Dissociative Identitty Disorder

Most commonly known as multiple personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a condition that can arise when a person suffers severe trauma early in life.  The trauma is typically severe and may involve repeated physical, emotional and sexual abuse. 
The mental illness involves the diagnosed experience at least two personality states which are referred to as alters.  Some sufferers of DID experience more than two alters.  The condition is more easily identified in females than males, which could reveal while more women are documented as suffering from dissociative identity disorder than men.
Dissociative identity disorder is an extreme form daydreaming.  Most people have experienced a minor form of dissociating with reality.  There are times when you may find yourself drifting off into a warm and fuzzy daydream, but DID involves a false sense of reality where there is a lack of connection within the sufferer’s thoughts, feelings and consequently their emotions and actions that result from a traumatic root cause.
The dissociative portion of the identity disorder allows the sufferer cope with the trauma.  The individual actually dissociates themselves from the painful experience that is too severe to deal with.  In order to think about the traumatic experience the person must separate from the pain and assimilate with a false reality.

Common Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder

While dissociative identity disorder is commonly characterized by two or more personality states which control the person’s actions and behavior there are a number of sub-symptoms that sufferers may experience.  The following are some of the most commonly seen symptoms.

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Thoughts of suicide
• Sleep disorders
• Eating disorders
• Alcohol and/or drug abuse

Some sufferers of DID experience severe headaches, time loss and memory loss.  It is not uncommon for people with dissociative identity disorder to encounter times of trance and out of body experiences.  Most people with DID claim to do things during their altered state that they would not normally do.  For example, drinking and driving, visiting a prostitute or stealing money from relatives or close friends.

Who is affected by Dissociative Identity Disorder?

The precise cause of dissociative identity disorder is not known but studies have shown that as many as 98% of all sufferers have experienced a traumatic experience or repetitive abuse at one point or another during their lifetime.  Most individuals who develop this condition recall a history of life threatening abuse and experiences usually before the age of nine years old.
Children who have been emotionally neglected and endured severe abuse may be more prone to develop dissociative identity disorder.  Children who have been raised in a home where the parents were unpredictable and scary often become dissociative in behavior.

How to be Properly Diagnosed?

Time is of the essence when properly diagnosing dissociative identity disorder.  Due to the number of symptoms that accompany this disorder a precise diagnosis can take years to determine.  Secondary diagnoses often cause confusion or provide indicators of false disorders.
According to the DSM-IV there are four sets of criteria to be examined when diagnosing this disorder.  The first is that the individual must exhibit at least two personality states aside from their own.  The second set of criteria involves the personality states taking over the individual’s behavior and causing them to conduct themselves in a manner that is out of character.  The third indicator for diagnosis is that the person has a difficult time remembering anything personal.  The severe forgetfulness is often characterized as amnesia.  The last indicator for diagnosis is that the person suffers from substance abuse but the occasional blackouts or forgetfulness cannot be related to this abuse.
Patients are often seen for years by a psychotherapist or psychiatrist before being properly diagnosed.  People suffering from this disorder may spend years in mental health treatment before finding out that they are victims of this condition.  Once diagnosis is determined the proper treatment plan can be established.  Ongoing care is recommended even after the diagnosis has been made.

Constructing the Best Treatment Plan

There is no cure for dissociative identity disorder but there is at least a light at the end of the tunnel.  The best remedies for treating DID involve long term planning.  According to physicians and psychiatrists at the Mayo Clinic, effective treatment involves lengthy therapy sessions that have proven to be highly successful.
The best treatment plan for DID may include the following:

• Hypnotherapy
• Talk therapy
• Medication
• Movement therapy
• Psychotherapy

Since the condition often accompanies other disorders or issues, oftentimes individuals with DID are treated routinely for depression, anxiety or mood enhancement with much success in curbing the symptoms involved with dissociative identity disorder.  Many times people suffering from this condition benefit by the use of antidepressants or medication to treat anxiety.
Author: njewell
Publish Date: Tue, 03/08/2011 - 12:44
Categories: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Mental Health, Health