The most famous dissociative disorder is Multiple Personality Disorder, also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). It is estimated that one in one hundred people may suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder and other Dissociative Disorders. With correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment, people have the potential for complete recovery. Multiple Personality Disorder is a condition in which a person has more than one identity, each of which speaks, acts and writes in a very different way. Each personality seems to have its own memories, wishes, and (often conflicting) impulses The symptoms of an individual with Multiple Personality Disorder are 1.) lack of appropriate emotional response 2.) memory loss, lost time, not knowing what they have said or done 3.) feeling dream like 5.) experiencing dissociation which might include dizziness, headaches, numbness in body, spontaneous trance states 6.) not remembering childhood or major life events 7.) recurrent depression 8.) anxiety, panic, and phobias 9.) self destructive thoughts and behavior 10.) substance abuse 11.) eating disorders 12.) sexual dysfunction, including addictions and avoidance 13.) flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and images of trauma 14.) low self esteem, and feeling damaged and/or worthless 15.) shame 16.) somatic pain syndromes 17.) sleep disturbances: nightmares, insomnia, and sleepwalking and 18.) alternative states of consciousness or personalities. Many people displaying MPD have experienced events they would like to forget or avoid. The causation of Multiple Personality Disorder is when an individual has suffered severe, horrific, traumatic, unavoidable, persistent physical or sexual abuse in childhood. Also many people displaying MPD appeared to be skilled at self- hypnosis through which their "psyche" comes forward as a coping mechanism, to protect them from the pain ( they create a self- induced hypnotic like trance) which allows the individual to escape psychologically.
