Multiple Personality Disorder - Case Study Example

Case Study Multiple Personality Disorder Multiple Personality Disorder Multiple personality disorder is one of the common mental health conditions that affect people. It has also been denoted as dissociative identity disorder. In the diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM-IV), multiple personality disorder falls under the category of dissociative disorders. This type of disorder can occur at any age and it exhibits an unusual prevalence in children who have exposure to childhoods that are traumatic. Due to the trauma that such children face, they may begin to exhibit a unique kind of detachment from the real issues affecting them. In other cases, they may have extreme resentment towards themselves because of something traumatic that happened in their life. History of Multiple Personality Disorder This kind of disorder was described successfully in the 19th century, although it had been in existence previously. During that time, many of the people who had the disorder faced imprisonment, stigmatization and were subjected to poor treatment because only few people knew the basis of the disorder. However, intensive research on the potential causes of the disorder led to a better understanding of the features that define the disorder before the conclusion of the 19th century (Kluft, 2003). Moreover, this allowed the development of effective therapies for addressing the disorders and helping patients. In the modern day, patients with multiple personality disorder receive specialized therapy and are not perceived as mentally possessed individuals (American Psychiatric Association., & American Psychiatric Association, 2013). There is evidence suggesting that multiple personality disorder begins during childhood, at the specified age of 4. However, a period of about 7 years may lapse before the exhibited symptoms are confirmed to be those of multiple personality disorder. According to the existing statistics, many of the diagnosed individuals with multiple personality disorder usually begin to exhibit the symptoms at the ages between 20 to 40. However, this does not rule out the development of the disorder in small children if they are exposed to the conditions highlighted above (Kluft, 2003).  Symptoms of multiple personality disorder Research has identified that there are multiple symptoms exhibited by patients with multiple personality disorder. As highlighted above, one of the common symptoms is the existence or the development of alter personalities. This happens when an individual takes the acts out a different personality, but can do that perfectly to a point whereby it resembles reality. Alter personalities develop when one chooses to be detached himself or herself from a certain situation and assume the role of maybe an observer or a third party individual. A classic example is the case of a girl facing multiple challenges in her childhood, one of the outstanding challenges is maybe being that she faces sexual abuse. Her exposure to a wide range of challenges with intense severity may compel her to develop multiple personality disorder. The numbers of additional personalities that may manifest as alter personalities have been described to range from a minimum of 2 to as many as 100. According to existing data, the average number of alter personalities in patients with this disorder is 15. Prevalence of Multiple Personality Disorder According to recent research findings, multiple personality disorder presents a 3% to 6% among individual who exhibit a highly disturbing condition. In the general population, multiple personality disorder may present a 0.5% to 1% prevalence. There is an evident high prevalence of multiple personality disorder in females than in males (Kluft, 2003). Mental health experts have revealed that out of 10 patients of multiple personality disorder, are likely to be women. When the act of sexual abuse is taking place, it would be possible for her to detach her real self from the atrocity and assume a third party position. The third party position she adopts may be that of another girl who witnesses her being abused. When detachment is serious, the individual forgets completely aspects that define or differentiates the alter personalities from the original one. In the example illustrated, the girl observing another one being abused would completely forget whether it was her being abused. Detachment is one of the serious symptoms of multiple personality disorder (Ross & Ross, 2009). Notably, the alter personality adopted may exhibit a complete opposite of the real self. In some cases, a child undergoing abuse who eventually develops multiple personality disorder would assume an alter personality that is a different age and even name. Multiple personality disorder is accompanied by loss of memory which explains why one can derealize himself or herself. The memory loss may be partial or complete. In other cases, an individual with multiple personality disorder experiences an unclear perception of the real self. This would eventually lead to the loss of identity. Notably, social isolation often occurs when an individual has detached himself from a certain situation. Research has indicated that, some individual with multiple personality disorder may experience flashbacks of the alter personality. An occurrence of mood swings of a higher frequency is also an outstanding symptom of the disorder. Causes of Multiple Personality Disorder Experts have highlighted that a traumatic childhood experience is one of the leading factors that fuels the development of multiple personality disorder. Such trauma may result from different forms of abuse from other family members, or outsiders (Braun, 2004). Sexual abuse has been identified as the greatest contributor in the development of multiple personality disorder. However, such an assertion should not lead to a misguided perception of sexual abuse as the sole cause of multiple personality disorder. Notably, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and lack of appropriate child support may also trigger the development of multiple personality disorder. The social environment that defines the life of an individual, especially a child may also contribute to the development of multiple personality disorder. This is to say that social cues may trigger the development of multiple personality disorder if they are negative. Any form of bullying or stigmatization exposed to a child in different social settings may cause the development of multiple personality disorder. Some children presenting a multiple personality disorder exhibit a defect in the usual functioning of the human brain. Such defects explain the occurrence of detachment, derealization and may fuel the development of alter personalities. Other experts have established a correlation between the lack of adequate sleep and amnesia as potential contributors in the development of the multiple development disorder (Braun, 2004). Often, many people confuse multiple personality disorder with schizophrenia. However, multiple personality disorder is an independent entry in the diagnostics and statistical manual (DSM-IV). According to this DSM, the current name for multiple personality disorder is dissociative identity disorder (Ross & Ross, 2009).. For a mental health specialist to confirm that an individual suffers from multiple personality disorder, he or she must exhibit two different personalities. Moreover, the personalities must demonstrate a powerful toll on the behavior of the individual. In addition, an individual suffering from multiple personality disorder must lack the capacity to provide personal information or remember identifying information. Such occurrences even if proved positive would only confirm DSM-IV multiple personality disorder if the individual does not take any substance. Possible treatments and conclusion Despite the severity of multiple personality disorder, long-term psychotherapy can serve as a successful intervention in a bid to help patients suffering with this kind of disorder. The basis of this approach is being able to integrate the different personalities. In a real sense, counselors handling such patients usually encourage them to try and combine the different personalities exhibiting themselves because of the disorder. Effective therapy must begin by identifying the core cause of the trauma that led to the disorder. After identifying such core causes, the counselor helps the patient define neutralizing mechanisms. Exposing the patient to a similar kind of trauma and helping them handle negative feelings that result from the disorder, is one of the critical steps in the therapy. However, therapy takes several years. References American Psychiatric Association., & American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Association. Braun, B. G. (2004). Treatment of multiple personality disorder. Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Press. Kluft, R. P. (2003). Clinical perspectives on multiple personality disorder. Washington, DC u.a: American Psychiatric Press. Ross, C. A., & Ross, C. A. (2009). Dissociative identity disorder: Diagnosis, clinical features, and treatment of multiple personality. New York: Wiley. Read More