Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is just another term for multiple personality disorder. With this condition the patient will either have multiple identities or personalities. Most of the time these identities will be very distinct and established. Each identity or personality will literally have its’ own personality as there are many unique distinctions between them.
A patient with this condition will have a minimum of two different personalities. These may also be referred to as alter-egos or alters. The person will regularly alternate between the two personalities and each will have a distinct behavior. Extreme memory loss may also occur in people with dissociative identity disorder. The symptoms of this disorder are also much more severe, noticeable, and always existent.
How to Treat Dissociative Identity Disorder
You can find a lot of information about dissociative identity disorder (or multiple personality disorder) online. You can also speak with an experienced mental health professional to get a greater understanding on the subject. A less often covered subject on the disorder is how it can be treated. It may appear that the condition is untreatable but that is far from true. It may take a long time for significant results to appear but the symptoms could be treated effectively in a timely manner. To give you an idea, it could take as long as seven years to fully treat the condition but some symptoms could go away within a few months of continuous treatment.
Psychotherapy
This is the most common and effective treatment method for dissociative identity disorder. There are other terms used to describe this treatment method such as talk therapy. Basically, this is a form of counseling where the therapist talks with the patient to treat the condition. This could be an extensive and stressful treatment but it will be effective if consistent.
During psychotherapy treatment the therapist will be looking to figure out what exactly caused the condition to surface such as a traumatic event in their life. After this information is exposed the therapist can work on it to slowly diminish the mental illness. This should be a mandatory treatment method for anyone diagnosed with a dissociative disorder.
Medication
Prescription medication can also be very useful at treating the condition. Sadly, there is no medication currently available that will treat the disorder specifically. The medication can just be used to minimize the effects of the alter-ego. For instance, medication used to treat anxiety can be effective as many alter-egos have anxiety problems. Usually a patient with dissociative disorders will not be suggested to take medication as it is difficult to regulate the patient’s usage. This would only be a good option if there is someone around that can manage the medication to prevent any possible mishaps.
Hypnosis
This is another therapy that can be very effective. Hypnosis will free your mind and make it much more relaxed. Once the hypnotized stage is reached the patient will then be instructed to focus on a certain memory or feeling. The therapist can target a patient’s past memories and feelings which may have triggered the dissociative disorder to originally develop.
Dissociative identity disorder is a very serious condition. If you believe that you or anyone you know may have this condition then it is important to seek professional help immediately. Diagnosing the condition early into development is essential for an effective treatment. It can be a long process which may take nearly a decade to complete but it is possible to fully treat the condition. You should definitely become more informed on dissociative disorders, their causes, symptoms, and more as it can affect anyone and is really not an uncommon condition.
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