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Savannah Elliott

Mrs. DeBock

English IV Honors

9 March 2017

Dissociative Identity Disorder: Awareness and Treatment

Mental illnesses, also known as psychiatric diseases, are something that we whisper

about, hoping the neighbors do not hear. We skirt around the issue at family gatherings when

questions are asked, but mental illnesses are on every corner and affects one in five people. One

rare disease, affecting only three percent of the population, is called Dissociative Identity

Disorder and can be referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder or DID. Dissociative Identity

Disorder is a psychiatric disease where a person experiences the existence of two or more

distinct personalities who have alternate identities. Patients afflicted with this disease, along with

others who have other mental illnesses, are often at risk of harm to themselves and others if not

treated appropriately and immediately. Mental illnesses are often overlooked and belittled with

no awareness of them whatsoever, especially DID only affecting a small amount but being the

most severe. Treatment of these mental diseases is extremely effective, reducing the effects of

the disease or even getting rid of the disease. Dissociative Identity Disorder, along with other

mental illnesses, should receive more awareness because of the severity of the disease and more

treatment should be available for such a psychiatric disease.

Criteria patients have to meet to be diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder is the

experience of two or more distinct personality states, with the number of reported identities

ranging from two to one hundred. Individuals often develop this disease during their childhood

due to severe childhood traumas like sexual abuse and/or severe physical abuse, thus included as
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a trauma disorder as well. These traumas prevent the development of a unified sense of self. DID

rarely occurs after adult traumatic experiences. Theorists believe that the distinct identities

contain distinct traumatic memories and emotions that are kept away from conscious awareness

so that the child can function in day-to-day life (Dietrich 1). In most cases, a primary identity is

among the others that uses the individuals birth name and is described as passive, dependent,

guilty, and depressed. The alternate identities often have characteristics that are different from

the primary identity and each have an unique way of perceiving and relating to the self, to others,

and the environment. Identities may be of varying ages and genders, with widely varying

vocabulary, thoughts, memories, attitudes, etc (Dietrich 1). Patients have varying levels of

awareness of existence of other identities, ranging from no awareness to complete awareness. At

any given time, the individuals behavior is controlled by one of the identities which may

transition from one to the other. Patients with DID can not remember important information

about himself or herself that may have just happened only minutes ago and are also hypnotizable.

Posttraumatic stress disorder, self-injury, suicide, and aggression are few of many other

symptoms that individuals with DID can develop. Combinations of the disease and other

symptoms makes diagnosis difficult and treatment lengthy ("Involuntary Treatment Is Warranted

for the Severely Mentally Ill). Dissociative Identity Disorder is a severe and life threatening

mental illness that needs more awareness and actions to treat it.

A majority of the population believes that Dissociative Identity Disorder is over

exaggerated and nonexistent, but contrary to popular belief this disease has been proven by real

life cases. One of many cases was a man named Jack, who found himself on death row for a

crime he did not commit, well not exactly anyway. His finger had pulled the trigger and his feet

made the getaway but someone else planned the murder and someone else controlled Jacks
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brain when the crime was committed. The tricky part was that Jack had someone else living

inside of him; his name being Henry and being one of the fifteen personalities sharing Jacks

body. The jury found it impossible to punish Henry without punishing Jack. Unfortunately,

experts believe thousands of men like Jack who are victims of DID are in jail for violent crimes

committed by one of their alternate identities (Clinton). Another example of a DID case was a

56-year-old-man who lived in Russia went on trial for the serial killings of 53 people. He was

married and had children, employed as a teacher but said, But when I found myself in a

different setting, I became a different person, uncontrollable, as if some evil force controlled me

against my will and I could not resist (Arbetter 1). This man saying this clearly proves to

experts that DID is an inevitable mental disease that people do face. Along with patients of DID

doing illegal things without actually doing it themselves, patients can also have serious memory

loss. For example a case was recorded of a lady named Dawn who one day remembered

everything up until nine oclock, but could not remember what she did for the rest of the day.

Dawn was scared to tell people about her memory blackouts and thought she was going crazy.

However, Dawn is not crazy and was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. She could

not remember what happened because one of her alternate identities, Karen, took over when

Dawn threatened to run away. Karen is not the only identity; Dawn has many identities. Roxie is

an alternate identity, who is loud and lively, wears too much makeup, drinks too much alcohol,

and is boy crazy. Ron is the most important identity because he knows all the personalities and is

the guardian of the secret that holds them all together. Dawn created him to bear the burden of

her abusive childhood. Ron remembers the beatings her mother gave her and how she was locked

in the basement for several days at a time. He remembers how she was forced to bark like a dog

when she wanted to go to the bathroom and was forced to eat pepper. Ron remembers so that
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Dawn can forget (Arbetter 1). People tend to make excuses other than DID for these patients

actions but are not fully aware of the psychiatric disease and the consequences of the disease.

All mental illnesses, from common to mild conditions, are often overlooked or unknown

causing no one to be fully aware of the effects of mental illnesses and scarce actions are taken.

However, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that one in five people will be

diagnosed with some sort of serious mental illness. According to the article Mental Illness is

Prevalent in America, mental illness issues cross over socioeconomic boundaries and are

prevalent but do not fully crush the stigma attached to mental illnesses. To make sure proper

action is taken for mental illnesses, NAMI grades states across the U.S. on their effort on

practices to treat mental illnesses, provide health courts, and have law enforcement training for

special mental illness cases. NAMI takes these actions to make states across the nation aware of

mental illnesses and the treatment and help that needs to be given to patients of any mental

illness. In even more efforts to bring mental illnesses to the publics attention, a White House

Conference between Hillary Clinton and Steven Hyman, director of NAMI, was held to assert

that mental illnesses are real and treatable diseases. According to the authors of Mental Illness

Is A Disease, scientists have proven that mental illnesses are of the brain and should be

recognized and treated to general medical disorders. With this knowledge, scientists will be

making it more aware to patients that may have a mental illness that they would not think they

had. Carey argues that, Despite increasing openness about mental illness the public tends to be

skeptical of any prevalence numbers over a few percent. Even though the public hopefully will

soon become fully aware of the effects of mental illnesses and the treatment needed, Carey

believes that they will still not fully believe the reality of these illnesses. With NAMI and more

conferences being held about mental illnesses, awareness should increase in the near future.
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Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder and other mental illnesses is highly

recommended by many experts, especially an organization called Treatment Advocacy Center

(TAC). TAC is a nonprofit organization aimed to improve psychiatric treatment and assist the

mentally ill who do not realize they are sick and present risks to themselves and others. In the

article, Involuntary Treatment Is Warranted for the Severely Mentally Ill, the argument is made

that most mentally ill patients do not and cannot realize they are sick because of the illnesses

affect on the brain and all need treatment. TAC offers assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), which

promotes availability and accessibility of treatment for the mentally ill for those that are most at

risk. AOT allows courts to order treatment to mentally ill patients who are least able to help

themselves and risk harming others. More than seventy percent of patients involved in AOT said

they gained control of their lives again and they got back to being and staying well. Aside from

all mental illnesses, DID is a tad more complex to treat. According to Dietrich, the ultimate goal

of treatment for a DID patient is to increase communication among the alternate identities and to

try to better coordinate behavior. All identities are to be viewed as equals in terms of importance

or realness. An important component of treatment s teaching the identities more effective skills

for coping. Fusion of the identities is the ultimate goal of treatment for a DID patient but the

process is a long and enduring one. Another form of treatment for DID patients is called phase-

oriented treatment, where a strong emphasis is placed on severe childhood abuse and attachment

disruption. In the first phase, safety, stabilization, and symptom reduction is the primary focus. In

later stages, processing of traumatic memories occurs, along wit identity fusion and

rehabilitation. Phase-oriented treatment is recommended, at a minimum, of three to five years.

Any treatment for DID patients is individual therapy and never group therapy. Treatment for the
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mentally ill may be more complex but is inevitably needed and should be available to more

patients.

All mental illnesses, including Dissociative Identity Disorder, deserve more awareness

across the nation and more availability of treatment. Dissociative Identity Disorder, causing a

person to experience two or more distinct personality identities, is a severe traumatic disorder

and mental illness. People tend to look over DID and other mental illnesses or belittle the

illnesses but awareness of the severity of these illnesses needs to be enforced. Treatment is not

out of reach either and should be taken more seriously and become more available to patients.

Mental illnesses affect one in every five people and needs to become recognized as a general

medical condition.
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Works Cited

Arbetter, Sandra. "Multiple Personality Disorder: Someone Else Lives Inside Me." Current

Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication, Nov. 1992, p. 17+. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context, Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

Carey, Benedict. "Preface to 'Is Mental Illness a Serious Problem in the United States?'."

Mental Health, edited by Ann Quigley, Greenhaven Press, 2008. Current Controversies.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Accessed 22 Feb. 2017.

Clinton, Hillary Rodham. "Mental Illness Is a Disease." Mental Illness, edited by Tamara L.

Roleff and Laura K. Egendorf, Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context, Accessed 23 Feb. 2017. Originally published as "testimony given

by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Steven Hyman to the White House Conference on

Mental Health," 1999.

Dietrich, Anne. "Dissociative Identity Disorder and Trauma." Encyclopedia of Trauma,

edited by Charles R. Figley, Sage Publications, 2012. Credo Reference, Accessed 22 Feb

2017.

"Involuntary Treatment Is Warranted for the Severely Mentally Ill." Mental Illness, edited by

Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context, Accessed 23 Feb. 2017.

"Mental Illness Is Prevalent in America." Mental Illness, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven

Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

Accessed 22 Feb. 2017.