the mental disease known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder. I explore the meaning, symptoms, and effects of DID. My research describes those diagnosed with DID and the probable reasons of why they have the disorder. This study also explains the many different treatments and the effects those treatments might have on a person that has the disorder. I include a research study done on someone diagnosed with DID, the method used to help treat her, and the results of her treatment. Lastly, I state my opinion on DID and the methods I believe with help people prevent, treat, and cope with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The Many Faces of Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a mental condition where a person possesses two or more different personalities which may alternate within the individual’s conscious awareness. A person living with DID many have as little as two personalities, referred to as alters, or as many as 100, though the average is about ten. Alters may exhibit differences in speech, behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and gender orientation. They may even have physical differences, such as allergies, right-or-left handedness, or the need for eyeglass prescriptions. At least two of these personalities assert themselves repeatedly to...
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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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...Dissociative Identity Disorder: Abstract: The aim of this paper is to elucidate an in depth understanding of the phenomena of dissociative identity disorder. This piece was written while I was pursuing my certification in counseling and volunteering with social organizations dealing with specially abled individuals. The explanation delineated below seeks to bring out my understanding and perception of the subject. Meaning: Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis explaining a condition whereby a person subconsciously exhibits multiple identities i.e. alter egos each distinct from the other behaving in its own manner independently from the others. It is necessary for atleast two personalities to take over a person for this disorder to occur. A person also has memory loss while he/she exhibits some other personality. This clearly means that a person is subconsciously getting a person into different personalities. Dissociative Identity Disorder is less common when compared to other dissociative disorders and occurs in about 1% of the dissociative cases. There have been many instances where the existence of dissociative identity disorder has been questioned. It is pertinent to note that dissociative identity disorder is diagnosed more commonly in North America in comparison to other areas of the world. Signs and symptoms: Patients who have been diagnosed with this disorder exhibit a lot of fluctuation in behavior and at times also show strange mannerisms. The main...
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... There are many different types of dissociative disorders, but the one that caught my eye most was Dissociative Identity Disorder. This disorder was previously known as multiple personality disorder. This disorder has become better known because of the media and has become more diagnosed among patients. As I began to put myself in the shoes of someone with this disorder, I realized what barriers it would cause, how it would affect my daily life, what strengths I might gain, and what treatment is available. Often people are misled about what Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) really is. Kong, Allen, and Glisky in their journal state, “Dissociative Identity Disorder is defined as the presence of two or more identities or personality states that recurrently take control of a person’s behavior” (Kong, Allen & Glisky, 2008). It falls into the category of dissociative disorders. There are multiple criteria to be met in order to be diagnosed with DID. As stated in the DSM-IV, two or more distinct identities or personalities have to be present in the individual. Also, these distinct identities have to take control over the behavior recurrently. Thirdly, the individual is unable to recall important information and this inability is too severe to be attributed to mere ordinary forgetfulness, and the disturbance is not an outcome of substance abuse or general medical condition ("Dissociative identity disorder, 2013"). The number of identities a person has can range from 2-100,...
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...Dissociative disorders are characterized by an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness and memory. About 2% of individuals that are tested or this illness are diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder and it is thought to be a very rare disease. People from all age groups and racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds can experience a dissociative disorder. Dissociative identity disorder has many heartbreaking symptoms, treatments, and controversy that affect these men and women with this disease for the rest of their lives. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a critical disorder in which two or possibly more personalities, or identities, are present and alternately...
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...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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...integration treatment) of dissociative identity disorder (DID) will be further discussed. II. Symptoms that may experienced by patients with DID. A. Loss of memory. 1. Memory deviation. 2. Various personality states have various memory fragments. B. Hallucinations. 1. Auditory hallucinations. 2. Visual hallucinations. C. Suicidal tendencies. 1. Terminate uncomfortable feeling. 2. High tolerance to endure pain. III. Treatments that may used for patients with DID. A. Hypnosis 1. Increase information about each identity state. 2. Control...
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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 Multiple Personality Disorder Nathan Coy Thompson Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously referred to as multiple personality disorder, is a dissociative disorder involving a disturbance of identity in which two or more separate and distinct personality states (or identities) control an individual's behavior at different times. When under the control of one identity, a person is usually unable to remember some of the events that occurred while other personalities were in control. The different identities, referred to as alters, may exhibit differences in speech, mannerisms, attitudes, thoughts and gender orientation. The alters may even present physical differences, such as allergies, right-or-left handedness or the need for eyeglass prescriptions. These differences between alters are often quite striking. In clinical populations, the estimated prevalence of DID ranges from 0.5 to 1.0% (CA Ross 2006). In the general population, estimates of prevalence are somewhat higher, ranging from 1-5% . Females are more likely to receive a diagnosis of DID, at a ratio of 9:1. This author also contends that the disproportionately high number of females diagnosed with DID dispels the notion that incestual abuse is largely responsible for the development of DID. High percentages of individuals with DID have comorbid diagnoses of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder. In addition, individuals diagnosed with DID...
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...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...
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...Section A When we first meet Jack we learn that that he is a 30year old single white male complaining of insomnia for over 6 months. His job is a liability consultant for an automotive company that requires him to take frequent trips to different time zones which often leave him jet lagged. He goes to the doctor to get a prescription to help him sleep, but the doctor prescribes support groups for cancer patients, so that Jack could see what real suffering was. During one of his business trips he meets Tyler Durden, a nihilist soap salesman who is disgruntled with common culture. Eventually in the movie Tyler takes the fight club and turns it into Project Mayhem, which organizes increasingly serious anti-capitalism vandalism ventures. During one of these missions, a fight club member dies, and Jack tries to shut down the operation in Tyler’s absence. He retraces Tyler’s steps and learns that fight clubs have been started in every major city. It is in one of these cities that someone calls him Tyler. Jack calls Marla and begins to realize that Tyler is a split personality of his own personality. The Jack/Tyler character in Fight Club can’t but be considered mentally unbalanced when a proper comparison is made to the characteristics of those said to be in good mental health. Jack/Tyler simply doesn’t feel good about himself; which is seen in the beginning of the movie when he’s attending a series of support groups for people suffering from a variety of health problems. His...
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...Dissociative Identity Disorder Porsha Castillo Belhaven University ABSTRACT This paper will focus on the mental disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder. It will follow the case study of JANE. The paper will include the hisroty of the disorder as well as treatment, and current research of the disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder Rebecca, a 14 year old girl, presented to a hospital by her mother with a complaint of ‘behaving like a male’ for past 2 weeks. She was identifying herself as Mr. S. and dressed herself like a male. She was not recognizing her neighbors, relatives, or teachers anymore and her belongings as well. She was not able to recount her personal information either. Her mother also reported a significant and contrasting change in her behavior, like she had become stubborn, confident, outgoing and demanding during this period in contrast to her normal behavior. She developed interest in drawing and painting, would demand different types of fast food items, dresses, and certain objects in the altered state. Her mother fearing worsening of her illness readily fulfilled these demands. Rebecca stopped going to school and would stay at home all day long. Upon exploration, it was found that about 2 years back, her father and older sister had left the house to live separately from Rebecca and her mother. There was a strained relationship among the parents on the issue of not having a son. Since separation, there was no communication with them. Rebecca was...
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...Thomas McPhee Mr.O’Donnell Psych I Period 2 12/18/15 Term Paper Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) 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. DID is a disorder characterized by identity fragmentation rather than a proliferation of separate personalities. The disturbance is not due to the direct psychological effects of a substance or of a general medical condition, yet as this once rarely reported disorder has become more common, the diagnosis has become controversial. Some believe that because DID...
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...Dissociative Identity Disorder Rebekah Cohen PSY-101-031 Bergen Community College Abstract Dissociative Identity Dissorder is a rare condition in which the brain splits the original personality into multiple identities as a coping mechanism for posttraumatic stress. An assortment of different personalities is created depending on what temperaments the person is missing, or is subconsciously recreating in their life. These “alters” can range from extremely aggressive to frail and weak, all without the control of the original personality. The person diagnosed with this disorder can suffer time loss due to the fact that they are not aware when another alter is present. Although there is no medication specifically for this exact disorder, there...
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