What is Multiple Personality Disorder

One of the biggest confusions people have is - 'what is multiple personality disorder and how is it different from schizophrenia'. In reality, these two mental illnesses are quite different. While schizophrenia impairs the ability of an individual to think and function properly, multiple personality disorder (MPD) leads to several split personalities. In schizophrenia, a person may have hallucinations and delusions however, in MPD the person is completely lost and detached from emotions and feelings.

Definition
Now known as dissociative personality disorder (DID), multiple personality disorder is a medical condition, that affects an individual to such an extent that his lifestyle is spent in daydreaming and he or she is completely lost in the moment. Now, all of us experience mild dissociation from our thoughts and surroundings very often. There are moments, when we're completely lost in our thoughts but in multiple personality disorder cases, there is a complete alienation of the person's thoughts, feelings, memories, actions, sense of identity and he/she is unable to make any possible connections with any of his thoughts and feelings, in the real world. Some of the most prominent symptoms of split personality are - the person disassociates himself with any emotions, violent trauma or painful experience from himself and remains aloof from any feelings.

Causes
Multiple personality disorder is believed to stem from a severe form of mental trauma during childhood especially repetitive form of physical and sexual abuse. In fact, theoretically, this disorder is linked to interaction of some overwhelming stress due to any form of abuse in childhood or poor upbringing (parental neglect, poor child care) of the child in formative years. Statistics state that majority of the patients suffering from dissociative personality disorder have gone through some form of child abuse, during their formative years.

The theory that is related to causes of multiple personality disorder is known as developmental theory. According to this theory, split personality symptoms begin to appear during adulthood or teenage, the person consciously tries to avoid relating to or thinking of any feelings of sexual abuse and torture during his childhood. This avoidance creates deep dissociation of the person, from the surroundings and from any emotions. The development theory also states that possibly the memories and feelings of any traumatic experience go into the subconscious mind and resurface in the later years of life. Besides these, the development theory also signifies, that the alienation from past occurs many times in the growing phase of the child that leads to development of split personalities during adulthood.

Treatments
Multiple personality disorder treatment is very difficult owing to the difficulties in the diagnosis of this disorder, which is done with the help of a multiple personality disorder test. Psychotherapy is the main tool for treatment of MPD. While dealing with MPD or DID, therapists and psychologists help patients in getting comfortable with people who're related to them. They firstly try to open the person emotionally so that they're able to express themselves without any fear of the past. This is very important because the person can become very negative and can suffer serious attacks of the past trauma and he may go more into depression and anxiety.

Many therapists work together to help the person co-exist in many personalities which is a very difficult task. Developing techniques that help to heal patients from memory lapses, forms the most important part of a medical treatment. Medications are other options for treatment of MPDs however, they've to be carefully monitored. In the recent years, self help groups for MPDs are coming openly on online communities to help each other in these disorders.

Understanding multiple personality disorder is very difficult and cases of MPD must be referred to experts who have treated people with such disorders. Only experts have the ability and understanding of various symptoms and solutions of this disorder. So experts' consultation is a must.