Dissociative Identity Disorder Essay

“DID is about survival, as more people begin to appreciate this concept, individuals with DID will start to feel less as though they have to hide in shame” – Deborah Bray Haddock.
When one hears the words “multiple personalities”, they might think of some insane person on a television show. However that is not always the case. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder and can be defined as a condition where a person has two or more identities, which can alternate without the person knowing. These different identities act as if there are two or more different brains inside of one body. All of which try to take control of the persons’ life causing the person to have long periods of time that they …show more content…
DSM-5 is the accepted reference for diagnosing mental disorders. To be diagnosed with DID there are five points to meet. The first is to have two or more identities, both having separate behaviors, memory, and consciousness. The second is that the person must have defined gaps when recalling events, personal information and/or traumatic events. The third is that the person must have trouble with functioning in major life areas because of this disorder. The forth is the disturbance is not part of normal cultural or religious practices. The final point is the symptoms are not direct effects of a substance or general medical …show more content…
The host identifies with the person's real name. Also the host personality usually doesn’t know about any of the other personalities. The distinct personalities can play very different roles with helping the person cope with their problems in life. Environmental triggers or life events can cause a sudden shift from one personality to another. For example, there's about two to four personalities that are known at the time the person is diagnosed. Then during the course of treatment about 13 to 15 personalities come out. While unusual, there have been cases where more than 100 personalities become known throughout the whole

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