Dissociative Identity Disorder is a mental health disorder where there are two or more distinct people within one individual. These distinct people or personalities are also called alters. An alter is a fully distinct person, that carries on a whole different personality than the original person. That means that if a person has two distinct people within them one could be very smart and introverted, but the other one may not have as high of IQ and might be extraverted. The personalities of each alter are different and very distinct from one another. The alternative personality or personalities would also have a different name than the original person. This paper will explore how DID forms within an individual, how it is diagnosed, treatment options to help those who have DID, and some myths that people in the general public may have about this disorder.
There are different forms of therapy that people with DID may be suggested to try, so that they can learn how to better cope with life. Those different types of treatment are individual psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis, and sometimes even hospital treatment. Hospital treatment is rarely used. It is only used if the disorder is very severe. Two other forms of treatment that have been used in treating DID are group therapy and art therapy, but there has not been much research on the effectiveness of those two forms of treatment.
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Clinical Hypnosis Hypnosis is a state of consciousness where a person loses their ability to complete actions on his or her own but rather is highly open to suggestions and commands. Kuft (2012, p 146) notes that Hypnosis played a prominent role in the first successful treatment of the condition now known as dissociative identity disorder (DID) by Antoine Despine in the 1830s, and continues to be employed in its treatment in the twenty-first century. The biggest downfall of using this treatment approach is that it forces the clients to relive and remember the traumatizing event. It is good for them to come to the realization of the pain behind their actions, but sometimes hypnosis can be harmful. Although it was one of the first successful treatments of DID, it is still a highly controversial treatment method, so the opinions of mental health professionals will be varied on this topic. Kuft (2012, p 146) notes, Every choice and
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Therapists must always respect the therapeutic relationship with their client. Hypnosis can be an effective way to treat a client with Dissociative Identity Disorder, but it should not be the first route because the therapist should try to see the willingness that the client has to work through their struggles. Individual Psychotherapy Published by Scholars Crossing, 2018 7 The Kabod, Vol. 4, Iss. 2 , Art. 8 DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
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Horchner 8 The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (2011, p 32) states that the primary treatment modality for DID is individual outpatient psychotherapy. There is no set number of times a week or length of time that these individual sessions go; rather, it depends on different factors. The factors that could contribute to the length and frequency of the individual sessions may depend on the clients readiness to work through their traumatizing life events, insurance, severity of the clients disorder, therapist availability, and the goals of the treatment. Clients who are highly able to function throughout life may only need one session a week, but clients who are struggling with functioning will probably be seen more often than once a week. Typical sessions are 45 minutes to an hour, but some therapists may choose to have a longer session because it allows the client and the therapist to work through the traumatizing
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