Multiple personality disorder, or dissociative personality disorder, is a mental illness where a person develops more than one distinct personality, which can control their behavior. It may be caused by childhood trauma, and alters can have different handwriting, tastes, and engage in risky behavior. Treatment includes psychotherapy, medication, and hypnosis.
Multiple personality disorder, also known as dissociative personality disorder, is a serious but high-profile mental illness. The core symptom of multiple personality disorder includes the development of more than one distinct personality in a person. Personality or personalities can have significant control over the behavior of a person living with the condition. Secondary symptoms may include depression, psychosis and hallucinations. Sleep disturbances and mood swings can also accompany the disorder.
Mental health experts aren’t entirely sure what causes multiple personality disorder, but many believe the condition has its origins in childhood trauma. A child who experiences particularly traumatic or long-term abuse, or who witnesses extreme violence, may attempt to forget or compartmentalize the experience as a defense mechanism. While many survivors of childhood abuse or trauma never develop multiple personalities, some dissociate so completely that this disorder can develop.
It’s important to note that personalities, also known as alters, can have significant depth. An alternate personality isn’t just a change in mood or attitude. For example, some people with multiple personality disorder cannot recall important life events in one or more alters, and this does not appear to be intentional or false. The alters may have different handwriting, different tastes and preferences, and most seriously may engage in risky, dangerous, or even criminal behavior that the other primary personality would not approve of. These symptoms can make it very difficult for people with the disorder to hold down jobs or maintain healthy relationships.
For many people, multiple personality disorder symptoms can be the cause of significant stress. Someone with the condition may not recognize herself in the mirror or may wonder why others are calling her by a name she doesn’t recognize as hers. In some cases, sufferers may experience blackouts after their personalities switch from one to another and may suddenly find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings with no idea how they got there.
Treatment for multiple personality disorder varies depending on the patient’s needs and the severity of the condition. Patients usually participate in psychotherapy and may be treated with electroshock therapy or psychiatric medication. Some therapists also use hypnosis, in part to help discover and work with alternate personalities and, in some cases, to uncover repressed traumas.
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