dissociative identity disorder

1. MULTIPLE PERSONALITY
DISORDER (MPD)
 Multiple
Personality Disorder is a psychiatric
disorder characterized by having at least one
“ALTER”personality that controls behavior.The
“alters” are said to occur spontaneously and
involuntarily and function more or less
independently of others.
 The
new diagnostic terminology of MPD,
according to DSM-IV is “Dissociative Identity
Disorder”

2. What Causes MPD?
 There
is no proven single cause of MPD,
however, it has been postulated that MPD is
caused by extreme trauma or stress.MPD
has also been related to severe childhood
abuse. In fact, some researchers have
argued that victims of severe trauma/abuse
may develop MPD as a survival mechanism
to escape from the event that is outside the
normal human experience.

3. What Are The Symptoms Of
MPD?
 Following
are the common symptoms of MPD
( all of them may not necessarily be present in all
patients of MPD):
 loss of time: "blackouts" unrelated to drugs,
alcohol or neurological disorders.
 Cannot recall a very large portion of childhood
 Spontaneous trance states: staring …and even
may talk to oneself
 Marked differences in manner, voice, or dress
from one time to the next

4. What Are The Symptoms Of
MPD? (continued)
 Headaches
 Thought
insertion: surprising and atypical
thoughts seem to be imposed in thoughts or "just
happen"
 Imposed Emotions: surges of unexplainable
emotions "out of the blue" that are not owned or
claimed
 Imposed Impulses: strong impulses to perform
actions that are not felt to be one’s own.

5. What Are The Symptoms Of
MPD? (continued)
 Varying
insistence on identifying oneself with a
different name
 Thought withdrawal: "going blank," often in midsentence
 Mood shifts: sudden unpredictable or explainable
mood swings
 Little forgetfulness: for example, lighting a
cigarette while another is still burning
 Peculiar forgetfulness: for example, thoroughly
learning school material then totally forgetting it
the next day

6. Is There A Treatment For
MPD?
 The
typical goal for treatment of MPD is to
integrate the divided personalities into one self.
This is most commonly achieved through
psychotherapy which may or may not include
hypnosis performed by an experienced
psychologist or psychiatrist. Research has
demonstrated that psychiatric medications tend to
be ineffective for people with MPD unless they
are required for additional disorders such as
anxiety or depression.

7. Is There A Treatment For
MPD?
 The
typical goal for treatment of MPD is to
integrate the divided personalities into one self.
This is most commonly achieved through
psychotherapy which may or may not include
hypnosis performed by an experienced
psychologist or psychiatrist. Research has
demonstrated that psychiatric medications tend to
be ineffective for people with MPD unless they
are required for additional disorders such as
anxiety or depression.