Disociative+Identity+Disorder


 * From 25,000 to 250,000 people in the United States have multiple personality disorder. The estimates vary greatly, because the disorder is difficult to diagnose


 * it typically takes at least six years for a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder to be made.


 * In order for doctors to say that a person has multiple personality disorder, they must see two or more distinct identities.


 * Doctors sometimes also use hypnosis * to bring out different identities.


 * Therapy attempts to help the person recall past trauma and deal with emotions without the primary identity being split into parts.


 * One identity uses the name with which the person was born. This identity often feels depressed, behaves passively, and displays guilt feelings that cannot be explained easily.


 * Patients often are skilled at hiding their multiple personalities from family and friends. A person might be Sam, a shy clerk, at work. However, at night, he might lead life a Jack, an outgoing man who spends time in bars far from his neighborhood.


 * Other symptoms include attempted suicide and self-inflicted injuries, such as cuts or burns.


 * Many people with multiple personality disorder also show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder *, a mental disorder that occurs in people who survive a terrifying event. They may have night-mares and startle easily, and they may show signs of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and eating disorders.


 * * post traumatic disorder (post-traw-MAT-ik STRES dis-OR-der) is a mental disorder that interferes with everyday living and occurs in people who survive a terrifying event, such as school violence, military combat, or a natural disaster.


 * a child might deal with extreme physical or sexual abuse by hiding memories of the abuse and displaying other personalities.


 * it was not until the 1800s that it was treated as a mental disorder, and much of what is known about it today was discovered


 * There can be as many as 100 personalities or more, although most patients display about 10 to 15 different personalities


 * Descriptions of multiple personality disorder can be found in ancient myths and many other writings through the centuries


 * Schizophrenia * is another severe mental disorder. Its name comes from the Latin for "split mind." Often, schizophrenia's "split mind" is mistaken for the "split personality" of multiple personality disorder. In reality, however, schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder are two very different mental disorders with different symptoms, causes, and treatments.