William Stanley Milligan (February 14, 1955 – December 12, 2014) was an American citizen who was the subject of a highly publicized court case in Ohio in the late 1970s. After having committed several felonies including armed robbery, he was arrested for three rapes on the campus of Ohio State University. In the course of preparing his defense, psychologists diagnosed Milligan with Multiple Personality Disorder (now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder) . His lawyers plead insanity, claiming that two of his alternate identities committed the crimes without Milligan being aware of it. He was the first person diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder to raise such a defense, and the first acquitted of a major crime for this reason, instead spending a decade in mental hospitals. At his later trial, Chalmer was blamed for abusing Billy. Keyes claimed that Billy had Dissociative Identity Disorder from a much earlier age, however, with his first three alternate identities or "alters" (no-name boy, Christene, and Shawn) appearing by the time he was five years old. In the course of preparing his defense, he underwent a psychological examination by Dr. Willis C. Driscoll, who diagnosed Milligan with acute schizophrenia. He was then examined by psychologist Dorothy Turner of Southwest Community Mental Health Center in Columbus, Ohio. During this examination, Turner concluded that Milligan suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder . Milligan's public defenders, Gary Schweickart and Judy Stevenson, pleaded an insanity defense, and he was committed "[...] until such time as he regains sanity". Incarceration Milligan was sent to a series of state-run mental hospitals, such as the Athens State Hospital, where, by his report, he received very little help. While he was in these hospitals, Milligan reported having ten alters . These ten alters were the only ones known to psychologists. Later on an additional 14 alters , labeled "The Undesirables", were discovered. Among the first ten alters was Arthur, a prim and proper Englishman who was an expert in science, medicine and hematology; Allen, a manipulator; Tommy, an escape artist and technophile; Ragen Vadascovinich, a Yugoslav communist who Milligan claimed had committed the robberies in a kind of Robin Hood spirit; and Adalana, a 19-year-old lesbian(shy, lonely and introverted) who cooked for all the personalities and craved affection and who had allegedly committed the rapes.Keyes, p. 54 Milligan received treatment from psychiatrist David Caul, who diagnosed the additional fourteen alters . Film Several attempts had been made by Hollywood to adapt Keyes' book. In the early 1990s, James Cameron co-wrote a screenplay with Todd Graff for a film version he was to direct then-titled A Crowded Room. This adaptation never came into fruition because Cameron was sued by adaptation rightsholder Sandy Arcara, demanding "her salary should be raised from $250,000 to $1.5 million";Brennan, David (2010). "A Crowded Room: The Abandoned Project" (Summary & Analysis of the Un-produced James Cameron Project, "A Crowded Room"), JamesCameronOnline.com seeing the project stalled, Milligan also sued Cameron in 1993. After Cameron left the project, Warner Bros. continued to develop it now slightly retitled The Crowded Room, with directors Joel Schumacher and David Fincher attached at various points. Actors courted for the role of Milligan included Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and John Cusack. , the film remains in limbo. In February 2015, it was confirmed that Leonardo DiCaprio would star as Milligan, with Jason Smilovic set to pen the script . As of 2021, Tom Holland is set to star as Billy Milligan in The Crowded Room to be released on Apple TV .
William Stanley Milligan (February 14, 1955 – December 12, 2014) was an American citizen who was the subject of a highly publicized court case in Ohio in the late 1970s. After having committed several felonies including armed robbery, he was arrested for three rapes on the campus of Ohio State University. In the course of preparing his defense, psychologists diagnosed Milligan with multiple personality disorder . His lawyers plead insanity, claiming that two of his alternate personalities committed the crimes without Milligan being aware of it. He was the first person diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder to raise such a defense, and the first acquitted of a major crime for this reason, instead spending a decade in mental hospitals. At his later trial, Chalmer was blamed for abusing Billy. Keyes claimed that Billy had multiple personalities from a much earlier age, however, with his first three (no-name boy, Christene, and Shawn) appearing by the time he was five years old. In the course of preparing his defense, he underwent a psychological examination by Dr. Willis C. Driscoll, who diagnosed Milligan with acute schizophrenia. He was then examined by psychologist Dorothy Turner of Southwest Community Mental Health Center in Columbus, Ohio. During this examination, Turner concluded that Milligan suffered from dissociative identity disorder . Milligan's public defenders, Gary Schweickart and Judy Stevenson, pleaded an insanity defense, and he was committed "[...] until such time as he regains sanity". Incarceration Milligan was sent to a series of state-run mental hospitals, such as the Athens State Hospital, where, by his report, he received very little help. While he was in these hospitals, Milligan reported having ten different personalities . These ten were the only ones known to psychologists. Later on an additional 14 personalities , labeled "The Undesirables", were discovered. Among the first ten were Arthur, a prim and proper Englishman who was an expert in science, medicine and hematology; Allen, a manipulator; Tommy, an escape artist and technophile; Ragen Vadascovinich, a Yugoslav communist who Milligan claimed had committed the robberies in a kind of Robin Hood spirit; and Adalana, a 19-year-old lesbian(shy, lonely and introverted) who cooked for all the personalities and craved affection and who had allegedly committed the rapes.Keyes, p. 54 Milligan received treatment from psychiatrist David Caul, who diagnosed the additional fourteen personalities . Film Several attempts had been made by Hollywood to adapt Keyes' book. In the early 1990s, James Cameron co-wrote a screenplay with Todd Graff for a film version he was to direct then-titled A Crowded Room. This adaptation never came into fruition because Cameron was sued by adaptation rightsholder Sandy Arcara, demanding "her salary should be raised from $250,000 to $1.5 million";Brennan, David (2010). "A Crowded Room: The Abandoned Project" (Summary & Analysis of the Un-produced James Cameron Project, "A Crowded Room"), JamesCameronOnline.com seeing the project stalled, Milligan also sued Cameron in 1993. After Cameron left the project, Warner Bros. continued to develop it now slightly retitled The Crowded Room, with directors Joel Schumacher and David Fincher attached at various points. Actors courted for the role of Milligan included Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and John Cusack. , the film remains in limbo. In February 2015, it was confirmed that Leonardo DiCaprio would star as Milligan, with Jason Smilovic set to pen the script .
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Multiple Personality Disorder (now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder)
multiple personality disorder
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identities
personalities
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Dissociative Identity Disorder
dissociative identity disorder
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Dissociative Identity Disorder
multiple personalities
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alternate identities or "alters"
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Dissociative Identity Disorder
dissociative identity disorder
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alters
different personalities
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alters
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alters
personalities
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alters was
were
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alters
personalities
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. As of 2021, Tom Holland is set to star as Billy Milligan in The Crowded Room to be released on Apple TV