Everything You Need To Know About Dissociative Identity Disorder

DID Symptoms: Amnesia

One of the key characteristics of dissociative disorders is dissociative amnesia. This is when an individual blocks a particular event in their lives. A woman who suffers from DID has shared a personal story in which one of her alternate personality states ('alter') took over and put her in a traumatic situation; after arguing with her sister, she felt stressed, and this change took over. The woman then left her house and was a victim of rape. The memory was triggered when she faced another traumatic event, yet she could not remember many details of that night. These 'alters' are known to take over in times of stress as a coping mechanism.

DID Symptoms: Depersonalization

Depersonalization is when the individual feels like they are watching their lives from the outside, almost like an out of body experience. This experience can be triggered by substance abuse, particularly marijuana. An individual named Brian shared his story, which happened after a night when he smoked marijuana and had a panic attack. He explains time stood still and for weeks he felt disconnected from his body and his life as if he was living in a dream. Although marijuana is not the cause of it, it can make the illness surface from an individual who has the potential to have DID.