* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Modern History Paper – Dissociative Identity
Anxiety disorder wikipedia , lookup
Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder wikipedia , lookup
Bipolar II disorder wikipedia , lookup
Rumination syndrome wikipedia , lookup
Memory disorder wikipedia , lookup
Factitious disorder imposed on another wikipedia , lookup
Social anxiety disorder wikipedia , lookup
Autism spectrum wikipedia , lookup
Broken windows theory wikipedia , lookup
Eating disorder wikipedia , lookup
Gender dysphoria wikipedia , lookup
Personality disorder wikipedia , lookup
Bipolar disorder wikipedia , lookup
Separation anxiety disorder wikipedia , lookup
Glossary of psychiatry wikipedia , lookup
Psychological trauma wikipedia , lookup
Panic disorder wikipedia , lookup
Excoriation disorder wikipedia , lookup
Schizoaffective disorder wikipedia , lookup
Gender dysphoria in children wikipedia , lookup
Asperger syndrome wikipedia , lookup
Munchausen by Internet wikipedia , lookup
Spectrum disorder wikipedia , lookup
Depression in childhood and adolescence wikipedia , lookup
Causes of mental disorders wikipedia , lookup
Mental disorder wikipedia , lookup
Generalized anxiety disorder wikipedia , lookup
Treatment of bipolar disorder wikipedia , lookup
Antisocial personality disorder wikipedia , lookup
Child psychopathology wikipedia , lookup
Conversion disorder wikipedia , lookup
Conduct disorder wikipedia , lookup
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders wikipedia , lookup
Diagnosis of Asperger syndrome wikipedia , lookup
Depersonalization disorder wikipedia , lookup
Narcissistic personality disorder wikipedia , lookup
History of mental disorders wikipedia , lookup
Running head: DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER Kiera Bengtson Elements of Health Modern History Paper Dissociative Identity Disorder Professor Janousek November 10, 2015 1 DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER 2 Dissociative Identity Disorder Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as, multiple personality disorder, “is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity (‘Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder)’, n.d.) DID is most likely caused by severe trauma during early childhood, such as repetitive physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. It is thought to be a coping mechanism, where the person dissociates himself or herself from the situation that is too traumatic, painful, or violent for their conscious self to deal with. “As many as 99% of individuals who develop dissociative disorders have recognized personal histories of recurring, overpowering, and often life threatening disturbances at a sensitive developmental stage of childhood (‘Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder)’, n.d.) There are three major dissociative disorders defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, they are dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder, and depersonalization-derealization disorder. “Dissociative amnesia occurs when a person blocks out certain information, usually associated with a stressful or traumatic event, leaving him or her unable to remember important personal information (‘What is Dissociative Amnesia?’, n.d.).” Depersonalization-derealization disorder, “involves an ongoing or episodic sense of detachment or being outside yourself (Mayo, 2014).” Signs and symptoms of dissociative identity disorders include, but are not limited to, memory loss of certain time periods, mental health problems, such as DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER 3 depression, a sense of being detached from yourself, a blurred sense of identity, and significant stress or problems in your relationships or other aspects of your life (Mayo, 2014). These symptoms can last a few minutes, hours, or come and go over many years. Diagnosing a person with dissociative identity disorder can be a long process, “it is estimated that individuals with dissociative disorders have spent seven years in the mental health system prior to accurate diagnosis (‘Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder)’, n.d.) The reason for this is because dissociative disorders can have symptoms and treatments that are like other psychiatric diagnoses. Many people are often diagnosed with secondary disorders such as depression, anxiety, or even panic attacks. There are no drugs to treat dissociative identity disorder, “It’s hard to get treatment and there’s no quick fix, but psychotherapy helps (CNN, 2008).” There are also other therapy’s, such as talk therapy, psychosocial therapy, which “involves talking about your disorder and other related issues with a mental health provider (Mayo, 2014).” Although there are no specific medications to treat dissociative identity disorder, doctors often prescribe antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to help control symptoms that are associated with the disorders. Herschel Walker was a 1982 Heisman Trophy winner, pro football player, Olympian, and a person with Dissociative Identity disorder. In the CNN article, “Herschel Walker reveals many sides of himself,” Walker’s therapist talks about how there is twelve separate alters that Walter has, ones that are described by their function, “the hero, the coach, the enforcer, the consoler, the daredevil, the warrior (CNN, 2008).” Dissociative identity disorder is a childhood disorder, which isn’t DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER 4 usually diagnosed until adulthood, and that’s how it was for Walker. After football had been out of his life, his alters became stronger and more prevalent. A reason that this could be is that, “his alters were no longer focusing on a common goal (CNN, 2008),” which was football. Dissociative identity disorder can be portrayed as a lot of things, scary, funny, weird, and traumatic. People with dissociative identity disorder, or any other dissociative disorder suffer from a lifetime of struggling personal relationships, mental health problems, and even just being able to cope with a situation in a usual way. Just because there is no cure for dissociative disorders, doesn’t mean that as a society, we cannot help those who need it. Mental disorders are ever so prevalent today, and we need to start taking the steps to finding cures to make sure that no one else has to go through these rough times. DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER 5 References Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder). (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identitydisorder-multiple-personality-disorder#1 Staff, M. C. (2014). Dissociative disorders treatments and drugs. Mayoclinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dissociativedisorders/basics/treatment/con-20031012 What is Dissociative Amnesia? (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-amnesia CNN, M. F. (2008, April 15). Herschel Walker reveals many sides of himself. CNN. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/04/15/herschel.walker.did/