Multiple Personalties

There are several different types of dissociative disorders. A person’s conscious awareness separates (dissociates) from previous memories, thought or feelings. The person can not recall certain events in their life. Psychologists think that this disorder may be a result of some type of trauma. The dissociation is a coping mechanism that the person uses to be able to handle the traumatic experience because the person is unable to integrate the trauma into their conscious self.

There are four general classifications of dissociative disorders: amnesia, fugue, multiple personality disorder, and depersonalization disorder. Amnesia can be localized, selective, generalized and systematized in nature. Localized amnesia is when a person looses memory of time for a specific window of time. Selective amnesia the person remembers only small parts of an event. Generalized amnesia is where a person can not remember their entire life. Systematized specific is when a person can not remember a certain category of information such as a specific person or place.

A dissociative fugue is a rare occurrence. The person takes a physical leave of their normal surroundings and goes on a journey. They can travel long distances and not be aware of where they have come from and or why they have left. It is thought that the person could eventually take upon a new identity although this is believed to be very rare.

Multiple personality disorder is when a person experiences different personalities that surfaces from time to time and along with the different personalities the person has different memories because of the events that occur when the person is experiencing the different personalities.

Depersonalization disorder is when a person views the external world around them as being somehow unreal or distorted. They experience detachment or distance from their own experiences, their own body or their own self.

There has been much controversy about the diagnosis of dissociative disorders. Many don’t support the fact that it does exist and think that possibly some health care professional personnel suggested the disorder to the person and the person under treatment took this suggestion as part of their persona. Many people think that the old term hysteria, now defined as dissociative disorder, may be more extensively diagnosed in today’s mental health care system. They believe that examples of this disorder have always existed. It is an alarming thought that the highest percentage of the diagnosis is located in North America. That does give rise to a thought provoking question of why this is statistically indicated.

The disorder of amnesia makes sense to me that it can really occur. If a person experiences a very traumatic experience to them their psyche will use a protective mechanism to help the person though the experience. Many examples of amnesia have been communicated by a variety of people that has experienced a variety of trauma. Although there have been cases of people claiming to be accused of a crime and they state they don’t remember anything about the event. I really have a hard time believing that someone could really do something like murder but than not be aware of the event.

The fugue has been indicated as being a rare event. I really question if this could really occur. I have watched TV shows on crime where some people have experienced a fugue after a physical attack and then gone across country and not remembering who they are or where they are from. Still I really wonder if this is an actual event or just an example of amnesia that is a little prolonged and the person takes action in the form of mobility to cope with the loss of memories.

Multiple personalities have been indicated as the most prevalent of the dissociative disorders. I really believe that this diagnosis is real and does occur. I have experienced in the past class mates with this diagnosis and have experienced their different “people” and memories that go with each person. I am aware of the case study of Sybil and of course that has been indicated as a coping mechanism she used to survive extreme abuse. I have watched the famous movie Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock and have watched the story of Norman and his multiple personality issues. Although this was a fictional story of violence and murder done in an extreme I really can see how that could possibly happen.

As far as the depersonalization disorder where a person believes that their world is somehow unreal, I really don’t know anything about nor have I experienced it with anyone that I know of. Maybe in a mental ward you might find this type of disorder, but I am not really sure about that.