What is dissociative identity disorder?
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a complex mental health condition in which people experience multiple and different identities or states resulting from a fragmented sense of self. Each of these personalities has their distinctive patterns of thinking, behaviors and feelings and they may identify with different genders and ethnicities.
Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder:
Having at least two identities with different behaviors, memory, self-perception and ways of thinking.
Dissociative Amnesia: gaps in memory regarding daily activities, personal information, childhood and traumatic events.
Time gaps or losing periods of time without knowing how they were spent or having any memory about it.
Depersonalization: Feelings of detachment from oneself.
Derealization: Perception that the surroundings are unreal or distorted
Auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory hallucinations.
Emotional Distress: Anxiety, depression, or difficulty functioning in daily life.
Suicidility.
Causes of Dissociative Identity Disorder:
People with Dissociative identity disorder usually have experienced severe stress or trauma during childhood. These could be physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect or abandonment, death of a loved one, serious childhood illness, and war.
These extreme experiences cause a disruption in the development of a unified identity, which leads to a fragmented sense of self and the presence of multiple personality states.
Treatment Options at Mind Clinic:
In Mind Clinic we follow a holistic approach in assessing and treating DID. DID treatment mostly targets managing symptoms and comorbidities.
Firstly, a psychiatric assessment would be conducted in which the doctor assesses the person through personal interview, family members interview, questionnaires and sometimes other tests may be required depending on the individual’s medical history.
After the assessment and diagnosis, an initial plan is made depending on what is best for the person. This could include medications, therapy approaches or a combination of both depending on the person’s need and goals.
A psychological assessment would be conducted by a therapist to determine what might help according to the individual’s specific needs, the options could include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Trauma focused therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), family therapy among others depending on the specific needs of each person.
We also provide immediate crisis intervention for those exhibiting risky behaviors, creating personalized safety plans and offering resources and intervintions for urgent situations.
References:
MSD Manual. David Spiegel. (2023, May). Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Clevelandclinic. (2023, July 6). Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9792-dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder