David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Multiple Personalities: Why the Obsession?
by Molly Carter, Mental Health Families
March 2, 2011
The other night, I was watching the TV drama Private Practice. The show displayed a therapy patient that, at first glance, appeared to have Multiple Personality Disorder. If anyone knows anything about mental illnesses, they know that this illness is so rare, most professionals in the field will never come across a patient that actually suffers from it. Many argue that it doesn't actually exist. But we see it depicted in movies and on television all the time.
The technical name for what most people would call Multiple Personality Disorder is Dissociative Identity Disorder and it results from an extreme repetitive trauma (typically some sort of neglect or abuse, whether physical, emotional, or sexual) in young childhood. The patient becomes so distressed that they experience an extreme dissociation from themselves. They don't connect with their feelings, their past, or their identity. The theory goes that the child's psyche is not developed enough to face the trauma that occurred, so the brain dissociates itself from the experience and the emotions that stem from the abuse.
What we, as the general public, think of as Multiple Personality Disorder is the extreme case of Dissociative Identity Disorder. It evolves when two or more distinctive personalities develop in an individual's psyche. There different identities will have different names, ages, races, or even genders. Often they speak differently, have different postures, and may even have a different personal history. When one personality takes over, the other is often left in the dark, meaning they will have no memory of the experience.
It's believed that about .01% of the population may suffer from some form of Dissociative Identity Disorder, but I don't know if I buy all that. Although I'm not necessarily an expert on Multiple Personality Disorder, I would tend to believe that it is much less.
But why are we fascinated by the idea of it? There are books written about it and there are movies made depicting it (Sybil and Primal Fear are just two examples).
Perhaps it's because it is an easy way to escape. When things become too hard, too frustrating, too sad or painful, we allow someone else to step up to the plate. Then we don't have to deal with it, maybe no one has to deal with it. I don't know why we are so intrigued by the idea. I guess because it is an escape, a way to leave ourselves and not have to deal with the life that is going on around us. A way to forget and not have to concern ourselves with it anymore.
In reality, I would never want to suffer from such an extreme disease. But on some days, I can understand America's obsession with it. On some days, I wish someone else could handle the crappy job, the rude cashier, the whiny toddlers. If only for 15 minutes.
by Molly Carter, Mental Health Families
March 2, 2011
The other night, I was watching the TV drama Private Practice. The show displayed a therapy patient that, at first glance, appeared to have Multiple Personality Disorder. If anyone knows anything about mental illnesses, they know that this illness is so rare, most professionals in the field will never come across a patient that actually suffers from it. Many argue that it doesn't actually exist. But we see it depicted in movies and on television all the time.
The technical name for what most people would call Multiple Personality Disorder is Dissociative Identity Disorder and it results from an extreme repetitive trauma (typically some sort of neglect or abuse, whether physical, emotional, or sexual) in young childhood. The patient becomes so distressed that they experience an extreme dissociation from themselves. They don't connect with their feelings, their past, or their identity. The theory goes that the child's psyche is not developed enough to face the trauma that occurred, so the brain dissociates itself from the experience and the emotions that stem from the abuse.
What we, as the general public, think of as Multiple Personality Disorder is the extreme case of Dissociative Identity Disorder. It evolves when two or more distinctive personalities develop in an individual's psyche. There different identities will have different names, ages, races, or even genders. Often they speak differently, have different postures, and may even have a different personal history. When one personality takes over, the other is often left in the dark, meaning they will have no memory of the experience.
It's believed that about .01% of the population may suffer from some form of Dissociative Identity Disorder, but I don't know if I buy all that. Although I'm not necessarily an expert on Multiple Personality Disorder, I would tend to believe that it is much less.
But why are we fascinated by the idea of it? There are books written about it and there are movies made depicting it (Sybil and Primal Fear are just two examples).
Perhaps it's because it is an easy way to escape. When things become too hard, too frustrating, too sad or painful, we allow someone else to step up to the plate. Then we don't have to deal with it, maybe no one has to deal with it. I don't know why we are so intrigued by the idea. I guess because it is an escape, a way to leave ourselves and not have to deal with the life that is going on around us. A way to forget and not have to concern ourselves with it anymore.
In reality, I would never want to suffer from such an extreme disease. But on some days, I can understand America's obsession with it. On some days, I wish someone else could handle the crappy job, the rude cashier, the whiny toddlers. If only for 15 minutes.
