Dissociative Identity Disorder: Acting Like Someone Else Disorder

We have often seen people, in a sense, acting like others or mimicking them to make fun of them. However, such an act of being like someone else when it controls a person’s mind and behavior at different times is considered a disorder. This is because they execute the action without sense and may harm others. The disorder was previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder¹, but in current medical terms, it is regarded as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)². Nearly 1.5% of the global population suffers from the condition.

Here are a few details of the disorder for your information.

1. Concept of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) refers to a complex mental health condition in which a person loses connection with their memories, thoughts, perceptions, feelings, behavior, identity, and surroundings around them. It makes them get removed from reality and act like someone else in an obsessive as well as psychological manner. This manner of adverse psychological personality is not healthy for them. However, after they come back to their real self, the person does not possess any memory of the act. This makes them develop confusion with time and gradual insanity.

In DID, the different personal identity shown has different personal histories, traits, characteristics, likes and dislikes. Intention to act like others arises suddenly due to a reaction to any distressing or shocking event. It helps the person to forget difficult memories and situations. With time, the condition worsens when the person gradually realizes their problem.

2. Types of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is one of the main types of dissociative disorder. The two other types are:

2.1. Depersonalised or Derealisation Disorder (DD)     

In DD, a person feels they are separated from self. It is like a person watching them act, feel, share thoughts, and perform action from a distance, as in a movie. It seems that people have their souls outside their bodies while they act. It can appear and go or remain consistent with time.  

2.2. Dissociative Amnesia (DA)

In DA, the person fails to remember things regarding themselves, which is more than forgetfulness. It involves forgetting a major event in life or details of an event that you have lived according to others.

3. Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

The key symptom of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is showing two or more distinctive identities by a single person. The identities may be of different genders, interests, religions, and communities, and each of them has different ways of interacting with the environment. Individuals reflecting other personalities show different ways of talking, posture, and gestures that are unknown to them.

Some other common symptoms of DID ³are anxiety, depression, hallucination, disoriented thinking, memory loss, and suicidal intentions. The individuals with DID express they feel detachment from the body and suffer amnesia. They develop confusion and have trouble differentiating reality from hallucination.       

4. Causes of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

The causes of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) involve the presence of repetitive traumatic experiences in childhood, disturbed attachment, emotional abuse or neglect, and violation of boundaries. Trauma is responsible for DID because it influences the person to dissociate the memory of the situation or place to mentally escape from it. It creates difficulty for them to remember the details of the situation. They try to forget the experience to avoid the pain, fear, and other adverse emotions. However, certain events may trigger the condition. It leads them to unknowingly develop different personalities to avoid reality.  

5. Diagnosis for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Diagnosis of DID takes increased time and effort to ensure appropriate detection of the condition. Psychiatrist reviews the signs and symptoms of the disease in people before confirming the diagnosis. There is a risk for the co-existence of other personality disorders with DID, like depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder.   

DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is used in diagnosing the DID. It mentions that two or more of the following symptoms confirm the diagnosis of DID:

1. Presence of two or more identities in person, which is relatively different from one another. The thinking pattern, expression, endurance of emotions and others would be different in each presented personality.
2. Amnesia⁴ is common to occur, which indicates that the patient would forget their actions and traumatic events.
3. A person is distressed or experiences trouble with functioning in major areas of life.
4. The personality changes are not to be influenced by any substance abuse behavior or general health situation.

6. Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

The treatment in DID helps to reduce the symptoms of the condition and enhances the patient’s quality of life. With time, people learn to control the expression of varied personalities. However, it does not promise an absolute cure as it cannot be attempted.

6.1. Pharmacological Intervention:

No medications are licensed for treating DID. Psychiatric medication provided in DID is to manage additional problems such as panic attacks, depression, hallucinations, suicidal feelings, and others.  

6.2. Non-Pharmacological Intervention

I. Psychotherapy

Psychotherapeutic interventions are crucial treatments for controlling DID in individuals. The goal of psychotherapy is to help individuals explore their traumatic past. It is to help them understand their reason for dissociative behavior.

Persons with DID feel safer with themselves in the process. The two key types of psychotherapies used are:

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT):

CBT is developed on the belief that dysfunctional thinking influences negative behavior. In DID, CBT is used to challenge the negative thoughts of individuals and replace them with current reality. Talk sessions are performed to help people process their past traumas and learn the way to cope with them.

• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT):

DBT works best in people who feel extreme emotions in DID. DBT helps to support change as well as promote acceptance of the condition. It focuses on supporting the management of overwhelming feelings, increasing awareness of the surroundings, communicating to raise boundaries in relationships, and controlling adverse emotions.  

• Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy assists people with DID in understanding the way their previous experience is influencing current behavior. It helps to control the unconscious aspects to lower their suffering.

II. Adjunctive Therapy

Art therapy is one of the effective ways used to treat dissociative identity disorder (DID). This is because it helps open memories and emotions that the person holds back. A common art form seen in most DID patients is their drawing of multiple whole or partial human figures. It indicates the living of different personalities in the subconscious mind. Art therapy in DID ⁵also presents images of past and present trauma symbolized through different characters. It helps therapists to relate which trauma may be leading to specific personalities in individuals with DID.

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is a type of psychotherapy that uses dance and movement to make patients express emotions and share a sense of safety. It is executed to facilitate self-awareness of existing negative emotions and cognition to overcome them.

III. Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy or Clinical Hypnosis is used to access repressed thoughts and memories related to the traumatic past. It helps individuals to integrate all their personalities into one to cope with DID.

IV. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EDMR) therapy

EDMR therapy is one of the new mental treatment techniques used for DID patients. The therapy involved eye movement to be executed in a certain way while the patients were processing their traumatic pasts. It aims to heal individuals from their past trauma in life to avoid showing negative personalities.

7. Popular People and Mention of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

One of the popular movies, “Shutter Island,” is the best example to explain DID. Here, the character “Teddy,” played by Leonardo DiCaprio, had DID based on whom the whole storyline was set. Another famous representation of DID could be seen in the movie “Split.” Here, “Kevin,” played by James McAvoy, suffered from DID and showed 18 different personalities. It is one of the intense portrayals of DID in popular media.

8. Final Thoughts

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a complex mental health disorder that affects a few. Some people with DID express multiple personalities with delusions, hallucinations, depression, and others. A timely diagnosis prevents the worsening of the condition. It is best to involve family members, peers, and others to create strong support for people to overcome DID. There is no medicinal cure for the condition. Therapeutic supports are provided to control and manage the negative emotions and experiences leading to the condition.    

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are people with Acting Like Someone Else Disorder or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) harmful?

The person with DID may not be harmful, but the personality could cause harm to others that are not within their control.

2. When should a Doctor be consulted in DID?

If a person is showing unexplained behavior without their intention and expressing no memory of the situation, it is best to consult a doctor.

3. Can People with DID Have a Normal Life?

Yes. The right therapeutic support can make their DID condition manageable. Patients are to remain open to communication and should never fear asking for help.

4. Does Hypnosis work for treating DID?

Yes, hypnotherapy is effective in treating DID as it promotes greater control of the expression of negative emotions, lowers impulsivity, and enhances quality of life.

1. Ross, Colin A. “Multiple personality disorder.” New York (1989). ↩︎
2. Dorahy, Martin J., et al. “Dissociative identity disorder: An empirical overview.” Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 48.5 (2014): 402-417. ↩︎
3. Ross, Colin A., and Laura Ness. “Symptom patterns in dissociative identity disorder patients and the general population.” Journal of Trauma & Dissociation 11.4 (2010): 458-468. ↩︎
4. Eich, Eric, et al. “Memory, amnesia, and dissociative identity disorder.” Psychological Science 8.6 (1997): 417-422. ↩︎
5. Engle, Patricia. “Art therapy and dissociative disorders.” Art Therapy 14.4 (1997): 246-254. ↩︎

Last Updated on May 1, 2024 by Namrata