Split Personality Disorder Symptoms
81Split Personality Disorder Symptoms
I hadn't known that split personality disorder, more rightly called dissociative disorder, was so common until I started working at a place where someone had it. He had had split personality disorder symptoms for awhile, but no one had really caught on, except for his psychiatrist. This particular disorder can be very difficult to notice and diagnose because even the person with split personality disorder doesn't generally know that they have it. The personalities are kept as separate entities in the brain unable to communicate with each other.
Let's dispel a few myths. We've all seen the the horror films where someone develops an alternate personality that's a raging serial killer, but in reality, that's not the way it works. It is true that dissociative disorder usually develops as a way for a person to deal with trauma. Children in unstable or dangerous homes are especially susceptible to split personality disorder, because their personalities aren't even fully developed yet. Because of this, it's possible for a child to develop dissociative disorder and retain the condition throughout their adult life. At times of high stress, the disorder may manifest itself in order to help the adult cope. Let's take a look at some specific split personality disorder symptoms.
Specific Split Personality Disorder Symptoms
Here are some specific symptoms:
1. Amnesia
- Amnesia is one of the biggest split personality disorder symptoms. Like we learned in the first section, the multiple personalities don't communicate with one another inside the brain. Therefore, when one personality takes over to cope with stress or danger, the other personality in essence goes to sleep. If a person complains of memory loss, especially during times of high stress, they may have dissociative disorder.
2. Anxiety, Depression, Detachment
- These are more general symptoms, but they are important to watch out for, especially detachment. Those with split personality disorder may get a sense that something isn't functioning the way it's supposed to, almost like someone else has been controlling their actions, which is very close to the truth. This sense can cause a person to feel detached from their life.
3. Distorted Perception
This goes along with the feeling of detachment. A person with split personality disorder may begin to question what's real and what isn't. The more a person feels detached from their life and surroundings, the more they may begin to feel that certain things aren't actually real.
Dissociative Fugue
Dissociative fugue is something similar to split personality disorder, but different. Dissociative fugue actually causes a person to flee their own identity. They'll leave whatever they're doing, work, their home, in the middle of cooking dinner, and just leave. They'll temporarily forget who they are and in some cases will actually take on a new identity in a different place. This condition is obviously more unpredictable, but the good news is that it's much more recognizable. In some ways, dissociative fugue is almost like the physical manifestation of the inner turmoil happening with split personality disorder. In many ways it's different though, because a fugue episode has a very indeterminate amount of time. Sometimes it can last as short as a few hours. Other times it can go for as long as a few months, though this is rare. Once the dissociative fugue episode ends, the person often feels intensely disoriented, not knowing where they are or how they got there. Dissociative fugue might not show any prior symptoms, but if it does, the symptoms will most likely match with those above.
This article is meant to add to your general knowledge and is not meant to be taken as medical advice.
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Excellent hub on personality disorders. I am sure that there is so much to this disorder. Sometimes, I think my sister has it, then again, she can be nice and when that happens, I get totally confused. I tried to protect her as much as I could when she was little from our abusive mother, but couldnt' rescue her most of the time. I think I should study this subject more.
That's a tough situation. Well, at least if she has it and it's not affecting her life too much, then maybe it's not something to worry about. Abuse can cause such long term problems. It's sad.
Good article. Thank you.
Lita P.
Thanks Lita
Great hub. Thanks Benjimester. I took a peek at some of your other hubs, and they look interesting too. They will keep me busy for awhile! I look forward to reading more of your hubs. I like how you personalized the disorder by making it about someone you worked with, and pointed out that it's not as obvious or freaky as a TV show might portray it. After all, the person was able to work. I would be interested in hearing the story behind how you knew and how he/she did behave, and whether the symptoms interfered with his/her work. Another hub perhaps! Thanks for this one though!
Thanks Kim! You're right that would be an interesting hub topic. But I can't really write about it because some of the people that might read it might know the specific individual and he/she doesn't really want it to be common knowledge. Thanks very much for stopping by.
good point!....and good ethics.
Currently, I am scared. The symptoms on the page I find very relative to me. They are exact to past events where I have experienced identical symptoms. In the past people have commented my behaviour or attitudes from something I'd have no recollection of - or am aware of doing anything so out of terms. I haven't been experiencing so much "oddness" in recent terms...but is this my actual problem - and if so - what do I do???
Kelly, I'm not licensed to give a diagnosis to your situation, but I will say that if a lot of your symptoms line up with what I've written about, then you should think about going to see a psychiatrist. They'll be able to give you a real diagnosis and put your mind to rest. Try not to be too scared. As with the case of my coworker, he was able to get help and deal with it and it never got out of hand.
i have spilt personality disorder, schizophrenia disorder, and bipolar disorder I think people with a mental illness are being more themselves and can very well excepted themselves more because they know to research and learn about their disorder or disorders. I learned to be myself and no one else even though it is very hard to except.
Sammyie, that's awesome to hear that you have such a good handle on everything. Thanks for sharing that and thanks very much for stopping by.
Currently, I am scared. The symptoms on the page I find very relative to me. They are exact to past events where I have experienced identical symptoms. In the past people have commented my behaviour or attitudes from something I'd have no recollection of - or am aware of doing anything so out of terms.
John, it's good that you've recognized those things early. Professionals can help both identify and treat split personality disorder. So hopefully you're not too worried. There's always help out there. Best of luck!
Very interesting. My husband has just been diagnosed with DID. Thus has cine as a shock & releif. He is 48yrs old and although the way we found out (he had been online chatting on dine very dubvious sites) when confonted although remembered very little felt very removed from it all. After 6 months with an excellent therespist has been diagnosed and a&e are able to monitor and control. Thankfully our marriage has survived!
Angie, that is definitely something to be thankful about. I'm glad to hear you guys were able to get through it. It's sometimes a really difficult condition to get a handle on. Thanks very much for sharing your story. Hopefully it will inspire someone else in the middle of struggling with split personality disorder.
My Ex Has all these symptoms what should i do??
Well, if he's your ex, maybe there's nothing you really can do except inform him that he might be having some mental issues. You could advise him to seek a professional psychiatrist.
Do i have Schizophrenia?
I avoid confrontations,
I feel like Im a different person every time i meet a new people,
I'm afraid to open up to anyone because i don't want them to see my real side,
I pretend to be someone else for everyone;to make myself feel normal inside.
I even pretend facial expressions,body movements,the way i talk,etc..
Once i have pretended how i act around two different people i hope i am never around
them at the same time,thus making it extremely difficult to pretend but still feasible.
So am i Schizophrenic? or just DID?
Hey Joey. Well I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but some of what you've described sounds like how a lot of people act. It's perfectly normal to get nervous around people and to feel like you need to pretend to be someone else in order to be accepted.
It definitely sounds like you've taken it to the extreme though. Your anxiety seems like it leads you to pretend to be someone else, which then leads to more anxiety because you act differently around different persons and you hope they don't come into contact with one another. I don't know if that could be classified as Schizophrenia or as DID.
In my opinion, you really aren't every going to feel normal inside until you spend some time gaining confidence in who you are, and are able to be yourself around people. I know that this is a very difficult thing to do. I still struggle with it. But you probably ought to talk to a professional counselor about it. They can be really helpful in dealing with anxiety and relationships.
joey you dont have schizophrenia
Haha, nice.
I think i have it. No you dont. Dont lie to him. Why shoould I lie. I dont know. Lol
Haha, three? That's something new.
thanks it is a wonderful article. thanks for providing knowledge in this area.
bye.
tc
Yeah, you're very welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
Benjimester. I found this hub again. I started reading and didn't remember already reading it. Do I have amnesia? Just kidding about the amnesia. You've had some interesting comments here. I still like the hub. When I saw you had written it, it occurred to me that I haven't seen your hubs for awhile. I hope all is well.
Haha, thanks for coming back Kim. Maybe your other personality read it the first time :) Doing very well, thanks. How are you?
My sister and niece has parent/teacher conference today and my sister said that my niece's teacher told that my niece describes herself having another personality. I asked my niece a little about it and she said "____(other personality name) is the one that has a hard time focusing and stuff,..." my sister a few months ago after a well child check said that my niece has ADD, but I really don't think she does. Could she have MPD or DID or could this just be a temporary way of coping with the suggestion that she has ADD and that he other personality is the one who has trouble in school? My niece is 8
I'm not an expert into this condition, but from what you've described, it sounds more like a way of coping and dealing with school than it does true MPD or DID. Young kids often use their imaginations and create fantasies in order to help cope with situations. But has she gone through any kind of serious trauma that could bring about MPD or DID?
i feel i m having this disorder, i feel a voice talking inside my brain, but its not me, and that voice says something which i cant recall or sometimes some flash backs comes infront of my eyes which makes me confuse, my boyfriend have also said i m behaving weired sometime and for this we r separated, i dont know what to do??? and i m tried with this fight inside my brain. i m a person, if i do something wrong, i can accept it with grace but i m not able to accept what that voice used to say. i dont know, i m really under stress. sometime i feel someone is controlling me. i m worried.
Joyence, that's definitely something that you ought to talk to a professional about. I can see how you're tired of having to fight with your own thoughts. That's no fun. You may want to just see a counselor and talk to them about it. They may be able to help you get to the root of what's causing those voices and thoughts.
I have seizure and epilepsy disorder.Could I possibly have a split personality from that condition?
I don't think so from those conditions, but I couldn't say for sure. Split personality is usually brought on by psychological factors and not really physical ones.
Im schizophrenic, does that mean i have a SPD? I really think I do, that or im just crazy.
If i dont get help or take my medication, Can there be serious side effects?
Schizophrenia and SPD aren't exactly the same thing, but sometimes people with schizophrenia also have SPD. It's like saying: All apples are fruit, but not all fruit are apples. Does that make sense? And yes, if you think you might have SPD, you ought to seek out some professional help and advice. At least a consultation with a trained psychiatrist. Best of luck!
I feel I am living with two partners. One I call Trisha who I love to bits and we spend our lives in a caring relationship 95% of the time and tells me what a wonderful person I am and she has never been so happy in her life before and then she changes into Mary who critises everything I do and seems to go out of her way to create arguments. I would appreciate your thoughts
When you say partners, I assume that this is a girl you're living with? Before speculating about a possible mental condition that's behind what you're experiencing, you might try talking to her about it. The next time Mary comes out, you might try saying something like, "I really care about you, but it hurts me when you treat me like this, and I'm not sure what I've done to upset you." It might just be that she's not aware that she's treating you differently.
I hate to say it, but what you're describing kind of just sounds like a bad case of PMS. But if what is happening is really being brought on by a mental condition like split personality disorder, then relationship counseling with a licensed psychiatrist might be the only thing that will help.
I can't help but comment on this because I'm literally at the end of my wits right now.
I'm terrified, absolutely terrified of everything around me, I can't sleep, I haven't slept in days, I just feel someone watching me 24/7, or more than one person, judging me, and the whispering in my ears is sometimes so loud I can't hear those around me.
2 weekends ago, it overwhelmed me, and my vision began to blur and distort, and the whispering grew louder and louder until a point where it seemed almost...deafening.
I hate it because my friends are frightened of me and my parents are struggling to come to terms with what my therapist says may be the case.
Throughout my whole life, I've been constantly reminded at points that some memories I have retold never actually existed in the first place - I've blacked out and in my school life I hurt a few people really badly, and myself. I see these memories before my eyes sometimes that aren't mine, I keep blacking out, or at least I think it is, but people tell me throughout the point I thought I was, I must have just forgotten what I was doing, because I was still awake yet acting horrible, apparently. Really blank and bitter, and talking in a low voice, almost amused, whereas normally I'm trying my best to be everyone's friend. And then at other times, I can be overwhelmingly aggressive and violent.
And slowly I'm forgetting things, so many things. I'm frightened of my own shadow, I just can't deal with being alone anymore.
I just don't know how to get my parents to understand and I don't know what to do to help myself anymore. I've managed to push through up until now, but it's becoming so hard.
Is there any advice you can possibly give?
Alice, I'm really sorry to hear that. That sounds really rough. From what you describe, it really sounds like you need to see a professional. What you're describing isn't something you want to mess around with. Mental issues that manifest in physical symptoms can be dangerous. I'd really check into seeing a professional as soon as possible. I can't really give advice beyond that. It's not allowed unfortunately. Sorry.
lefseriver 22 months ago
I'm skitzophrenic, and so am I...