I have decided to put this up here because there are very few people who understand this disorder, and many have misconceptions about it.
It was previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder.
I hope readers might take the trouble to look at these links, and read the opinions of Therapists who are experienced with this disorder, in order to gain a better understanding of what causes it; - how it affects those who have it, and how it is treated.
I hope this leads to a better understanding for all.
I am happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.
Kerryanne.
Views of MPD therapists:
Since the 1970s, therapists who accept MPD as a real phenomenon generally believe it to be caused by very severe abuse during childhood -- violence so extreme that the child cannot absorb the trauma in its entirety. The child dissociates, and creates an alternative personality (a.k.a. "personality state," "alter," "part," "state of consciousness," "ego state," "fragment," "identity.") to handle the abuse. If the abuse continues, additional alters are created as needed. "Trying to escape overwhelming fear and pain by imagining you are somewhere else - or someone else -seems to lay the groundwork for separating off some parts of your identity."
Dissociation itself is a common experience. Most people have observed mild dissociative episodes in which they lose touch with their surroundings. Examples include daydreaming, highway hypnosis, or losing oneself in a movie or book. MPD is viewed by some as an extreme level of dissociation, "which may result in serious impairment or inability to function."
According to therapists who specialize in MPD, the "host" (the victim/survivor's basic personality) is not necessarily aware of the existence of these alters. The abuse memories contained within the alters are not typically accessible to the dominant personality. Various "triggers" can cause one of the alters to emerge and take control of the mental processes of the victim for periods of time. This is called "switching." Control then passes back to the dominant personality or to another alter. This may be sensed by one alter or by the host as if there are entire blocks of missing time. She/he may detect MPD as a result of:
*** the sudden appearance of new possessions that they cannot recall having purchased,
*** withdrawals from their bank account signed for in a strange handwriting.
*** friends and family referring to past events of which they are not aware
Some therapists who support MPD believe that alters can create new alters as needed. Other alters perform a system regulatory function; they determine which alter will be in charge at a given time.
A new term, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was created in 1994 to replace MPD. One of the reasons was that the original term was being thrown into disrepute by many people giving phony demonstrations of alter switching during television talk shows.
MPD specialists generally believe that people "with DID (MPD) may experience any of the following: depression, mood swings, suicidal tendencies, sleep disorders (insomnia, night terrors, and sleep walking), panic attacks and phobias (flashbacks, reactions to stimuli or "triggers"), alcohol and drug abuse, compulsions and rituals, psychotic-like symptoms (including auditory and visual hallucinations), and eating disorders...headaches, amnesia, time loss, trances, and 'out of body experiences.' Some people with DID(MPD)/DD have a tendency toward self-persecution, self-sabotage, and even violence (both self-inflicted and outwardly directed)." They believe that the appropriate therapy involves:
*** the recovery of childhood abuse memories, through
*** re-integration of the alters into the dominant personality.
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