Voiceless

Introduction

 What is Dissociative Identity Disorder(DID)?

-It's a rare psychological mental disorder, affecting only 2% of the general population. It's characterized by the presence of two or more personality states, accompanied by memory gaps or time slips, beyond those that is induced by ordinary forgetfulness. These personality states alternately make themselves apparent in a person's behavior; presentations, physical states, etc. Other problems which often occur in people with DID include Borderline Personality Disorder(BPD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, self-mutilation, substance abuse, or anxiety.

Causes?

- It largely remains unknown, but some have speculated it to be childhood trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse, inappropriate psychotherapeutic techniques that cause a patient to enact the role of a patient with DID or, neuropsychological functioning such as specific neural mechanisms. 

Signs and Symptoms?

- DID symptoms include the presence of two or more distinct personality states, accompanied by the inability to recall personal information. Other symptoms include a loss of identity as related to individual distinct personality states, and loss referring to time, sense of self-consciousness.  Individuals with DID may experience distress from both the symptoms of DID like intrusive thoughts or emotions, and the consequences of the accompanying symptoms like dissociation rendering them unable to remember specific information. Identities may be unaware of each other and segregate knowledge and memories, resulting in chaotic and drastically different personal lives. Individuals with DID may be reluctant to discuss symptoms due to associations with abuse, shame, and fear, patients may also frequently and intensely experience time disturbances.

Treatment?

- Common treatment methods include cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT), insight-oriented therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy(DBT), hypnotherapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing(EMDR). Some therapists initially use behavioral treatments such as only responding to a single identity, and then use more traditional therapy once a consistent response is established. Brief treatment due to managed care may be difficult, as individuals diagnosed with DID may have unusual difficulties in trusting a therapist and take a prolonged period to form a comfortable therapheutic alliance. 

This book is just out there for whomever that wants to know more about the disorder, I hope you have a good time reading.