Multiple personality disorder (MPD) is a condition in which a person experiences a different personality than himself. In many cases the real person is aware of their alternate and imaginary form, while in many cases the real person may remain unaware of it. It is considered one disorder of a group of conditions called dissociative disorders. Dissociative disorders are mental health disorders in which a person may have problems with consciousness, awareness, and identity. Experts believe that when one or more of these problems occur together in a person, it can result in multiple personality disorder.
Multiple personality disorder is also known as dissociative identity disorder. Its symptoms can be both mild and severe, if this disorder starts affecting a person’s personal life and work, then it can give rise to many other types of problems. The main cause of this disorder can be serious injury, physical or sexual abuse in childhood or many other emotional problems.
In this article, we will learn about the symptoms, causes and treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder.
Symptoms Of Multiple Personality Disorder
The most common symptom of multiple personality disorder is the unconscious splitting of a person’s identity between two different persons. That is, the person suffering from this disorder has a split personality. Multiple personality disorder may also present many of the psychotic symptoms seen in other mental disorders. Some of these are as follows.
- Dissociative Amnesia: This is a kind of memory related condition. However, it has not been associated with any medical condition.
- Severe body pain or headache
- Depersonalization (feeling detached from one’s own thoughts, feelings, and body)
- Derealization (feeling as if the surrounding environment is different, odd or false)
- Having depression or mood swings
- anxiety having trouble eating or sleeping
- Feeling difficulty in sexual activities in general
- Thoughts like harming oneself
- Thoughts of suicide: 70% of people with this disorder have thoughts of suicide
Causes Of Multiple Personality Disorder
Some form of severe injury or abuse in childhood is believed to be a major cause of multiple personality disorder. Experts believe that about 90 percent of MPD cases are related to abuse. This harassment can be of any kind sexual, physical or mental. Apart from this, mental damage caused to a person due to situations like serious accidents, natural calamities and war can also take the form of this disorder.
Diagnosis Of Multiple Personality Disorder
If the above-mentioned symptoms are present in a person, then the doctor may do some physical tests apart from knowing his medical history. As of now, there is no laboratory test available to accurately diagnose this disorder. However, it is diagnosed through a variety of imaging tests (X-ray, CT scan, or MRI) and blood tests as needed. Through this, it is known that the person does not have any other physical illness or side-effect of any kind of medicines?
On the basis of the above tests, if any disease and other reasons are not detected in the person, then he is sent to a mental health specialist. Mental health specialists are specially trained to diagnose and treat these types of illnesses. They talk to the person and try to know about his past experiences and current functioning, this makes it easier to understand the situation.
Through the tests and conversation mentioned in the above lines it is easier for the psychiatrists to understand about the disease. On the basis of this the process of treatment is started.
Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder
Psychotherapy is considered the primary treatment for multiple personality disorder. Through this medical method, understanding the causes of the disorder, treatment is done on the basis of the same. In addition to psychotherapy, treatment methods such as hypnosis may also be beneficial in some people.
Apart from this, the doctor can also give some medicines to control the symptoms of the disorder. Although no medicine has been certified for this disorder, still some medicines have been used to cure the symptoms.
The following types of medicines are used for the treatment of MPD.
- Anti-anxiety drugs
- Anti-psychotic drugs
- Anti-depressant drugs
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: In this method of psychotherapy, efforts are made to change the thinking, feelings and behaviour of the patient. dialectic-behavior therapy (DBT)
