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What Is Dissociative Identity Disorder?
Have you ever scrolled through the internet or social media platforms and came across information about dissociative identity disorder (DID)? Did you ever think “wow I have that” or “these people are dangerous”? There’s a painful number of myths and over exaggerated information on the internet that needs to be addressed. First and foremost, what is DID? To answer your question, it’s a rare mental disorder that can be associated with severe behavioral symptoms. You may be familiar with the term “Multiple Personality Disorder” which is what DID was previously known as.
About 1.5% of the population internationally is diagnosed with this mental disorder (Mitra et al. 2022). Its most commonly associated with childhood trauma or abuse. Additionally, it could take multiple psychiatric sessions or even years to be correctly diagnosed as the disorder may be mistaken for others. DID is usually presented with more than one mental disorder. Furthermore, it is time to debunk myths and overexaggerated information on DID.
Below is a link for additional information on DID by trusted authors.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568768/
Dissociate This Idea…Myths, Exaggerations and False Impersonations
This link will connect you to a YouTube trailer for a movie called “Split”. It’s about a man with a diagnosis of DID who commits crimes such as murders and kidnappings. The clip shows the traits of the multiple different personalities of the main character. In the video, you can view “The Beast” personality specifically at 5 minutes and 30 seconds to see a man climbing the walls in an unnatural nature. The purpose of this clip is to identify exaggerated and false expectations of the characteristics and traits that DID includes.
http://Split | Every Personality Seen in Split – YouTube
What’s Actually True:
The reality of this nature is that DID does not give a person super powers or beastly strength. It is not uncommon for DID to present with other mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Common symptoms of DID include but not limited to:
1. Memory loss of specific times and events.
2. Out of body experiences.
3. Detachment to your emotions.
4. Feeling of lack of self-identity.
There are 3 different types of dissociative disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DMS). They include:
- Dissociative amnesia
- Depersonalization
- Dissociation Identity
https://naminycmetro.org/diagnoses-mental-health/dissociative-disorders/
Above includes a link that will take you to a website that explains the 3 different types of dissociative disorders.
Provided below is link that will take you to a TikTok account presenting falsely and overly exaggerated traits of DID.
#dissociativeidentitydisorder | TikTok
Unfortunately, mental disorders receive a lot of attention and feedback on social media which makes it difficult to weed out what is true or false. Many users falsely claim they have these disorders to receive attention. The clip shows a user going in and out of multiple personalities, however according to McLean Hospital (2022) a person who suffers from DID does not know when they are presenting in a different identity, and if they are, it is very difficult for family members and friends to catch on. The TikToker is inaccurately impersonating a person with a serious mental disorder and spreading false awareness. DID does not present this way. Be careful finding information on social media platforms. Look for “.org” and trusted authors with credentials.
You may click on the links below to find information on how individuals who are diagnosed with DID typically present.
http://Dissociative Identity Disorder: What You Need To Know | McLean Hospital
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2719457/
This video clip below will take you to the fictional movie “Identity” which was released in 2003 and can also be found on Netflix. The storyline is based on a violent serial killer who has “multiple personality disorder” or now known as DID. The plot twist is his 10 different personalities that commit these murders. The movie is portraying that DID is a very violent mental disorder and the murders that the main character commits with his multiple personalities. The purpose of this link is to yet again, show the false perception of a person with DID. Movies like this spread false interpretations of people who have DID. They are not violent people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQkG2x3qTf4
If you would like to understand DID more, click the link below for a quick yet thorough explanation.
http://Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder – YouTube
Take Aways
There is a lot of false information and myths on the internet in regard to DID. From movies to TikToks, DID has been sought out to be a violent and aggressive mental disorder. Yes, DID is absolutely a serious mental disorder, but no, it does not include violent behavior or super strength. It’s important to decipher what is fact and what is fiction. Unfortunately, mental disorders receive a lot of attention thus making social media platforms and most movies unreliable for accurate information.
- DID is associated with childhood trauma.
- It could be difficult to notice sudden behavior or personality switches.
- DID experience anxiety, depression, mood swings and memory gaps.
- There are 3 different types of dissociative disorders.
- They are not violent people.
- DID does not give super strength.
References
Mitra, P., & Jain, A. (2022, May 17). National Center for Biotechnology Information. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568768/
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2022, May 10). Dissociative disorders – NAMI-NYC. NAMI. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://naminycmetro.org/diagnoses-mental-health/dissociative-disorders/
The A system on TikTok. TikTok. (2021, June 25). Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.tiktok.com/@theasystem/video/6977800774403247365?lang=en
Understanding dissociative identity disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder: What You Need To Know | McLean Hospital. (2022, August 29). https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/did#:~:text=Most%20people%20with%20DID%20rarely,can%20occur%20in%20the%20condition.
YouTube. (2017, February 16). Identity (2003) Official Trailer 1 – john cusack movie. YouTube. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQkG2x3qTf4
YouTube. (2019, July 26). Split | every personality seen in split. YouTube. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR-oZ3s-0Jk
YouTube. (2021, May 10). Understanding dissociative identity disorder. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw3Wo1Y0DjE