Dissociative Identity Disorder: Part 1/2

I'm pleased to host author Robin E. Mason on Redwood's Medical Edge who will be guest blogging in two parts on Dissociative Identity Disorder AKA Multiple Personality Disorder.

Welcome, Robin!

I was first intrigued with this phenomenon, then called Multiple Personality Disorder, when the movie Sybil starring Sally Field came out in 1976. At the time, I couldn’t have said what about it so intrigued me. I would only learn the reason years later.

As with any phenomenon, I believe there is nothing new under the sun, only our awareness of it. Sure, epidemic waves run their course, and then there may be little or no action for a time and then – BAM it strikes again.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness defines Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) as involving a disturbance of identity in which two or more separate and distinct personality states (or identities) control an individual’s behavior at different times. They further state that each identity, or alter, may exhibit differences in speech, mannerisms, attitudes, thoughts and gender orientation… even present physical differences, such as allergies, right-or-left handedness or the need for eyeglass prescriptions. Psychology Today states it this way, failure to integrate various aspects of identity, memory and consciousness in a single multidimensional self.

We all have different and varying roles in our lives – multidimensional selves - and we continually switch back and forth. The difference is, I am fully aware when I am being my writer-self – like right now – and when I must (force myself to) be my homemaker-self, i.e. vacuum and do the dishes. I delight in my granny role, and fully enjoy activities with my granddaughters. Still, all is done fully aware of my different roles, and all are done with the same basic personality traits. I have more fun with it that perhaps most people, though, because I am also an actress, and will switch accents on a whim. Yeah, I do that!

Double consciousness, or dédoublement, the historical precursor to DID surfaced in the 19th century, which was observed as sleepwalking. Hypotheses claimed this to be switching between a normal consciousness and a somnambulistic state. (Wikipedia)

The problem with DID is identifying it . . . 

Come back Thursday for Part II. 

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Robin Mason lives in upstate South Carolina where she began writing as self-proscribed therapy in 1995. Life threw a few (dozen) (thousand) hiccups and curve balls, and she got serious about working on her debut novel, Tessa, in 2013. Robin’s greatest priority and highest calling is to honor God in all she does, especially with the talents and abilities He’s given her. Like writing.