Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is one of several dissociative disorders. It is an adaptation that developed early in life where children experience repeated overwhelm of various kinds and generally have limited, inconsistent, or insufficient emotional supports. DID developed when different parts of the child began to “specialize” in certain situations. This allowed the child to divide up the overwhelming experiences into smaller parcels, many of which were not accessible to other parts. Although one part or alter might be suffering with that memory, the rest of the system was able to function without this burden. DID was formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder but the name was changed when it was better understood that individuals who live with DID have only one personality, but that personality is separated into several parts or alters.
How DID develops
DID develops early in life as a powerful and life-saving adaptation to ongoing and overwhelming events where little emotional support is provided to the child. DID disrupts brain development and the integration of the parts of the personality into a single perceived “I.” Once the child’s personality has formed, an individual will not develop DID if they have not already.
What “parts” or “alters” mean in DID
Alters (or parts) each have their own role or state. For instance, one alter might have the job of making a caretaker happy when the caretaker is angry or a part might be numb and appear when the individual needs to not feel anything. In addition to different roles and states, alters hold different memories, emotions, and functions. Some alters, often referred to as fragments, are simple and specific to one aspect of a memory or emotion while other alters may be so complex it is difficult to believe they are not an entire personality on their own. All alters exist because, in some way, they helped the individual survive.
It is important to note that DID is not intentional or make believe. DID is the nervous system’s strategy for dealing with ongoing demanding and overwhelming situations and early in healing is almost entirely controlled by the nervous system. As healing progresses, the alters gain more and more control over formerly automatic responses. Research using functional MRIs to look at brain activity have demonstrated that actors attempting to simulate DID produced noticeably different brain imaging from people who have DID. Additionally, research has been able to identify individual alters within a system by the unique brain activity of each.
How DID can show up in everyday life
DID is often very good at going unnoticed and it can be difficult to identify it in everyday life. Following are some of the ways DID can show up in everyday life. Individuals will have different combinations of these symptoms based on how their system works and how their DID adapted to early life conditions.
• memory gaps or time loss • conflict between alters or opposing needs • feeling “not like myself” at different times • unexplained shifts in skills, emotions, or perspectives • internal voices or dialogues, sometimes commenting on your actions.
Having some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Common misconceptions about DID
Thanks to popular media, people often have incorrect ideas about what DID is. Here are some truths about DID:
• DID is not rare in people with severe childhood trauma. • DID is not schizophrenia or psychosis. Schizophrenia is a separate mental health issue. • DID is not attention-seeking or fabricated. • DID does not mean a person is dangerous. • DID does not mean a person is “broken.”
DID exists within the broader dissociation spectrum
Dissociative Identity Disorder is one of several dissociative disorders. For more information about dissociation, you are invited to visit the page What Is Dissociation? Everyone who has DID dissociates, but not everyone who dissociates has DID. It is possible to have a dissociative disorder and not have DID. It is possible to dissociate at times and not have DID or any other dissociative disorder.
DID exists within the broader dissociation spectrum
Dissociative Identity Disorder is one of several dissociative disorders. For more information about dissociation, you are invited to visit the page What Is Dissociation? Everyone who has DID dissociates, but not everyone who dissociates has DID. It is possible to have a dissociative disorder and not have DID. It is possible to dissociate at times and not have DID or any other dissociative disorder.
Where to go next
Therapy and DID — Finding Safe, Supportive Healing
Once you understand what DID is, the next question is often how to get help safely. This guide explains what trauma-informed therapy looks like for DID, what to watch out for, and how to protect your system when choosing care.