MPD, also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID, is characterized by a person's identity fragmenting into two or more distinct personalities. It is caused by severe physical and psychological trauma, often abuse, in early childhood. The diagnosis requires evidence of distinct personalities along with memory gaps that are too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. While some question if it is real, psychologists who treat MPD patients believe the disorder manifests real suffering in those diagnosed.

1. Multiple Personality
Disorder

2. What is MPD?
 MPD is not a form of schizophrenia
 Also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID
 When a person’s identity fragments, or separates creating one or more
distinct personalities living in one body
 Each personality is unique in several ways, for example, mannerisms, tone
of voice, posture and vocabulary
 Some people may have more than 100 personalities while others may
have one or two

3. How do we detect it?
The diagnosis of MPD consists of three criteria:

4. What causes MPD?
• Caused by physical and
psychological trauma in early
childhood
• Victims usually suffer horrific
physical and/or sexual abuse –
even torture.
• Children who undergo a routine
of torture and neglect create a
“fantasy” world in order to escape
their situation

5. Famous Cases Studied

6. The Three Faces of Eve
• Case study by Thigpen and Cleckley
• The patient’s alias was “Eve White”
• The 25 year old was referred to the
psychologists because of “severe and blinding
headaches” and even blackouts
• “Eve Black” appeared during one of the
therapy sessions
• Both personalities were given tests
• Interviews, hypnosis, observations, EEG tests,
psychometric and projection tests such as
memory tests, ink blots, and intelligence tests
were used
• During the process, another personality
emerged named “Jane”

7. Sybil

8. Controversy: MPD – Is it fake?
• Some psychologists are sceptical
• Near to impossible for people to remember
things from before the age of three, where
much of the abuse supposedly occurred
• However, people diagnosed with MPD clearly
suffer from a disorder
• “When you see it, it’s just not fake.” Helen
Friedman, clinical psychologist