course project part 2

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Erica K Fernandez

Argosy University

Description

Dissociative identity disorder which was previously known as multiple personality disorder can be defined as a complex and chronic psychological disorder that results from various factors. These factors include severe trauma in early childhood development. The disorder is characterized by disturbances of memory and personal identity. It can be distinguished from other mental problems.

This type of disorder is found in people of all ages, ethnicities, races, and backgrounds. The National Alliance on Mental illness has estimated that more than 2 percent of people experience dissociative disorders. Some of the symptoms which are recognizable for this type of disorder is the identity of a person being split into two distinct identities. Some of the other symptoms include dissociative amnesia which is a type of memory loss that has no association with a medical problem. Another one is a dissociative fugue. This an episode of amnesia that involves not having a memory of certain personal information for example detachment of emotions.

Blurred identity is also a symptom which occurs when an individual feels like there are two or more people who live in their memory. One may also feel possessed with several other kind of identities. Nonetheless, it should be noted that, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, various cultures that are around the globe include possession as a part of the normal spiritual ritual. This is rather not considered a dissociative disorder.

Through rationale, research literature, and changes which have been proposed to the dissociative disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, the disorder will include reference to possession and at the same time identity fragmentation. This makes this type of disorder to be more applicable to culturally diverse situations. The dissociative amnesia includes dissociative fugue being a subtype due to the fact that fugue is not a common disorder that includes the amnesia but does not include a loss of personality disorder. Depersonalization disorder includes derealization due to the fact that the two occur. A PTSD; dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder which has been defined as the presence of depersonalization in the addition to the PTSD symptoms, can also be put into the recommendation. This is based on the epidemiological and neuroimaging link with the early life of adversity (Simeon et al., 2011).

Causative factors

The factors which cause dissociative identity disorder are complex. Individuals who have this type of disorder, in most cases tend to be identified from a history of continuous life threating traumas. The causes of the disorder are based on neglect or emotional abuse. The dissociative disorder develops as a result of trying to cope with trauma. In most case, this type of disorder forms in children who have been subjected to long-term physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Through theoretical research, if an individual goes through experiences of trauma for a long period of time, the person can end up dissociating themselves from self for the purposes of trying to avoid emotional, mental, and physical distress which is caused by trauma. Through time, the dissociation can cause an individual observing oneself as if in another person which may lead to a root cause of multiple identities.

An environment which is highly unpredictable or rather that which is frightening can less often lead to dissociative disorder in a child. The stress of national disaster or war can also be a cause to the psychological disorder. As a result of the war, soldiers and those people who experience war first hand are exposed to the risk of being traumatized. The trauma may include post-traumatic stress disorder that may lead to dissociative identity. This due to the experience of prolonged violence or rather exposure to war at a very young age. The children who experience a great deal of loss during the conflict can be suspected to have this type of disorder (Dell, 2006).

Treatment of the disorder

A comprehensive treatment plan for this type of disorder is very essential due to the presence of multiple disorders, experiences of trauma, and also the safety concerns. The main goal of a treatment process is to integrate functioning for the alter personality. International Society for the Study of Dissociation has detailed and published guidelines for a treatment process. The process basically goes through a framework that involves safety, stabilization and symptom reduction. This can be followed by a process of working directly and in-depth with traumatic memories and identity integration with rehabilitation (Howell, 2011).

Through the right treatment, a lot of people have been successful through the process of addressing major symptoms of dissociative identity disorder. It is also possible to improve the ability of a patient with the disorder to be able to function well and in living a productive and a life which is fulfilling. The process of treatment includes psychotherapy. This process can be able to assist a patient in gaining control over the symptoms and dissociative process. The main goal for therapy is to assist in integrating various elements of identity. The process of therapy is intense due to the fact that it involves coming up with a different traumatic experience. Some of the most common types of therapy include cognitive behavior therapy and dialectical therapy. Also, hypnosis is another significant form of treatment for dissociative identity disorder. Currently, there is no known form of medication which can directly treat the symptoms which are associated with this type of disorder. Nonetheless, medication may prove to be helpful in treating those conditions which is related to dissociative identity disorder or rather the disorder symptoms, for example, the use of antidepressants in treating depression symptoms.

Putting into consideration how complexity of DID, lack of enough research on the methods of treatment would be mean that the best form of treatment is through integration. Use of medication for anxiety and trauma and a phased approach may allow immediate treatment of distressing symptoms and progressive evaluation of progress. Putting into account which theoretical orientation is appropriate, different psychotherapy modalities can be applied to address specific problems as required (Slogar, 2011).

Current research

During the last few years, there has been a continuous increment of sophisticated research on personality disorder and clinical dissociation. The result of various studies supports scientific research that provides strong support to the validity of the diagnosis of multiple personality disorder (Putnam, 1991). The current research shows that dissociative identity disorder symptoms are mainly a result of the psychological response from extreme environmental and personal experiences of stress. Researchers have indicated that an individual can only be able to overcome this through separation of thoughts, actions, and feelings which are associated with traumatic experiences from the usual level of consciousness. Various studies and research indicate that male is more likely to go through experiences of the disorder at a very early-age trauma than the females. There has emerged solid research on Multiple Personality Disorder essentially on the diagnosis and clinical phenomenology. The research provides strong evidence for the validity of a diagnosis.

References

Dell, P. F. (2006). A new model of dissociative identity disorder. Psychiatric Clinics, 29(1), 1-26.

Howell, E. F. (2011). Understanding and treating dissociative identity disorder: A relational approach. Routledge.

Putnam, F. W. (1991). Recent research on multiple personality disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 14(3), 489-502. Spiegel, D., Loewenstein, R. J., Lewis‐Fernández, R., Sar, V., Simeon, D., Vermetten, E., ... & Dell, P. F. (2011). Dissociative disorders in DSM‐5. Depression and anxiety, 28(9), 824-852

Slogar, S. M. (2011). Dissociative identity disorder: Overview and current research. Inquiries Journal, 3(05).