Health
Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Key Insights
In order to reflect advances in medical knowledge or to lessen stigma, many medical terms have changed or evolved over time. For instance, what was formerly referred to as consumption is now called tuberculosis. The current definition of hypochondria is illness anxiety disorder. ADD is no longer used to refer to ADHD. Additionally, substance use disorder has replaced drug addiction.
Dissociative identity disorder, which formerly went by the names split personality disorder and multiple personality disorder and affects only 1.5% of people, is another medical term that has been changed.
Dissociative identity disorder: what is it?
According to Dr. Omar Fattal, system chief of behavioral health at NYC Health + Hospitals, dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a mental illness in which a person has multiple identities, sometimes called “alters,” that they adopt under different conditions.
According to Amber McGregor, a doctor of education and the clinical director of Colorado’s 1st Priority Institute for Better Living, each alter can have a unique name, age, gender, and personality. She continues by saying, “Each alter also has their own unique behaviors, memories, perceptions, and ways of interacting with the world.”
When one of these personalities takes on the primary identity known as the “host” personality, a person with DID dissociates, which is how the disorder is defined. The host personality typically handles daily life and social interactions, but it is frequently ignorant of the existence of the other identities, some of which may only manifest infrequently or only in response to particular situations.
“Unmanaged DID symptoms can make it difficult to pursue personal goals and form meaningful relationships with others,” says William Buerger, clinical director of the dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, due to the fact that alters can appear at any time and other related complications.
Dissociative identity disorder: what causes it?
Even though “the cause of DID has been contested by researchers for decades,” according to Buerger, a large portion of current research focuses on a number of variables and contributing factors, such as sleep disturbances and cognitive attribution errors. He claims that a large portion of the research focuses on the reasons why women are much more likely than men to receive a DID diagnosis in their early adult years.
Even though Fattal acknowledges that there are many possible causes for DID, he claims that the most prevalent one is that most DID sufferers have gone through “severe, prolonged childhood trauma – especially when it disrupts the formation of a safe, secure attachment with a caregiver.”
According to McGregor, this kind of trauma is what frequently causes people to compartmentalize or split off various facets of who they are, “and is believed to be a defense mechanism developed by the brain to manage unbearable experiences that the person cannot process or escape.” The emergence of these diverse personalities, according to her, “allows the individual to ‘escape’ mentally from the overwhelming stress.”
What is the treatment for dissociative identity disorder?
According to Buerger, one of the difficulties with DID is that there are currently few treatment options, “and there are currently no empirically-supported treatments that target this disorder.” Nonetheless, a number of therapies are used and recommended, and many DID patients have found them to be successful.
According to Buerger, some of these treatments include psychodynamic therapies, “which explore how our past experiences may shape our current difficulties and desires,” and medications, “which can play an integral part in helping people cope with and lessen DID symptoms.”
“The cornerstone of treatment for DID,” according to Fattal, is still psychotherapy, “especially trauma-focused and cognitive-behavioral therapies.”
According to McGregor, mental health practitioners must use a thorough, trauma-informed approach that is driven by safety and trust when offering this kind of treatment: “People with DID frequently have a history of severe trauma and may be deeply distrustful of others – including therapists.”
FAQs:
What is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a mental health condition where a person experiences multiple distinct identities or personality states, often due to severe trauma during early childhood.
What are the symptoms of DID?
Symptoms of DID include memory gaps, feeling like different people, blackouts, severe distress, and difficulty recalling personal information, often linked to past trauma or abuse.
How is Dissociative Identity Disorder treated?
DID treatment typically involves psychotherapy, including techniques like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and trauma-focused therapy, helping integrate the different identities and address underlying trauma.
