Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

May 8, 2023 | Ashley Chen | Psychology

Children who have lost a loved one at a young age, been sexually manipulated/assaulted, have been sexually or physically abused, have been exposed to recurrent horrific events, or experienced extreme negligence, my heart goes out to all of you. You’re not alone in this world. We can fight this and grow stronger. But, for that to happen, we need to spread awareness and better understand how our brains react to extreme trauma, or abuse. Specifically, how dissociative identity disorder, among others, takes effect.

How do adults’ brains react to extreme trauma? And what disorders can occur as a result?

The human brain is very complex, and when horrible things happen, it tends to do anything to protect itself. Different situations can cause the brain to shield itself in different ways; for example, if someone encounters abuse, extreme war/combat, natural disasters, mugging, or kidnapping later in life, the brain could develop unhealthy ways to cope such as PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and anxiety and depression disorders.

How do children’s’ brains react to extreme trauma? And how is it different from the adults?

When someone at a young age gets exposed to sexual/physical/emotional abuse, war, natural disasters, kidnapping, or other horrific events, the brain reacts differently than the adult’s brains do. Children are more vulnerable to these types of situations, so their brains haven’t been fully developed for them to understand what’s going on. In addition, their need for trust, and their dependence on adults for security and safety are what make them react differently. As they grow older, their brains slowly start to take in what happened, which is how disorders like PTSD are formed. Their brain separates what happened and stores it away, while creating another personality that may be stronger than they are to cope with the trauma. This is often called Multiple Personality Disorder, or Split Personality Disorder. But, as recent studies show, Dissociative Identity Disorder is a better term for it. DID only occurs when children go through trauma, meaning that adults are unable to get DID.

Why does DID only occur in children?

Dissociative Identity Disorder only occurs in children because adults have already developed feelings of trust, security, and dependence. An adult is independent enough as to when something happens, they can get away easier. But, due to children’s lack of independence, they are less likely to be able to get away from these events. Due to this, the best method to escape is through dissociation. To disconnect from your own mental and physical experiences in order to survive. But, dissociation won’t last forever. Thus, the brain could do several things. It could block the traumatic memory out, causing amnesia and often causing the person to forget vital things about themselves. It could create altered personalities, which is what dissociative identity disorder is.

What types of altered personalities are there?

The different types of personalities depend on what the situation is, and what that person needs. The ages, genders, sexual identification, names, and attitudes are all different. In a case study, a Korean man of 20 years old had reported childhood emotional and physical abuse, and extreme neglect. The host, the main personality that’s usually the most present, was quiet and intimidated. The first alter that was observed was John. John was uncooperative, and extremely rude and arrogant. John spoke only English, and appeared on several occasions during the interviews. The second alter that appeared was an undefined violent alter. This alter swung out at the psychiatrist and broke a window during times of appearance. This violent alter hasn’t spoken, nor showed any other personality trait other than violent. The third alter was Cho, and she only appeared once during the study. He claimed to be the narrator and observer of the situation. He said that she knew all the alters, including the host, while depicting them through a third person point of view. He spoke Korean, as well as English. There were three other encounters with some other alters; one was a mother-like personality, one was a 5 year old boy, and another was a metro-sexual male. Every case has different types of alters. Generally, there would be an alter that’s either violent, or defensive as a response to their situations.

How is Dissociative Identity Disorder treated? Can it be treated?

There is no direct cure for Dissociative Identity Disorder, but long term treatment and dedication is key. Many treatments that are targeted towards Dissociative Identity Disorder are talk therapy based. These talk therapies are used to help you voice what happened to you, and make sense of it. It gives you the tools to cope, and to re-associate. There are no medications, as of now, directed towards people with DID. The treatments aims to help reduce identity shifts, amnesia (forgetfulness caused by blocking the trauma out), depersonalization (looking at yourself through a third person lens, out of body experience), derealization (hallucinations, thinking that your surroundings aren’t real), and identity crises.

My hope is that soon, there will be more awareness for DID, and more treatments to go along with it.