Dissociative Identity Disorder

DisclaimerThis page is not here to be used as a self-diagnosis, self-identification, or promotion - it's simply here to be informational. Whether or not one self-diagnoses, self-identifies, and/or seeks a professional diagnosis is up to them.AbuseThe following page includes discussions of abuse, including verbal, physical, neglect, sexual (**SA also has its own warning**), etc. If you are uncomfortable or get triggered by this topic, it is recommended to not read this page.

**Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)**, formerly called **Multiple Personality Disorder** or **Split Personality Disorder**, is when a core individual(s) share an internal consciousness with others, each individual with their own personal history, traits, likes and dislikes. The individuals are referred to as either "headmates" or "alters", depending on the collective's preferences. It is much more complex than just having multiple individuals in one mind.

For more information about plurality in specific and plurality when not disordered, see the systems page.

## Signs of Dissociative Identity Disorder

The main traits of DID are:

* Memory gaps about everyday events and personal information.
* Having several distinct headmates/alters.

Other common traits of DID include:

* Inability to remember large parts of childhood.
* Unexplained events and inability to be aware of them.
* Frequent bouts of memory loss or "lost time".
* Sudden return of memories.
* Episodes of feeling disconnected or detached from one's body and thoughts.
* Hallucinations.
* "Out of body" experiences.
* Differences in handwriting from time to time.
* Changing levels of functioning.

## Causes

DID is believed to begin in childhood. It has been linked to severe, chronic childhood trauma. As a way of coping and surviving the trauma, the child disconnects from the present moment.

## Help

There is no cure for DID, treatment and support for DID is available. It can take a long time to figure out the right treatment. For some, the goal may be the integration of separate headmates into a single "personality state". For others, the aim is to achieve a state of resolution where headmates co-exist harmoniously without impacting anyone's health, or to have better control over switching.

Some individuals find these strategies helpful for living with DID:

* Learning more about DID.
* Acknowledgement and challenging negative thinking.
* Finding stress management techniques that work.
* Organizations and time management, including ways to communicate with headmates or compensating for memory troubles.
* Developing plans for what to do in an emergency, like creating a safety plan with emergency contact details.

## Known Individuals with DID

Unfortunately, with the stigma around DID, either those with DID are not allowed in the spotlight or armchair diagnosed by internet users. Many have theories about Marilyn Monroe having DID, many have mistaken Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz's DPDR as DID when discussing it, and plenty of other celebrities are theorized to have DID by online users because of the existence of personas.

This also means that most recorded individuals with DID include serial killers and domestic abusers.

### Herschel Walker

Hershel Walker wrote a book about his experience with DID titled: *Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder*. He described having 12 alters, including: the Consoler, who soothed Walker as he was mocked for his weight and stuttering during early adolescence; the Hero, who put on a facade of not being affected by schoolyard bullying; the Warrior, who enjoyed physical contact, usually of the violent kind; and the Coach, who would sent in whichever alter was most appropriate for the situation. Although many question if he was correctly diagnosed due to the doctor who diagnosed him doing so because of an exorcism and how quickly he supposedly healed from the condition, along with others questioning if his diagnosis will impede on any attempt to punish him for accounts of domestic abuse.

## References

*Information on DID contains some misinformation. Most sources refer to DID headmates as just "personality states" or "identities", while they are commonly whole individuals with personalities and identities of their own.*

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/dissociative-disorders/

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9792-dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder

https://aamft.org/Consumer\_Updates/Dissociative\_Identity\_Disorder.aspx

https://www.sane.org/information-and-resources/facts-and-guides/dissociative-identity-disorder

A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Lived Experiences of Persons Diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, Hill, S. (2020)

https://pluralpedia.org/w/Dissociative\_Identity\_Disorder

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/11/herschel-walker-did-diagnosis/