2. What Is It? Apsychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a single person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. The diagnosis requires that at least two personalities routinely take control of the individual's behavior with an associated memory loss that goes beyond normal forgetfulness; in addition, symptoms cannot be due to drug use or medical condition. The person with DID may have as few as two alters, or as many as 100. The average number is about 10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iHJfIH20TY Dissociative Identity Disorder
3. Smaller Symptoms Bigger Symptoms Panic Attacks Anxiety Depression Physical Symptoms Posttraumatic stress Sexual Dysfunction Eating Disorders Memory loss Relation towards patient experiencing time lapses Cannot account or recognize certain things (ex: Handwriting) Depersonalization: Derealization May refer to themselves in 1st person Hallucinations Signs and Symptoms
4. Causes of (DID) Child Abuse (physically and sexually) Childhood trauma Overwhelming stress Insufficient childhood nurturing
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6. The memories and feelings go into the subconscious and are experienced later in the form of a separate personality.
7. The process happens repeatedly at different times so that different personalities develop, containing different memories and performing different functions that are helpful or destructive.
8. Dissociation becomes a coping mechanism for the individual when faced with further stressful situationsIt has been theorized that severe sexual, physical, or psychological trauma in childhood predisposes an individual to the development of DID. The steps in the development of a dissociative identity are theorized to be as follows: Developmental Theory
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10. DID does not resolve spontaneously, and symptoms vary over time. Individuals with primarily dissociative symptoms and features of posttraumatic stress disorder normally recover with treatment. Those with comorbid addictions, personality, mood, or eating disorders face a longer, slower, and more complicated recovery process. Individuals still attached to abusers face the poorest prognosis; treatment may be long-term and consist solely of symptom relief rather than personality integration. Changes in identity, loss of memory, and awaking in unexplained locations and situations often leads to chaotic personal lives. Individuals with the condition commonly attempt suicide. Prognosis
11. For every one man diagnosed with DID, there are eight or nine women. Studies in North America and Europe indicate that as many as 5% of patients in psychiatric wards have undiagnosed DID. Among children, boys and girls diagnosed with DID are pretty closely matched 1:1. Statistics 50% of all psychiatrists deny that it even exists Research has shown that the average age for the initial development of alters is 5-9 years.
