Dissociative identity disorder, popularly called dual personality, is a mental condition characterized by the existence of two or more identities that alternate in controlling the person's behavior. Although quite confused with schizophrenia, the disorder is different, both in symptoms and treatment.
Causes of dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder affects nine times more women than men and always appears in childhood, never in the patient's adult life. The child develops the disorder as a way to overcome the pain and fear caused by abuse suffered in the first years of life, almost always of a sexual nature perpetrated by one of the parents or another person in charge of their care. The disorder is more severe in cases where the figure responsible for the abuse also offers, in other situations, love and protection for the child.
Double personality symptoms
Dissociation is a state in which the person separates from reality. In this sense, one of the main symptoms of dissociative identity disorder is the patient's inability to recall important personal information that occurred when one of his other identities was in control. In the alternation between the created personalities, the patient may present sudden variations in mood, anxiety and depression, altered consciousness and self-mutilation events.
Diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder
The diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder must be made by a psychologist or psychiatrist based on the patient's report and the use of specific questionnaires to identify the disorder. In some cases, hypnosis techniques can be used - by professionals able to use them - to obtain the definitive diagnosis.
Treatment of dissociative identity disorder
The aim of treating patients with dissociative identity disorder is to facilitate that different states of personalities can coexist in peace. For this, the treatment is based on psychotherapy and, on occasion, hypnosis. The ideal is that the treatment makes the multiple personalities coexist in one, but this is not always possible.
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