Sample Essay on Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), also known as Multiple Personality Disorder, refers to a condition that leads to fragmentation of an individual’s identity into various distinct personalities. Primarily, the disorder affects people who might have been victims of severe abuse whether in the realm of domestic violence such as abusive marriages or children brought up in abusive families. The disorder can occur because of trauma that was severe in early childhood, usually characterized by repetitive and extreme sexual, emotional, or physical abuse (MacIntosh, 2015). The availability of more than two personality states, commonly referred to as alters, leads to different emotions, body functioning, and reactions. Individuals with this kind of disorder experience extensive memory loss that is beyond the ordinary forgetfulness (Dorahy, Brand, Şar, Krüger, Stavropoulos, Martínez-Taboas & Middleton, 2014). The individuals with dissociative identity disorder have iatrogenic symptoms, which are because of the hypnotization conditions that occur among patients.

Dissociative identity disorder entails the inability of individuals recalling crucial personal information. The challenges that come with such memory loss incorporate variations in memory, which lead to fluctuations in an individual’s split personality. The many distinct personalities that occur due to the dissociative identity disorder have dimensions that are in the form of sex, age, and race. Each of the said alters or distinctive personalities have their own gestures, postures, and distinctive way of expression (Dorahy, Brand, Şar, Krüger, Stavropoulos, Martínez-Taboas & Middleton, 2014). Accordingly, it is evident that as each of the personalities expresses itself in an individual and tries to modify or change behavior. A common terminology referred to as switching best describes the impact of the development and expression of more than one personality in the control of a person’s thoughts and behaviors. Switching, process of controlling thought and behavior takes seconds, minutes, days as it manifests, or impacts on individuals. Patients with dissociative identity disorder are normally responsive to the requests of therapists when they are under hypnosis.

The states of personality possess distinct temperament, identities, and self-image. When two or more personalities take part in controlling the consciousness and behavior of an individual, it leads to lapses in memory, which go beyond typical instances of forgetting (MacIntosh, 2015). Nonetheless, the implications of this type of disorder on memory lapse have direct comparisons on the consequences of physiological conditions, which include general medical conditions, for example seizures, and undeviating special effects that depict substance abuse or use. Usage of certain substances by people can lead to the same effects of memory loss.

On top of that, it is imperative to note that, dissociative identity disorder has many implications on those who possess the condition and those directly affected by it. The disorder causes pain, confusion and evokes myriad emotional feedbacks as victims become conscious of the abuses that they might have undergone earlier in life (Reinders, Willemsen, Boer, Vos, Veltman & Loewenstein, 2014). As such, it is crucial to identify a stimulating logic that offers and documents effects that accompany dissociative identity disorder in a wider analysis of its societal implications. In light of that, the condition leads to victims feeling anxious, angry, disgusted, or even sad with general episodes of worry and empathy. Additionally, it is hard for individuals with dissociative identity disorder to keep track or recognize the presence of the many personalities that they experience at any given time. Accordingly, persons with this kind of disorder do not identify the kind of distinct personality that is out and they tend to hide it from their peers, family members, or work mates.

Besides the above, friends and relatives of persons with dissociative identity disorder must constantly switch or change their personalities in an endeavor to accommodate the needs of the dissociative persons. The integration that accompanies the changes is vital as it ensures personality changes are in line with the demands of the growing distinctive personalities.

The diagnosis or treatment of dissociative identity disorder calls for psychiatric and medical evaluation, which entails many specific questions that surround dissociation. Similarly, the psychiatric dimension calls for prolonged interviews in an attempt to earth the prevailing inner feelings of the person(Barlow & Chu, 2014). There exist specially formulated questionnaires that offer an elaborate way of screening and diagnosing persons with dissociative identity disorder. In that regard, it remains the responsibility of relatives or family members to seek professional help if in any circumstance, there are persons with unexplained and significant memory loss.

Moreover, individuals who develop thoughts about self-harm, homicide, or suicide should seek emergency help from medical professionals as these conditions depict dissociative cases(Barlow & Chu, 2014). In addition, symptoms of dissociative identity disorder appear when individuals develop feelings that the world around them is becoming unreal, and when there are instances of observable behavior changes when they are under extreme stress. Nonetheless, it should be observed that early psychological intervention coupled with extensive psychotherapy for children or adults who had experiences of trauma or abuse is essential. Ordinarily, psychotherapy helps to annul creation of dissociative disorders and dissociative symptoms (Jacobson, Fox, Bell, Zeligman, & Graham,2015). The other recommended ways of treatment or intervention of dissociative identity disorder is through family therapy, cognitive therapy, group therapy, clinical hypnosis, and medications. Anxiolytics and antidepressants are common medications administered to persons with dissociative identity disorder since they help in the treatment of mood disorders.

References

Barlow, M. R., & Chu, J. A. (2014). Measuring fragmentation in dissociative identity disorder:

the integration measure and relationship to switching and time in therapy. European Journal Of Psychotraumatology, 51-8.

Dorahy, M. J., Brand, B. L., Şar, V., Krüger, C., Stavropoulos, P., Martínez-Taboas, A &

Middleton, W. (2014).Dissociative identity disorder: An empirical overview.Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(5), 402-417

Jacobson, L., Fox, J., Bell, H., Zeligman, M., & Graham, J. (2015). Survivors with Dissociative

Identity Disorder: Perspectives on the Counseling Process.Journal Of Mental Health Counseling, 37(4), 308-322. doi:10.17744/mehc.31.4.03

MacIntosh, H. B. (2015). Titration of technique: Clinical exploration of the integration of trauma

model and relational psychoanalytic approaches to the treatment of dissociative identity disorder. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 32(3), 517-538.

Reinders, A. A., Willemsen, A. T., den Boer, J. A., Vos, H. P., Veltman, D. J., &Loewenstein,

243. J. (2014). Opposite brain emotion-regulation patterns in identity states of dissociative identity disorder: A PET study and neurobiological model. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 223(3), 236-243.

 

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