I am wondering (seriously) if anyone on here has Multiple-Personality Disorder?

Question

I have a degree in Social Services and am very interested in talking to people who have this. It must be so difficult to live with. Do meds help at all?

Answer 1

A lot of people on the web claim to have MPD but in reality they are just people that can't stand for what they are saying and feel the need to create a plethora of on-line personalities.

Good luck with your search!

Answer 2

Oh come on!! All diseases and disorders are over diagnosed, including physical ones. And as terrible as some peoples experiences may be it does not mean that mental illnesses are not real and valid!
Sorry I don't have MPD nor do I know anyone who has it. I was just interested in the responses. I read Sybil and can not imagine having to deal with such a condition.

Answer 3

I have to laugh when people say that multiple personality disorder, or as it's now called dissociative identity disorder, does not exist. Although I'm sure there are people who claim to have it that really don't, it is a real disorder although not a common one. People tend to not believe that it's real because it's so hard to diagnose and some people who claim to have (such as celebrities) act so bizarre that it loses a lot of credibility as a diagnosis.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (or DID for short) is described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Revised, as the existence in an individual of two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. At least two of these personalities are considered to routinely take control of the individual's behavior, and there is also some associated memory loss, which is beyond normal forgetfulness. This memory loss is often referred to as "losing time". These symptoms must occur independently of substance abuse, or a general medical condition.

DID is a coping mechanism, brought on by severe trauma which typically happens in early childhood. It is most common in people who have been abused as children over a length of time and what happens is that the child's mind tells them that the horrible things that are happening are really happening to someone else and eventually this "someone else" takes on a personality of their own. People with DID have trouble dealing with strong emotions such as anger and grief; their thinking becomes very compartmentalized and they feel disconnected from themselves and often from others.

Dissociation describes an internal collapse so profound that the personality is considered to literally break apart. For this reason, dissocation is often referred to as "splitting" or "altering". The difference between a psychotic break and a dissociation, or dissociative break, is that, while someone who is experiencing a dissociation is technically pulling away from a situation that s/he cannot manage, some part of the person remains connected to reality. While the psychotic "breaks" from reality, the dissociative disconnects, but not all the way.

Treatment for DID is often lengthy, sometimes for years and it can include a combination of cognitive therapy, psychotherapy and behavioral therapy. The common approach is to relieve symptoms, to ensure the safety of the individual, and to reconnect the different identities into one well-functioning identity. Treatment also aims to help the person safely express and process painful memories, develop new coping and life skills, restore functioning, and improve relationships.

There is no medication to treat this particular disorder but at times medications are prescribed to treat accompanying symptoms such as anxiety and depression. It's not unusual for people with DID to also have disorders such as PTSD, depression and panic disorder.

So how do I know all this? Not only have I had an education in psychology and do volunteer work with people who have DID and PTSD, but I also lived with DID myself. I was in treatment for 5 years and although it was very difficult I came to understand what was causing my life to be so miserable and why I felt so disconnected from myself and at times "crazy". I was able to heal and am now leading a healthy and (for the most part) happy life. Those who experience it,and their loved ones, know how very real it is.

Answer 4

I've always believed that the "disorder" and "syndrome" phenomenon is more of a way to put people on the endless patient treadmill rather than a testament to the advances of modern medicine.

Multiple personality disorders, I suspect as over-diagnosed as it they are, still need the attention of a competent and skilled mental health care professional, when it is genuine.

Now if you'll excuse me, my other personality wants to go rob a liquor store.

Answer 5

Multiple personality disorder DOES NOT EXIST.

http://antipsychiatry.org/lawson.htm

You are in a position to help people. Get people AWAY FROM PSYCHIATRISTS. Psychiatrists destroyed my life. They locked me in a little room for 55 days and the nurses threw feces at me. The doctor threw a chair across the room and would scream at me that I have schizophrenia. I suffer EXTREME post traumatic stress from it. Most people who are diagnosed with some mental illness do not have one at all.
Again.... MPD DOES NOT EXIST.
Nor does Borderline Personality disorder....

Answer 6

I do. and i do too!

(fo real foo)
(i am quite sure, sir, that i have a)
(FU CK ING PROBLEM! gawd)