What Is Disassociative Identity Disorder?

Disassociative identity disorder is an incredibly rare and complex mental disorder in which an individual has two or more distinct identities and personalities known as alters. It was previously known as multiple personality disorder. An individual exhibiting this disorder alternates between different personalities.

The disorder causes a severe form of disassociation that creates a lack of connection in an individual's sense of identity, actions, feelings, thoughts, and memories. Separate personalities or alters control their behavior at different times. Alters have strikingly varying personalities.

An individual maintains their host or primary identity, which is included in their original personality, and answers to the given name. The original personality is more likely to be passive and may not be aware of the other personalities. The disassociative aspect of the disorder is often considered a defense mechanism to protect against trauma and stressors present in an individual's life.

The alters or split personalities each have their unique identity, behavior, and history. These personalities are also capable of having their own distinct names, age, memories, moods, and vocabulary. The shifts in personality are often brought about due to various stressors in the life of the individual.

Two Forms of the Disorder

Disassociative identity disorder has two main forms: the possessed form and the non-possessed form.

In the possessed form, the alters or different personalities manifest as a form of outside agents which causes the individual to think and behave differently. The different personalities are more overt in nature in terms of their actions.

The possessed form is mostly unwanted and involuntary in nature causing substantial distress and impairment. It often occurs during times when cultural and religious norms are violated or other problems come to the fore.

The multiple identities are recognizable by the individual's closest family and friends due to the differences in actions and speech. The possessed form causes the individual several problems as they occur during everyday activities, disrupting the daily functioning of the individual.

The non-possessed form is considerably meeker and less overt in their speech and behavior when compared to the other personalities. During a period of non-possessed form, individuals feel a sense of alteration in their sense of identity and self. Individuals feel as though they are witnessing their own actions, behaviors, and talk rather than doing it themselves.

The non-possessed form still causes distress to the individual as they experience feelings of depersonalization in which they feel like an observer of their life. They feel detached from their mental and physical processes and think their body feels different, as if it does not belong to them. They may experience multiple voices in their minds and thought streams that affect their thinking and emotions.

Causes and Symptoms

Disassosciative identity disorder is overwhelmingly the result of abuse endured by an individual, especially during their childhood. It is a psychologically defensive response to stressors of the psychological and environmental kind. Childhood is a period of immense development, where emotional neglect or abuse may cause individuals to disassociate from these negative experiences.

Research conducted on those with disassociative identity disorder reveals that most individuals with the disorder endure recurring, life-threatening circumstances or traumas before the age of 6.

Disassociation can also be the result of persistent emotional abuse or neglect in the absence of physical trauma. Children of parents who are mentally unstable and unpredictable are more likely to develop the disorder.

Symptoms of disassociative identity disorder are highly personalized in nature and affect each person differently. Multiple personalities and the difference in the original personality of the individual makes it hard to diagnose the condition without first knowing the person and noticing differences in their personalities.

The switch between personalities can be instantaneous or happen in a matter of several days. Behaviors and traits that are different from how the individual usually behaves is another sign of this disorder. The individual suddenly starts to steal money, drive recklessly, or borrow huge amounts of money and feel like they are compelled to do it by an external force.

Individuals regularly feel like they are detached from their own bodies and have regular out-of-body experiences. They also have feelings where they feel that the world is not real or is "far away" and "untouchable."

One of the biggest indicators of disassociative disorder is the symptoms of amnesia. Individuals with disassociative identity disorder have large gaps in their memory of key events in their lives, lapses of memory in their day-to-day lives, and having no memory of certain actions and events. Other mental health illnesses that are common alongside disassociative identity disorders include

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Poor sleeping habits
• Suicidal tendencies
• Substance abuse

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Treatment

Though disassociative identity disorder is rare, there is a chance that you or someone you know could be facing the illness. These symptoms should provide a clue as to whether or not it is a good idea to visit a mental health professional.

Therapists use various techniques and approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy that will help the individual overcome their trauma or stressors in life. Medication can be used to control the various symptoms and comorbidities of the disorder. The treatment is unique to each individual case.