Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a psychiatric diagnosis where a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities, each with their own memories and patterns of behavior. DID is caused by severe childhood trauma like abuse and neglect. The child dissociates or splits their identity as a coping mechanism. Symptoms include memory loss, depression, hallucinations, and an inability to account for certain events. Treatment focuses on psychotherapy to help integrate the different personalities. DID is difficult to treat and prognosis depends on comorbid conditions and ability to remove oneself from abusive situations.

1. Dissociative Identity Disorder(DID)By: Maya M. - Fatima R. – Antonia B. – El Shanique F.

2. What Is It?Apsychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a single person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. The diagnosis requires that at least two personalities routinely take control of the individual's behavior with an associated memory loss that goes beyond normal forgetfulness; in addition, symptoms cannot be due to drug use or medical condition. The person with DID may have as few as two alters, or as many as 100. The average number is about 10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iHJfIH20TYDissociative Identity Disorder

3. Smaller SymptomsBigger SymptomsPanic AttacksAnxietyDepressionPhysical Symptoms Posttraumatic stress Sexual DysfunctionEating DisordersMemory loss Relation towards patient experiencing time lapsesCannot account or recognize certain things (ex: Handwriting)Depersonalization:DerealizationMay refer to themselves in 1st personHallucinations Signs and Symptoms

4. Causes of (DID)Child Abuse (physically and sexually)Childhood traumaOverwhelming stressInsufficient childhood nurturing

5. The child is harmed by a trusted caregiver (often a parent or guardian) and splits off the awareness and memory of the traumatic event to survive in the relationship.

6. The memories and feelings go into the subconscious and are experienced later in the form of a separate personality.

7. The process happens repeatedly at different times so that different personalities develop, containing different memories and performing different functions that are helpful or destructive.

8. Dissociation becomes a coping mechanism for the individual when faced with further stressful situationsIt has been theorized that severe sexual, physical, or psychological trauma in childhood predisposes an individual to the development of DID. The steps in the development of a dissociative identity are theorized to be as follows:Developmental Theory

9. Psychotherapy-Many patients with dissociative identity disorder choose an alternative to drugs called psychotherapyMedication-The use of medication for DID is NOT recommended, since DID is hard to control and it’s hard to diagnose just one medication that worksSelf-Help-Many DID patients are coming together to form networks of supportHypnosis-Hypnosis can often help the patients discover any repressed memories that could have led to DIDTreatment