Dual personality disorder, also known as dissociative identity disorder (previously called multiple personality disorder) is a very unusual and rare psychological condition in which a person’s identity splits into two or more than two identities. Such a complex mental condition is thought to have its roots due to a number of factors, the major one being extreme trauma in early childhood (usually severe, repetitive sexual, physical or emotional abuse). Now how to recognize signs of child abuse?
Because every patient of DID has a severe traumatic history, DID (dissociative personality disorder) is thought to be a coping mechanism- the patient literally separates himself/herself from a situation that is too violent, traumatic, or agonizing for his/her conscious mind. Find and consult with the best psychologist in Karachi, Lahore or any other main city of Pakistan via Marham.pk to manage this tricky situation.
Symptoms of DID:
A person with DID experiences the presence of two or more different personality or identity states that can constantly overpower his/her behavior. The person’s original identity, that identifies with the person’s real name is called the “host personality”, while the other identities created after subjected to severe trauma once or more than once are called “alters”. Ironically, the host personality is usually unaware of the presence of alters.
Along with the dissociation or splitting of personality into distinct alter identities, the patient also experiences other psychological problems such as:
- Sleep disorders like insomnia, nightmares, and sleep-walking
- Eating disorders
- Depression
- Suicide attempts
- Mood swings
- Auditory and visual hallucinations
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks and phobias
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DID patients also have amnesia, time-loss, headaches, and trances. They have difficulty in remembering and recalling key personal information and memories that cannot be termed as normal forgetfulness. As they “switch” between their alters, their memory and personality fluctuate accordingly.
Is Dissociative Identity Disorder Real?
The reality of DID is still a controversial topic among health professionals. After all, understanding the origin and cause of altered personalities is difficult, even for highly trained experts. Only 0.01-1% of the general population suffers from DID. So chances of a thorough study and research become scarce as the problem itself is rare.
DID may sound quite interesting, in fact, it may look impressive to some people, instead, it proves to be destructive and chaotic if left untreated.
