Dissociative Identity Disorder and Abuse

Dissociative Identity Disorder and Abuse

The condition once known as multiple personality disorder (MPD) is a

very real psychological phenomenon that until recently was mis-understood

and often mis-diagnosed. Dissociative identity disorder, DID, as we now call

it, is a mental illness where a person's thoughts, feelings, and memories are

scattered throughout two or more separate personalities within the victims

mind (Appelbaum 107). In 1973 perhaps the world's most famous

psychiatric patient ever, Sybil brought attention to what was until then a rare

diagnoses. Sybil was ritually abused as a child and was later found to

possess sixteen separate personalities, including women with English accents

and even two little boys (Schreiber 43). The case brought DID to the

attention of the public as a real psychological disorder. Through recent

research we can now clearly depict the connection between child abuse and

dissociative identity disorder.

There have been stories throughout history of people who have

behaved strangely and then later were unable to recall their actions. These

people were often seen as "freaks" or as people that were lying to either gain

attention or justify a wrongful act that they had committed (Putnam 54). The

first medical studies of what we now call DID did not appear until the late

1800s. The cases were of people that had no recollection of things they had

done. As early as 1896 researchers recognized that early childhood seduction

experiences were responsible for 18 female cases of hysteria, a condition

closely associated with dissociative disorders (Putnam 56). In a famous case

of hysteria, Anna O, who suffered from dual personality, the initial trauma

was the death of An...

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Bibliography:

WORKS SITED

Allison, Ralph B. The American Journal of Forensic Psychiatry,

volume 2, 1981-82, p.32-38

Appelbaum, S. A. Journal of Contemperary Psyco-therapy "Multiple

Personality Disorder and the Choice of Self" 1996 103-116

Australian Centre for War Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

http://www.ncptsd.unimelb.edu.au/ Nov. 28, 2000

Klut, Richard P. "Clinical Perspectives on Multiple Personality

Disorder" New York, NY June 1993 78-94

Putnam, E. W. "100 Cases of Multiple Personality Disorder"

American Psychiatric Association. Washington 1983 48-57

Schreiber, F. R. "Sybil: the True Story of a Woman Possesing Sixteen

Seperate Personalities" Regenery, Chicago, IL 1973 34-52

Sidran Traumatic Stress Foundation

www.sidran.org/didbr.html 1995-2000 (Nov. 25 2000)