Introduction
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a behavioral pattern that is often misrepresented by the media. However, in reality, DID is observed in 2% percent of the world’s population, which is comparable to the number of people who have naturally red hair (Frothingham 2). The goal of this paper is to outline the symptoms of DID and what kind of effect a treatment can and should have on them.
The Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder
DID occurs when a child is abused to an extent where their brain creates amnesiac walls within itself to protect its host from triggering memories. This separation of consciousness allows two or more separate personalities or alters, to develop who each have a distinct age, gender, backstory, and function within the system. Symptoms of DID can be separated into two categories, with the first type being perceived by the individual themselves and the second one observed by the people around them. The first category includes a sense of losing time, and dissociation with the main alter, often displaying symptoms of depression or anxiety. Other people can notice the individual acting out-of-character, convinced that they are someone else.
Schema Therapy for Dissociative Identity Disorder
Treatments for DID are often complex and span for an extended period of time, trying to tackle the various symptoms of the disorder. One of the possible treatments is Schema therapy, an “integrative therapy lasting 1–3 years, blending traditional cognitive behavioral treatment with experiential and interpersonal elements” (Huntjens et al. 11). The main goal of this treatment is pattern-breaking, which in this case, is defined as implementing mechanisms that stop the typical script by which one’s brain processes trauma. This therapy can help uncover the deeply-rooted problems one might have experienced that resulted in the current diagnosis, as well as prevent new alters from being created. Therefore, this treatment can bring the patient closer to lessening the number of alters one has over several years, which will give the host more time in their own body.
Conclusion
DID is a complex disorder that many people do not understand, which at times included professionals in the medical field. There are not many efficient treatments for DID, as it is often hard to understand what therapy would entail for this ailment. Schema therapy is considered one of the best treatments for DID as it helps break the patterns that result in creating new alters.
References
Frothingham, Scott. “Dissociative Identity Disorder.”Healthline, 2018. Web.
Huntjens, Rafaële, Rijkeboer, Marleen, and Arntz, Arnoud. “Schema Therapy for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Rationale and Study Protoco.” European Journal of Psychotraumatology, vol. 10, no. 1, 2019. Web.