Dissociative Identity Disorder: Signs & Symptoms (Multiple Personality Disorder)

Dissociative identity disorder DID which is an official clinical term for a mental health condition used to be referred to as multiple personality disorder or split personality disorder. While the signs of Multiple personality disorder vary across all individuals, having more than one identities remain a common symptom.

What is Dissociative Identity Disorder?

As the name suggests it is characterized by a person having two or more distinct personalities. These personalities control a person’s thoughts, actions & behaviors as they have their separate personal history, preferences, views, and manners, etc. 

Usually, these personalities are completely opposite of each other and they may take control of a person’s identity for some time which can lead to a lot of memory issues, hallucinations, and other problems. 

DID is a very rare disorder. It affects about 0.01-1% of the population. Moreover, it can affect a person at any age, and it is mostly more prevalent in women. 

Dissociative identity disorder DID is a part of several dissociative disorders. 

What are Dissociative disorders, you may question? 

Well, these disorders affect an individual’s ability to connect with the reality around them. Some other dissociative disorders include the following: 

Other Dissociative Disorders

Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder

A person may feel disconnected from themselves and feel as though they have no control over their actions.

Dissociative amnesia

It refers to when a person blocks certain events from their mind due to trauma or stress which affects their ability to remember their important personal information. 

Signs & Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder

As we know that a person with DID has more than 2 distinct personalities with their original personality being the core identity. The other personalities are referred to as alters and at times a person may have up to 100 alters. 

Often times a person does maintain their host or primary personality which is their core identity that tends to be more passive and at times may be completely unaware of other personalities. 

Common symptoms of DID include the following:

• A significant shift in one’s concept of self.
• Having two or more distinct alters, each with a unique self-identity and outlook.
• Recurring memory lapses and gaps in a personal history that are not caused by ordinary forgetfulness, also include memory impairment and forgetting daily events.

Moreover, the alters usually have their own distinct identities and ways of interacting with their environment. They may have a different name, age, gender, mood, memories, interests, etc.

For instance, a person assigned female at birth may have an alter as a man. At times, one personality may even acquire certain habits that others do not, like smoking, etc. 

Furthermore, a person may experience this shift in their personality due to some stressor or a trigger. And it is also a possibility that a certain alter appears in response to certain situations. This can lead to a lot of disruption in a person’s daily life. 

Potential Coexisting issues with DID

Some other issues a person with DID may experience include the following: 

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Delusions
• Memory problems
• Disorientation or going into a trance-like state
• Substance abuse
• Sleep disturbances
• Self-harm or suicidal thoughts

Research states that around 70% of people suffering from DID have attempted suicide. 

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

We hope you found this article useful in understanding more about what a multiple personality or dissociative identity disorder is along with its signs and symptoms. Learn more about the diagnosis and treatment options for Dissociative Identity Disorder.