Monmouth County's Ask the Doctor Early Spring 2022

Split Personality DisordeRS By Valeria Mancuso

Split Personality Disorder Explained Those with a split personality disorder, more popularly known as dissociative identity disorder or DID, have two or more distinct personalities. A person with this has separate differences between these two identities, which is referred to as alters. These different personalities each control the person’s mind, body and identity for some time. However, a person with DID can maintain their primary identity. This is there original personality that they will answer to. Their primary identity may be unaware of the other personalities they may have. Each alter has their own name, age, gender, moods, memories and vocabulary. The shift between each personality occurs when the person has a trigger. Causes of Split Personality There is no exact cause of DID, however there is a connection between the condition and trauma that person may have faced. Early or childhood trauma and abuse could be the reason why a person has many different identity’s. Trauma can stem from physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect from family/ friends, and psychological abuse. Symptoms Symptoms of someone with a split personality disorder include experiencing two or more separate personalities, each with their own self-identification, a change in a person’s sense of self and frequent gaps in memory and personal history. In some cases, one personality may pick up certain habits and may experience symptoms the other personality does not have. Different habits could include smoking and becoming violent. Different symptoms could include anxiety, amnesia, losing sense of time, going into a trance-like state, out of body experienc- es, engaging in behaviors that are unusual for the person, sleep disturbances, etc. The person could become stressed because they are afraid of a personality change or because they may be unaware of the change which can affect their ability to live a normal life. Diagnosis Split personality disorders can take time to diagnose because doctors need to observe a person’s symptoms, and dismiss other conditions. The doctor also needs to observe all personality’s of the person to see how they affect that person. Time is very important when it comes to diagnosis. Treatment Doctors usually prescribe treatments based on each individual case. No specific medication exists for DID. Treatment is based on any conditions that occur in this persons disorder. Psychotherapy is the main treatment for people with spilt personalities. Psychotherapy is talk therapy which may help a person walk through and learn to accept their triggers. Other therapies include art therapy, movement therapy, and relaxation techniques which can act as a treatment for DID. Resources: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/split-personality#summary

ASK THE DOCTOR

EARLY SPRING 2022

20