Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) or now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) had it’s name changed back in the 1990’s. This disorder is a very odd disorder to some people and myself included. This isn’t just your normal mental disorder or medical problem, this is a different type of disorder that can be a little freaky if you really think about it. This disorder focuses on how people believe that patients with this disorder can have two or more different personalities. Vermetten’s writes “Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by the presence of two or more identities or personality states, each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and the self (DSM-IV-TR).” …show more content…
(Vermetten et al., 2006). As reading through this quote the first time, it gave me shivers down my spine. This disorder has also been known to be very difficult on the patient due to treatment, and what it does to the body. Kluft writes “DID is a difficult condition to have, and its therapy makes substantial demands upon therapist and patient alike. It is difficult to address significant trauma from the past while addressing uses in one’s contemporary circumstances.” (Kluft, 1999, P.
298). This just shows that this disorder isn’t like a normal one. Along with information about this disorder and how difficult it is to live with, it also has a landslide of different treatments suggestions. Even though their is no cure for this disorder, Michael Maisano (2010) talks about how he considers five different types of treatments for Dissociative Identity Disorder. Such as the first being Psychotherapy & Cognitive Therapy, the second is Hypnosis, the third is Psychopharmacological Interventions, the fourth is Electroconvulsive Therapy, and finally the fifth is Adjunctive Treatments. All these are different treatments that have been known The final thing I want to take notice on this disorder if people should be charged with their acts who have this disorder. Nicki writes “Given the pervasive belief in the ideals of self-determination and self-transparency and in the importance of an internally coherent self for moral agency and behaviour, philosophers, such as Stephen Braude (1996) and Jennifer Radden (1996), have asked whether people with ‘multiple personality disorder’ should be seen as responsible for their acts.” (Nicki, 2008, P.
28). The reason I picked this disorder, is due to the fact that I have always been interested in Multiple Personality Disorder. Ever since I was a kid, I always wondered if it was real or not. Along with what makes a person develop this disorder in the first place if it is real. Along with that, I come from a religious family where my father is a pastor. So I was always been told growing up in Sunday school, that it’s really a demon who took over that person. That is exactly why they act the way they do. So I wanted to look into that aspect as well while learning. When doing this research, I hope to learn everything about this disorder inside and out. I want to learn about the symptoms of this disorder, along with the treatment of this disorder. I want to learn what people inside and outside the church think about this disorder. I want to see what goes on inside the patients mind to make them believe they have two different personalities, or why they actually do have two different personalities. The final thing I hope to take away from this research and project, is something that I didn’t know before. That is my main goal when it comes to anything within my life.
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Stephen Behnke ‘Responsibility in Cases of Multiple Personality Disorder,: Nous, vol 34, supplement 14 (2000) , pp.301-23
This dissociative identity disorder therapy encourages communication of conflicts and insight into any problems. Problems helped by psychotherapy include difficulties in coping with daily life- Barry was the only personality able to cope with daily functions due to his sessions with Dr. Fletcher. The impact of trauma, and abuse was the reason Dennis's personality was created. Kevin’s (host body) created this personality to defend and protect him by assuring everything was tidy, and done properly. Psychotherapy can aid by controlling or eliminateting any troubling symptoms so the individual can improve and increase there health and properly heal. This was the form of therapy that Barry and Dr. Fletcher had. Another common form of therapy is called cognitive
Therefore, they are prescribes medications for other health conditions that are commonly associated with dissociative identity disorder. Typically the patient will be giving medications that treat: depression, anger, severe anxiety, and impulse-control problems. The main issue with prescribing a patient with dissociative identity disorder is that the individual may began to feel as if they are being controlled. Any effect the patient may experience regardless if it is good or bad can cause the patient to feel traumatized
Secret Window, released in 2004, is a film based on Stephen King's novel Secret Window, Secret Garden. The film follows increasingly disturbing events around a character called Mort Rainey, who is portrayed by Johnny Depp & John Turturro. This character appears to suffer from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Rainey is a middle-aged novelist recently estranged from his wife; as a result, he has isolated himself at his cottage. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Rainey has another personality called Shooter, and Rainey himself comes to the realisation that Shooter is an identity that he has created to protect himself from the pain of his marital breakdown. Shooter takes over Rainey’s mind one last time to murder his wife and the man she cheated with. After his vengeance is carried out, Rainey seems at ease and jovial, and as the film ends, Rainey seems to be in a positive emotional state. This is an ambiguous ending that leaves the viewer unsure of Rainey’s mental health status.
...res of the psychopaths and gives the reader various examples of these individuals playing out these characteristics in everyday life. A widely used checklist is provided so the reader can get a wide spanning view of what is accounted for when scoring a psychopath. This form of research is very important within the deceitfulness of this population; it allows the professional to ignore their words and examine their actions. Hare made it clear that it is not uncommon for there to be an emotional and verbal disconnect from their actions. With virtually no emotional functioning psychopaths feel no remorse for the offenses that they commit and it is very important that we work towards using the opportunities we have to study and assist these populations; not only for them but for ourselves.
Personality, defined by Merriam-Webster, is a set of enduring behavioral and mental traits that distinguish human beings from one another. Therefore, a personality disorder “is a type of mental illness in which you have trouble perceiving and relating to situations and to people—including yourself” (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). In general, someone who suffers from a personality disorder has a long-term pattern of behaviors and emotions that are very different from the society’s view of “normal”.
Personality disorders have always been viewed as a possible category for a psychological disorder. However, in the new edition of the DSM, it will be getting its own diagnostic category. In viewing personality disorder, one can only agree that it should have its own diagnostic category. The reason that these changes are being supported is because of the causation, diagnosis, and treatment of personality disorders.
Dissociative Identity Disorder, also known as Multiple Personality Disorder is a psychological disorder that can be caused by many things, but the most common cause is severe childhood trauma which is usually extreme, repetitive physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. A lot of people experience mild dissociation which includes daydreaming or getting momentarilly distracted while completing everyday tasks. Dissociative identity disorder is a severe form of dissociation. Seveer Dissociation causes a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. Dissociative identity disorder is thought to stem from a combination of factors that may include trauma experienced by the person with the disorder. When a
"People may be born with some risk factors, while others may be triggered by physical or emotional trauma, stress, drug abuse, or physical illness." (Bjornlund, 2011) DID sufferers frequently report severe abuse as a child, either physical or sexual. (Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder), Nov. 2014) “Child, persecutor, and protector identity states are often exhibited by DID sufferers.” (Rosik, 2012). Research shows that the development of the disorder is probably a mental response to interpersonal and environmental hardships, particularly at a young age when emotional abandonment or abuse can interfere with personality growth and development. (Goldberg, 2014) “The common belief among most professionals is the personality splintered or fractured before the age of five.” (Swartz, 2001) Victims use their multiple personalities as a coping mechanism when too difficult to remember the trauma they have been through. For example, in the study Recovering Identity, the abuse history
People often think that D.I.D. (Dissociative Identity Disorder) is something made up, something that a person is just inventing in order to get attention; that statement couldn’t be more Incorrect. Dissociative Identity Disorder, formally known at Multiple Personality Disorder, is a dissociative disorder, not a personality disorder or a psychosis. D.I.D. is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, emotion, behavior, or sense of identity. D.I.D. is thought to stem from trauma experienced by the person with the disorder. The dissociative aspect is thought to be a coping mechanism; the person literally dissociates himself or herself from a situation or experience that is too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate with his or her conscious self.
Multiple Personality Disorder is a mental illness which most commonly has been referred to as Dissociative disorder or DID in recent years[1]. The illness commonly disassociated with schizophrenia finds a person experiencing two or more clearly differing personalities which will in habit assume control at some stage. Changing from one personality to another in a matter of seconds, the person will actually believe that they have more than one personality. DID can co-occur with other illnesses which include a range of anxiety disorders. The causes of DID are still not proven but it is thought to have occurred in response to a traumatic childhood experience[1]. The diagnosis is not constructed as a set test and so the mental health professional is required to test a patient using a mental status exam. The various symptoms of the illness can be treated through a range of treatments ranging from talk therapy to medications, but this does not always smooth out the outcomes resulting in a chaotic, imbalanced life. A great amount of controversy surrounds DID and is disputed by mental health professionals, some even believing that it does not exist[1]. Whatever the case, DID is displayed powerfully throughout the miniseries ‘Sybil’ in which a young emergency teacher finds herself with DID in response to horrific childhood memories[4].
His name is Roger*. He has a beautiful four-year-old daughter, a loving wife, and a successful career in marketing. His name is Jonathan* he has a beautiful four-year-old daughter, a loving wife, and a successful career in marketing. His real name is Austin*, he is 37 and suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Diagnosed at age 23 he’s clearly kept it from holding him back. To see Austin walking down the street, buying a coffee, or even having a personal conversation, you’d never know it. His alter personalities tell outsiders and acquaintances they are Austin, their voices are slightly different, and they don’t mind wearing Austin’s clothes, even if Roger thinks they’re dull. Austin is successfully working with this disorder and to an outsider you wouldn’t even recognize it.
In the book Sybil, written by Flora Rheta Schreiber discuss the life story of Sybil Isabel Dorsett, who has developed 16 distinct personalities because of her childhood abuse. Sybil story became one of the most severe cases ever recorded with multiple personalities. Which is currently called Dissociative Identity Disorder in the current DSM-V. “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” (Psychology Today, 2008, para 1). Sybil’s distinct sense of selves helped protect her from the trauma she experienced as a child.
My topic of choice for this research paper is Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. This appellation is rather new; therefore, most are more familiar with the disorder's older, less technical name: Multiple Personality Disorder or MPD. When first presented with the task of selecting a topic on which to center this paper, I immediately dismissed Dissociative Identity Disorder (which for the sake of brevity will be referred to as DID for the remainder of this paper) as a viable topic due to the sheer scope of the disorder. However after an exhaustive examination of other prospective topics, I found myself back at my original choice. There are several reasons why I chose DID. The foremost of which is the widespread fascination of this disorder by many different types of people; most of whom otherwise have no interest in psychology or its associated fields. One would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t been captivated at one time or another by the extraordinary, all too well known symptoms of this disorder. This fascination… dare I say ‘allure’ to this disorder is exemplified by the myriad of motion pictures that have been produced based on cases, real or fictitious, of DID. Another reason for my choice is what I feel is the insufficiency of effective treatments for DID. Despite what is known about this disorder, (which is relatively a lot) there are only two chief treatments for DID; the first and most prevalent is psychotherapy; also known as ”talk therapy”, the second is medication. The third and final reason for my choice is my own enchantment with DID. I must admit that ever since I read about Sue Tinker, a woman who was diagnosed with over 200 different personalities. In writing this paper I hope to discover more about this disorder and perhaps be able to identify a few areas that I feel might require more research on the part of psychologists specializing in DID.
Grohol, J. M. (n.d.). Psych Central: Dissociative Identity Disorder Treatment. Psych Central - Trusted mental health, depression, bipolar, ADHD and psychology information. Retrieved May 24, 2011, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx18t.htm