Among people with dissociative identity disorder in the United States, Canada and Europe, about 90 percent had been the victims of childhood abuse and neglect. Suicide attempts and other self-injurious behavior are common among people with dissociative identity disorder. More than 70 percent of outpatients with dissociative identity disorder have attempted suicide.
With appropriate treatment, many people are successful in addressing the major symptoms of dissociative identity disorder and improving their ability to function and live a productive, fulfilling life. Treatment typically involves psychotherapy. Therapy can help people gain control over the dissociative process and symptoms.
The goal of therapy is to help integrate the different elements of identity. Therapy may be intense and difficult as it involves remembering and coping with past traumatic experiences. Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy are two commonly used types of therapy.
Hypnosis has also been found to be helpful in treatment of dissociative identity disorder. There are no medications to directly treat the symptoms of dissociative identity disorder.
However, medication may be helpful in treating related conditions or symptoms, such as the use of antidepressants to treat symptoms of depression. During these altered experiences the person is aware of reality and that their experience is unusual. The experience is very distressful, even though the person may appear to be unreactive or lacking emotion. Symptoms may begin in early childhood; the average age a person experiences the disorder is Dissociative amnesia involves not being able to recall information about oneself not normal forgetting.
This amnesia is usually related to a traumatic or stressful event and may be:. Dissociative amnesia is associated with having experiences of childhood trauma, and particularly with experiences of emotional abuse and emotional neglect. Dissociation is a coping mechanism that a person uses to disconnect from a stressful or traumatic situation, or to separate traumatic memories from normal awareness.
Dissociation can involve feeling disconnected from thoughts, feelings, and memories. It ranges from mild detachment such as daydreaming to feeling that you or the world is unreal, or memory loss. Estimates on the prevalence of DID vary widely, and few studies are available using up to date diagnostic criteria.
In the general community, it is estimated that around 1. DID is likely caused by many factors, but most people with DID have experienced severe physical, verbal or sexual abuse during childhood. It can take a long time to figure out the right treatment, but there can be significant benefits.
For some people the goal for treatment may be the integration of separate alters into one unified personality state. People with DID should see a mental health professional with experience with dissociation and trauma-informed care. Treatment for DID usually takes a multi-stage approach and is usually long term:. Treatment can help people with DID cope with symptoms, but can also help in other ways. For example, treatment can help people manage their emotions, improve relationships and a sense of connection, cope with stress, manage work or study, and more.
While there is no medication that can treat dissociative disorders themselves, medications may be prescribed for associated depression, anxiety or other health issues.
If someone you love has been diagnosed with DID, you may feel overwhelmed and confused. It can help to educate yourself as much as possible about DID. Talk to a mental health professional to get accurate information and to voice your concerns. Treatment for DID can involve revisiting past traumatic experiences, which may be upsetting for friends and family. Make sure you look after yourself, and seek help to look after your own mental health.
Experiences of DID and dissociation can be challenging, but with support a full and meaningful life is possible. To chat with others who live with mental health issues, including DID, visit our safe and anonymous online Forums.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM Dorahy, M. Dissociative identity disorder: An empirical overview. Revisiting the etiological aspects of dissociative identity disorder: a biopsychosocial perspective. The symptoms of dissociative disorders depend on the type of disorder that has been diagnosed. Dissociative disorders usually develop as a way of dealing with trauma.
Dissociative disorders most often form in children exposed to long-term physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Natural disasters and combat can also cause dissociative disorders.
Doctors diagnose dissociative disorders based on a review of symptoms and personal history. A doctor may perform tests to rule out physical conditions that can cause symptoms such as memory loss and a sense of unreality for example, head injury, brain lesions or tumors, sleep deprivation or intoxication.
If physical causes are ruled out, a mental health specialist is often consulted to make an evaluation. In the case of dissociative identity disorder and dissociative amnesia, patients may present with unexplained, non-epileptic seizures, paralyses or sensory loss.
In settings where possession is part of cultural beliefs, the fragmented identities of a person who has DID may take the form of spirits, deities, demons or animals. Intercultural contact may also influence the characteristics of other identities.
In cultures with highly restrictive social conditions, amnesia is frequently triggered by severe psychological stress such as conflict caused by oppression. Finally, voluntarily induced states of depersonalization can be a part of meditative practices prevalent in many religions and cultures, and should not be diagnosed as a disorder. Because dissociative disorders appear on the trauma spectrum, many patients may have conditions associated with trauma, as well as additional trauma-based conditions.
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