Dissociative Identity Disorder Analysis

“…If you can wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you just as easily wake up a different person?” (Fight Club) As a society, we enjoy going to the movies or reading an exciting story to somehow escape the monotony of every day life and stresses of our worlds. When the movie is over or when the book is closed, you can allow yourself to appreciate the character’s struggles and triumphs and let yourself snap back into reality refreshed and ready to take on the world again. People with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) involuntarily and chronically escape their reality in a variety of damaging ways including suppressing memories and assuming alternate identities or personalities. So while the idea in the statement above may
It is estimated that individuals with this disorder have spent several years in the mental health system prior to an accurate diagnosis. The reason for this is because the list of symptoms that lead the person to seek treatment can be very similar to those of many other psychiatric diagnoses. In fact, many people who suffer with dissociative disorders also have secondary diagnoses such as depression, anxiety and/or panic disorders. (WebMD) Symptoms can include headaches, amnesia, significant time loss and “out-of-body” experiences. Some sufferers have a tendency toward self persecution, self-sabotage and even violence (both self-inflicted and outwardly directed). DID patients also describe a feeling of being a passenger in their body rather than the driver. They see these things happening but have no control and may have no memory of the event. Suicidal tendencies play a big role in this disease, people with DID have a longer history of suicide attempts than other psychiatric patients. (Mayo
The most famous of these cases was made into a television-movie called Sybil. This was a case where the woman had at least 13 distinct personalities due to a harrowing childhood. (IMDB.com) Because the disorder is so rare, misdiagnosed, and undiagnosed it is difficult to find famous people with a real diagnosed case of Dissociative Identity Disorder. However, former NFL star Herschel Walker says he struggled with DID for years but has only been treated for the past 8. Walker has written a book discussing his fight with the disorder and his many suicide attempts. He claims he developed a “tough” alter to deal with the abuse he suffered and that carried him into his career in the NFL.