Everything You Need To Know About Dissociative Identity Disorder

It is natural for individuals to feel disconnected from themselves or their surroundings. Therefore the word dissociative raises a few questions when it comes to this illness. Like all disorders, it means the symptoms are more severe than they are with those who do not struggle with dissociative identity disorder (DID), to the point that it disrupts their lives. Thankfully, this mental illness is becoming increasingly understood, which makes it easier for it to be identified and appropriately treated.

What Is Dissociative Identity Disorder?

Dissociative identity disorder, also known as DID, used to be referred to as multiple personality disorder. It is a condition in which the affected individual has a minimum of two distinct and enduring personalities. While it is normal for an individual to have a moment of dissociation between thoughts and actions, the case is more severe for those who suffer from DID. This lack of connection can affect their identities and personality states, showing a great change of behavior followed by memory impairment, which is the cause of the multiple personalities. Substance abuse, other medical conditions, and imaginative children should not have the changes in their personalities accounted to dissociative identity disorder as any external factors do not just trigger this condition. This dissociation is an unconscious defense mechanism usually developed by a traumatic experience.

Types Of Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders can be defined by four categories. Dissociative amnesia is the inability to remember important information to the point where it is far worse than ordinary forgetfulness. It is possible to be linked with a dissociative fugue, which causes the individual to wander with amnesia. Dissociative identity disorder is when an individual displays two or more identities or personality traits. Depersonalization or derealisation disorder is characterized by a significant detachment that causes the affected individual to feel like objects around them are changing size and shape, or that people become inhuman. They also may feel detached from their own body. The fourth dissociative disorder is not specified, as it cannot be diagnosed by the symptoms of the other three categories.