It would be hard to find anyone in El Paso, Texas that hasn’t heard of multiple personality disorder. In fact, many people that ask us questions about the disorder are still calling it by that name even though the correct term is now Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID.
There are many myths and misunderstandings of this disorder that create a very real issue for people that have this diagnosis. Our patients often indicate that just trying to explain the reality of the condition, and not what has been exaggerated or completely fabricated in movies, literature and on TV, is often very difficult.
What Is Multiple Personality Disorder?
We find that just explaining the disorder to people that are just getting this diagnosis, as well as their families, can be very helpful. We like to describe it as simply mentally drifting off while continuing to do whatever you were doing. At the same time, and without conscious thought or awareness, a different personality or personalities may be present, each which have been developed to cope with stressors that are just too difficult to handle.
For many of the patients we see with DID there is a significant history of trauma, often going back to very early childhood. The alter personality, or more than one in many patients, may be of a different age, race, gender, ability level and even level of functioning. These alters often recall similar events but have very different perspectives and individual memories.
What are the Symptoms?
Contrary to what is portrayed in popular fiction, the symptoms of multiple personality disorder are often very similar to other mental health conditions. These can include anxiety, depression, substance abuse, hallucinations, sleep disorders, mood swings and ritualistic behavior and compulsions.
Even those that live with people with DID may not see the transition between the alternate personalities and may not be able to understand the behaviors of their loved one. They may blame these sudden or gradual behavior and personality changes on alcohol, drugs or willfully destructive behaviors.
The good news for our patients in El Paso, Texas with a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder is that treatment can be very effective in assisting the individual to learn coping skills and address past traumas in their lives. While there is no cure, with ongoing treatment it is possible to reduce and eliminate the episodes of transition, creating a better, healthier state for the individual.
