Dissociative Identity Disorder and Trauma

Description of Dissociative Identity Disorder

Individuals who meet criteria for DID experience the existence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (referred to as alternate identities), with the number of reported identities ranging from 2 to over 100. In most cases, there is a primary identity that uses the person's birth name, and this identity is often described as passive, dependent, guilty, and depressed. The alternate identities often have characteristics that are different from the primary identity. In contrast to those with DID, most individuals without psychological disorder tend to experience the existence of a single, unitary identity or sense of self that is more or less stable across time. Even though individuals without DID may experience some fluctuations in how they perceive and feel about themselves in different circumstances, they experience themselves as one person, as opposed to two or more distinct persons. With DID, each of the identities has its own unique way of perceiving and relating to the self, to others, and to the environment. At any given time, the individual's behavior is controlled by one of these personality states, and the personality states may transition from one state to another in sequence.

The person with DID is unable to remember important information about himself or herself, which is not the normal forgetfulness that everyone experiences from time to time. For example, while a person without DID may forget what she did on her birthday 10 years ago, a person with DID may not remember anything about what happened yesterday afternoon, may not remember buying the dress hanging in the closet that she purchased last week, may not remember meeting the person she met that morning, and so forth. Persons with DID tend to be highly hypnotizable. DID is not limited to North American culture but has been found in a wide variety of cultures from around the world. It is diagnosed three to nine times more often in women than men, and females tend to have a higher number of alternate identities than males. DID is more common among first-degree biological relatives.