Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is understood as a set of mental disorders, in particular memory lapses, disorders of consciousness, and feelings of personal identity. The condition leads to the fact that a person’s personality is divided. Because of this, it seems that in one person there are several personalities who may have different gender, age, social status, character. This disorder is vividly displayed in the media, especially now, when people are concerned with their mental health.
People with DID are regularly portrayed as violent, like in the movie Split. Nonetheless, such individuals tend to become victims and are likely to hurt themselves more than others. Often, risk factors for violence against others are linked to substance abuse and the male gender. In addition, DID is considered controversial because of the fake symptoms that some people create to avoid punishment for illegal actions (Bridley & Duffin, 2018). In fact, such people cannot pretend, because it is determined according to specific criteria related to the inability to be mentally healthy. Trauma and cultural oppression are the primary causes leading to the condition development. The other claim produced by social media is that the medications for treating DID are dangerous because they ruin the brain structure. However, the empirical studies prove that if the drugs are prescribed carefully in accordance with the symptoms, the state improves (Bridley & Duffin, 2018). Ultimately, the media informs about DID as an iatrogenic disease provoked by medical activity. Nevertheless, this suggestion does not fit the criterion based on the fact that DID may occur due to physical or mental trauma.
As a result, DID should not be treated as a rare disorder due to the fact that the media barely informs about it. This condition is treatable, in case a doctor prescribes proper medication which would not worsen one’s mental and physical state. Additionally, individuals with dissociative identity disorder are not harmful to others; in turn, it is more probable that they damage themselves or take their lives.
Reference
Bridley, A., & Duffin, L. (2018). Abnormal Psychology (2nd Ed.). Washington State University.