Dissociative Identity Disorder

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a complex psychological condition that you probably recognise through its former name of Multiple Personality Disorder. It is caused by many factors, including severe trauma during early childhood (usually extreme, repetitive physical, sexual, or emotional abuse). It is in fact the same disorder that Norman Bates has in the Psycho franchise.

Here are a few of Norman's key moments from Bates Motel that are symptomatic of DID:


DID is a severe form of dissociation, a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person's thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. The dissociation aspect is thought to be a coping mechanism - the person literally dissociates himself from a situation or experience that's too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate with his conscious self.

The condition is very controversial, and some people even question whether it is real or not. The diagnosis itself remains controversial among mental health professionals, with some experts believing that it is really an "offshoot" phenomenon of another psychiatric problem, such as borderline personality disorder.

What are the symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder?

The disorder is characterised by the presence of two or more distinct or split identities (do not mistake it for Schizophrenia) or personality states that continually have power over the person's behaviour. With dissociative identity disorder, there's also an inability to recall key personal information that is too far-reached to be explained as mere forgetfulness. This is because the sufferer will often experience a black out when their alter takes over.

The "alters" or different identities have their own age, sex, or race. In Norman's case, his alter is his mother - it's as if she represents his id and his super-ego for she tells him to do these horrible, horrible things in a moralising way. Sometimes the alters are imaginary people; sometimes they are animals. As each personality reveals itself and controls the individuals' behaviour and thoughts, it's called "switching." Switching can take seconds to minutes to days, and when under hypnosis, the person's different "alters" or identities may be very responsive to the therapist's requests.

Other symptoms may include headache, time loss, trances, and "out of body experiences." Some people with DID may even have a tendency toward self-sabotage and violence - both self-inflicted and outwardly directed. Someone with DID may find themselves doing things they wouldn't normally do, such as speeding, stealing money... or murdering people, and they absolutely feel compelled to do it. Some describe this feeling as being a passenger in their body rather than the driver. In other words, they truly believe they have no choice, no free will.

Other things someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder may suffer from include:
  • depression
  • mood swings
  • sleep disorders (insomnia, night terror, sleep walking)
  • anxiety, panic attacks, phobias
  • alcohol/drug abuse
  • eating disorders

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