Essay on Furthering Knowlege of Dissociative Identity...

CLINICAL QUESTION 2 I would like to further my knowledge on the controversial mental illness identified as Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. More commonly known as multiple personality disorder, it has been a mental illness which gained attention from being the main focus in a variety of Hollywood’s films, aside from what has been portrayed in films I have little insight to what this disorder is. â€Å"What is Dissociative Identity Disorder, its causes and how is it clinically diagnosed?† Dissociative Identity Disorder is a target of controversy among health care professionals as a result of it displaying characteristics of false memory syndrome, as well as its common ties to childhood abuse and trauma. (Stickley †¦show more content†¦Following the end of a traumatic event the affected person’s personality resurfaces without any recollection of what had taken place. This coping mechanism allows the child to perform daily tasks without the influences of the event psyc hologically. An affected person often has different alters that have the ability to cope with different situations they may face in life. (Stickley Nickeas, 2006) Diagnosing Dissociative Identity Disorder Due to its complexity and skepticism there is minimal information in regards to dissociation, dissociative disorders, and the effects of trauma throughout the core development years of childhood. Within recent years the awareness, and study of DID from a clinical standpoint have increased and diagnosing criteria has been outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and is as follows: (Pais, 2009) A. The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self). B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior. CLINICAL QUESTION 4 C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness. D. The disturbance is not due to