Dissociative Identity Disorder
DID is a complex and quite rare condition where more than one personality exists within you. You may in fact be unaware of this and usually other people will tell you of your other identities. Each identity within you has their own pattern of thinking and behaving, and this may be quite different from your own established patterns. In fact, each separate personality controls your behaviours and thoughts at the times they are present.

Dissociation is a mental process of disconnecting from your thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.

The causes of DID are as complex as the condition, but mental health professionals agree that ongoing trauma in childhood is the leading contributor. The trauma causes the child to “disconnect” from what is happening to them during the times of extreme stress. Trauma can include repeated emotional, physical or sexual abuse that usually begins before a child is five years of age, and during that time there is no adult around who provides comfort or safety.

Children remain dissociated into their teens and adulthood. This can lead to other problems as they struggle to make sense of the world around them.

If you have DID, you may experience depression, mood swings, anxiety and panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and feelings, self-harm, headaches, hearing voices, sleep disorders, phobias, alcohol and drug abuse, obsessive-compulsive behaviour and various physical health problems.
Treatment for DID is based on your personal needs and aspirations. It can take time working with a specialist in DID care to make progress and help you achieve your goals, but you can achieve significant progress in taking control of your life.

Signs to look for (symptoms)
Things you may feel include:

Feeling disconnected from your emotions (emotionally numb).
Feeling detached from what is happening around you, like you are watching a movie of yourself.
Feeling as though the world is distorted or not real.

Having problems remembering things, and having gaps in your memory (losing time).
Sudden and unexpected shifts in mood, eg, feeling very sad for no reason.
Hearing voices, or smelling or seeing things that only you can see or smell.
Feeling as though there are different people inside you.
Referring to yourself as “we”.
Being unable to recognise yourself in a mirror.
Significant memory lapses such as forgetting important personal information.
Knowing about things you don’t remember learning, like driving.
Not recognising places or people that others think you should.
It’s often those nearest people experiencing DID who will see signs that the person they are currently talking to does not have the same personality and mannerisms that the person they were speaking to yesterday, or that morning, or even a few moments ago had.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is not to be confused with Multiple personality Disorder.

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