Childhood Trauma & Dissociative Identity Disorder - Psychotherapy Crash Course

*Disclaimer: It's important to understand that we are exploring DID from various perspectives in these videos and we ARE NOT diagnosing, assessing, or stigmatizing symptoms. This video is for the sole purpose of education and exploration from various viewpoints including clinical research, theology, trauma-informed counseling, and multicultural psychology.

Some viewers have misinterpreted my words and taken them out of context. please understand the following sentence is not minimizing the symptoms but rather explaining another view of the fragmented self:
"Some therapists do not believe in multiple personality disorder. I am one of them. I'm not sure if it is multiple personality disorder or...different fragments or components of themselves."

Would you like to test yourself for depression or anxiety?

Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) is a complex disorder. It is complex because differentiation from other diagnoses can be really difficult (we will talk about this next video). It's easy for laypeople to believe that someone who is moody or changeable in attitude has "multiple personalities" or "split personality." But it is only when you educate yourself to DID/MPD or see it in person that you realize the distinct difference.

According to the Mayo Clinic, fewer than 200.000 individuals are diagnosed with DID. But some research suggests it is more common than we think.

On average, between 13 and 15 personalities are typically displayed in those who have symptoms of DID. Other research suggests that 100 or more may also be present. Here is an example of a story in which a woman claimed over 90 different personalities:

It's important to understand that even though most cases of DID involve trauma, it isn' a necessary condition to meet in order to have the diagnosis of DID. Any overwhelming, life-changing event or great loss can precipitate symptoms of DID. But for many of the cases we hear of in the news, through social media, etc. involve individuals who have had traumatic histories and could no longer survive unless they "split" off into fragments of themselves to cope.

SCHEDULE THIS WEEK:
2/11 = What does DID look like?

2/12 = Dissociative Identity Disorder and Trauma

2/13 = DID vs. Other mental health conditions including alter egos

2/14 = DID and people of color/different cultures/countries including alter egos.

2/15 = Treatment for DID and panic symptoms

I welcome your comments, questions, and experiences.

I welcome your comments,, questions, and experiences.

Resources:

#DID #mentalhealth #tamarahilllpc

"Favorite supporters" who inspired this video: k j and Valtressa. 😁

[TherapistTamaraHill]

What questions do you have for me so far?

Hoping you are enjoying the daily videos this week!

[emmie]

Sorry for my english but I wanted to say,

For your question at 3:34, DID is having fragmented pieces of the same person who aren't integrated. Basically DID isn't having multiple people, but it's having one person who is fragmented into multiples pieces, who are alters. Each alter is a piece of consciousness and the whole forms an individual, whereas someone without DID would have a integrated and not fragmented consciousness.

[wren]

They are fragmented of a personality and they are multiple personalities when someone has dissociative identity disorder. By that I mean the alters are parts of one whole, but they also have access to different memories, and if you have different nurture you will feel and think different with different sets of values, which is what makes up the core of the concept of personality.

[jewjewcollins]

So if the person is suffering from different components or fragments of themselves and doesn't know how to integrate it, what would you call that? What do you have to say to the people like me who've been diagnosed this disorder and think oh I finally found the answer then they watch this and you say that. What do you have to say about my wiped out memories?



In addition, are there brain test for all other disorders? Is this enough to invalidate what we have.

[kj-sfmd]

Dissociation is a spectrum from everyone experiences some mild dissociation to (less experienced) the mid range, OSDD, to (lesser experienced) extreme DID. Would that be about right? If DID is in the DSM why do so many clinicians question it's existence. Is there enough training/education in the curriculum regarding trauma or dissociative spectrum?
And, the new research thought being developemental trauma.
(Oh gosh, this is getting long, sorry)
There is a type of xray/imagery that showed changing of brain blood flow patterns as a DID client switched.
Finally, do you think the lack of research in DID, is do to, lack of education/exposure, no drug treatment equates to lack of big pharma dollars for research, Hollywood's planting a completely inaccurate persona.

[samonamartinez]

Makes sense why it is one of the disorder that takes time to get to. Well explained. You are one of the few people that answered the questions i had about this disorder. Even though you wasn't an expert who treats the disorder. You understand more than most other therapist. It what clients need, therapist to understand enough to get clients the right help they need.

[truthutoda]

Love this topic. Thank you for covering it! Waiting on Wednesdays too.

[keinightmare]

I have (DID) but I wasn't diagnosed with it yet. The reason I know I have it is cause I feel different when I dissociate and around when I dissociate back to myself I can't remember what happened what I did. And when I speak to myself in my head I hear another voice that isn't mine but there are more than one they've all told my their names except for a few of them and I get more every time something bad happens that has never triggered the others that I already have. I think I have at least 13, 14 or maybe more I can't really count them all because they'll hid themselves in the back of my mind or just pretend they don't exist

[ShortDarknLovely]

so the first thing that came to mind when i watched this was the argument bwtn shrek and donkey comparing people to onions or parfaits that are both layered. to make sure that i have this right... my understanding is that, as a person develops into each layer of their personality, if they're not emotionally stable, they're likely to compartmentalize that particular layer of their personality. am i close?

[beefield]

Love your videos thank you. Please can you explain why some people with DID can switch in between alters, yet others have no memory of switching or that they’ve switched or indeed have alters. I’d also like to know why some people with DID speak languages they’ve never learned. What would this be called ? Thank you 🙏🏽

[kierstymiller]

qEEG. Quantum Electroencephalogram is the test used to identify Dissociative Identity Disorder. That I know of. Thanks for all you do. ✌️❤️