One alter who is frequently reported has the specific responsibility of harming the patient by slashing, engaging in other forms of mutilation and committing suicide. Those proponents of MPD who believe in Satanic or government conspiracy theories generally feel that this alter is programmed to trigger in the event that the patient is about to reveal secrets about the cult or agency responsible.
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Dissociation test:E.B. Carlson and F. W. Putnam, developed a simple screening test to detect dissociation levels in people. It is called the Dissociative Experiences Scale. 3 Two of the 28 questions are:
We must admit that we are at a total loss to know how to answer these questions. If they had asked how many times a year each experience happens, we could answer immediately with a number. But we don't have the foggiest idea how to convert that number into a percentage. Percentage of what, we would ask.
Incidence and treatment:Various researchers have used such tests to estimate that perhaps 1% of the general population and 5 to 20% of patients in psychiatric hospitals suffer from this disorder. 3 This would make MPD/DID as common as schizophrenia. Many MPD specialists consider MPD is the same class as "schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, as one of the four major mental health problems today." 1 Although it is diagnosed almost entirely among women, therapists speculate that it may be equally common among men. However, men tend to be less likely to seek treatment. They often end up in jail because of behaviors induced by MPD. Research shows that the average person who is just diagnosed with MPD has spent seven years in the mental health system, and has usually been previously misdiagnosed with other many disorders. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation reports that:
Treatment of MPD/DID patients generally involves long term recovered memory therapy in which suggestive techniques are used to coax the patient into remembering what they feel are repressed memories of sexual and physical abuse during childhood. The general consensus -- except among MPD/DID therapists -- is that these are mostly false recollections of events that never happened. During therapy, the therapist attempts to contact the client's alternative personalities. In rare cases, this amounts to a single alter in addition to the main or host personality. In some cases dozens or even hundreds are contacted and coaxed into participating in therapy. The goal of the therapist and client is to reintegrate all of the alters into the host personality.
The decline of MPD/DID therapy:MPD/DID was considered as a common and very serious psychological disorder by many psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health specialists during the 1980s and 1990s. However, it went into decline, as did recovered memory therapy, during the 1990s for a number of reasons:
Current status of MPD/DID therapy:As of mid 2009:
References:
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