Multiple Personality Disorder Essay Research Paper Many

Multiple Personality Disorder Essay, Research Paper

Many People in One – Multiple Personality Disorder

Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is a mental disease that exists in about one percent of the population. Much research supports the existence of this disease and its origins, causes and effects on the people in who suffer with it. This essay will clearly define Multiple Personality Disorder along with a detailed synopsis of the disease itself. The diagnosis, alter personalities, different treatments and views will indicate the disease is real. The American Psychiatric Association named Multiple Personality Disorder in 1994 Dissociative Disorder.

Multiple Personality Disorder is diagnosed when a person has two or more personalities. These personalities have the ability to control the person and make them do things that they do not remember or would normally not do. When someone has MPD, they do not realize when another personality is in control or what they are doing. MPD is most often caused by early sexual child abuse. This child abuse is often intolerable, so much so that the person forgets these events and develops another personality to remember the abuse. The alternate personality is a defense mechanism.

Multiple Personality Disorder can also stem from high levels of stress during childhood, again, usually from abuse. This stress manifests a personality within the person so the stress does not have to be dealt with.

When someone has MPD they feel confused. They do not know why or when they have done a certain thing nor with or to whom. There are some early signs of MPD, but they are often mistaken for other disorders such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, schizophrenia, and/or bi-polar disease (manic-depression). A child with MPD could possibly have imaginary friends of any gender or age; MPD individuals will talk to themselves in a manner that is not like them, or honestly do not remember doing things. An example apart from normal childhood lying would be if the child drew all over the walls and when confronted, one could honestly see they do not remember the incident. There is also a lack of diagnosis among children, only nine reported cases were in 1990.

During adolescence, a teenager will often turn to other things to deal with the stress of abnormal and excessive forgetfulness or blackouts. An adolescent with MPD can oftentimes exhibit signs of bi-polar disorder, insomnia, suicide threats and attempts, drug use, violent mood swings and panic attacks. When a teenager exhibits these characteristics, MPD is not the first diagnosis to be explored, rather, it is blamed on hormones or drug use. These things can only fuel MPD rather than calm it.

Adulthood, or in the age range of 20 years to 30 years old is when a person with MPD is usually diagnosed. This is a time in a person’s life when the symptoms of MPD directly interfere with their lives. Not knowing where you are or how you got there is a big issue if you are trying to raise children or maintain a marriage. Also, as an adult, there is the freedom to seek help.

Diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder is a complicated process. It involves many psychological tests on the patient as well as preliminary therapy to accurately determine if the patient has MPD. The International Society for the Study of Dissociation revised guidelines in 1996 concerning treatment options for persons with MPD. According to their website, www.issd.org, “A mental status examination augmented with questions concerning disassociative symptoms is an essential part of the diagnostic process.” This means there are specific questions and evaluations that have to be presented before a diagnosis is made. The patient is asked questions about hearing voices, forgetfulness beyond normal, amnesia, problems with identity, regressed memories and hypnotic episodes. Also according to the website, “Structured interviews for the detection of dissociative disorders are now available and can be used to confirm a clinician’s diagnosis”. Such interviews are the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, which helps the therapist “evaluate and document the severity of specific…symptoms”(www.religioustolerance.org), and the Dissociative Disorder Interview Schedule that is a detailed interview to diagnose MPD.

The problem with the diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder is that it takes such a long time to actually diagnose, the average is six years to eight years but it can take up to twenty. The reason for this is the disease is often hidden behind other disorders that have stemmed from MPD such as depression and/or anxiety. Those persons who use MPD for attention or to justify abnormal behaviors are looked at closely. In truth, genuine MPD persons “conceal their awareness of the problem”(www.menninger.edu).

The “personalities” in Multiple Personality Disorder are different within the person. Each personality can have separate memories, behaviors, physical attributes, and even a different gender than the patient. For example, when remembering child abuse, a patient may have a personality to just remember those memories of abuse and will act violent or withdrawn even if the patient is someone who it outgoing.

The personalities serve different purposes. The self-help personality acts as the self-confidence of the patient and gives the person self-esteem in high stress