Dissociative Identity Disorder is a disorder previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder. Many people believe it be similar to schizophrenia, however, the two are very different. DID is when a person develops two or more “personalities” as a way of coping with severe trauma. The different personalities often do not know of the others existence which causes confusion for the original personality. DID sufferers very rarely only have two personalities. In fact, there have been cases of people having upwards of 15 personalities. Psychologists have known about DID for at least a century, and Sigmund Freud was one of the first psychologists to link the disease to trauma. DID usually occurs in patients who have experienced severe psychological trauma, the other personalities develop as a coping mechanism for the main personality.
Arguably the most famous case of DID was that of Shirley Ardell Mason, better known as Sybil. Mason developed 16 personalities ranging from adult women to a baby. Her case is well documented in the book and move Sybil. It is believed that Mason developed DID after suffering repeated sexual abuse at the hands of her mother when she was a small child. Her mother is also believed to be schizophrenic. Though many people with DID do have a family history of mental health problems, the disease is not hereditary. Rather, like substance abuse, if there is a family history of it the chances of developing it increase.
Author: Alyson Croney
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