Does dissociative identity disorder really exist?

Question

If there are any psychologists or psychiatrists out there, what do you think of the contention that DID or MPD is really just a manifestation of borderline personality disorder, anxiety, etc., and doesn't actually exist as a disorder in its own right?

I've recently read some pretty convincing debunkings of past accouts of DID that were relied upon to establish the existence of this disorder. As a result I no longer believe it exists. I don't mean to suggest that people don't suffer from some of the symptoms associated with it, but just that as a discrete diagnosis it isn't valid.

I feel the same way about some currently fashionable physical "disorders," too, but it's mostly based on my own reading and thinking and I'd like some professional viewpoints if possible.

Thanks for your time!

Answer 1

I worked in the mental health arena for about twenty years and decided that until the standards for practitioners are upgraded I don't want to be associated to it as a professional. It is a sad day when a "doctor" can diagnose all his patients between the age of 5 and 95 with a bi-polar disorder and use psychotropics to "ease the symptoms"... I have seen DID lumped in with a number of other disorders and all for the glory of more billable hours and higher insurance fees... There appears to be a laps in judgment by the medical community when it comes to making diagnosis and prescribing drugs. It is very reminiscent of the early 60's when so many people were diagnosed with "nervous" disorders and got hooked on Valium. To see our children being forced into boxes of mental illness and having pills pushed down their throats to stop behaviors that lazy parents don't care to deal with is a travesty and is ruining a huge sector of our future members of our communities who will be expected to pick up the reins and run our country. I've said it before and I will repeat it here. Psychology is a stagnant field and needs a serious upgrade in standards and a huge revision of the licensing and practice requirements set for professionals.

Answer 2

My contention is that MPD - Multiple Personality Disorder - is only the result of living through a traumatic event from which a person could not escape, for various reasons. Sometimes similar events occur more than once, such as pedophilia and child rape and molestation. Sometimes the event occurs once, but is so traumatic the person separates themselves from the event because they cannot face it.