Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a mental health condition where you have two or more interchangeable personalities. It’s usually the result of past trauma.
If you have DID, you may find yourself doing things you wouldn't normally do, such as speeding, reckless driving, or stealing money from your employer or friend.
DID typically results from profound trauma, which can stem from any close relationship or even unknown individuals. Most cases link back to early childhood trauma, where the mind creates distinct alters as a survival mechanism to process overwhelming events.
A sharp decline in cases followed, and the disorder was reclassified as "dissociative identity disorder" (DID) in DSM-IV. [7] In the 2020s, an uptick in DID cases followed the spread of viral videos about the disorder on TikTok and YouTube. [8]
Studies that verify the presence of DID using multiple resources add credibility to the diagnosis. Research on individuals with DID that have little to no media exposure to information on the illness lends further credibility to the reliability of the existence of this mental health condition.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the disorder that was previously recognized as multiple personality disorder. It’s characterized by the presence of two or more dissociated self states, known as alters, that have the ability to take executive control and are associated with some degree of inter-identity amnesia.
DID is associated with long-term exposure to trauma, often chronic traumatic experiences during early childhood. It is often misunderstood and portrayed incorrectly in popular media.
The DSM-5 criteria for dissociative identity disorder (DID) center around multiple personalities, amnesia as well as three other DID criteria. Learn more.