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What is it?
Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID, is a mental health condition where people have two or more identities.
What are the effects of it?
People with DID create two or more different identities which can alter their behavior, how they act and what they do. For example, a person with DID who is well-mannered might have a separate personality where they are crazy or rude. These identities have their own history, traits, likes, and dislikes. Another effect of DID is memory gaps and hallucinations.
How is it caused?
DID is caused if a person has been abused or endured trauma early in childhood - sometimes it develops during abuse or trauma as a way to detach or distance themselves from what happened.
What are the signs and symptoms?
The signs and symptoms include having separate identities and different behavior - for example, a person might act differently in front of their friends, but act like their other personality in different contexts. Other signs include depression, anxiety, hallucinations, disorientation, memory loss, and suicidal thoughts.
What is the treatment for DID?
As depression and anxiety are one of the signs of DID, there are medications to reduce those feelings. The most effective treatment, however, is psychotherapy. This therapy focuses on discussing traumatic events from the past, helping manage behavioral changes, and attempting to merge several different identities into one whole identity.
What should you do if you have DID?
If you have any of the symptoms which are stated above, visit a school counselor or a therapist. It is also important to have people around you who support you and try to help you with DID.