Dissociative identity disorder, better known as multiple personality disorder, has inspired many stories and a great halo of mystery surrounds this problem. It is difficult to imagine an individual with more than one personality coexisting in her body and mind. However, there are many documented cases and studies that aim to ensure the veracity of this personality disorder.
Do you want to know shocking stories about people who live with more than one identity? Then do not miss the following article from Psychology-Online about the disorder of the multiple personality: real cases. In it you will find interesting cases that inspired the world of cinema, television and literature.
Index
- Is there a multiple personality?
- Real cases of multiple personality disorder
- Mary reynolds
- Chris Costner Sizemore
- Billy milligan
- Judy Castelli
- Kim Noble
Is there a multiple personality?
One of the great doubts in the world of psychology is the following question "can someone have more than one personality?". While it is true that it is something difficult to conceive, so many cases of multiple personality have been documented that it is difficult to ignore this phenomenon.
The world's most widely used diagnostic manual - the well-known DSM[1]- collects the symptoms of multiple personality under the name of "dissociative identity disorder". So we can affirm that there is a relative consensus in the psychological community that affirms the existence of said disorder.
Signs and Symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder
As with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, a series of symptoms must be met in order to make a correct diagnosis of dissociative personality. We must take into account the following criteria:
- Alteration of self-identity. Said alteration is defined by two or more defined and relatively stable personalities over time. These personalities can be perceived by the family and by the individual himself.
- Blackouts Recurrent and memory lapses during daily events, repressed memories and forgetting about personal information.
- Dissociative personality symptoms cause discomfort and incapacitate to the person who suffers from them in her social, personal and / or work areas.
- This personality disturbance can't be explained by a cultural or religious practice widely accepted.
- Changes in personality cannot be attributed to effects that they have in our body certain substances or medical illnesses.
Multiple personality disorder: physical changes
More than one movie has greatly influenced the image we have of this disorder. There is a very accepted idea and that is that, as with the protagonist of "Multiple[2]", people with dissociative identity disorder experience physical changes depending on the personality that appears at the time.
The truth is that only one documented case is known: the woman who suffered from psychological blindness and who managed to see again when she experienced a change in personality. However, it is a fairly old case and little proven, so today cannot be affirmed that multiple personality causes changes in the color of the eyes or hair, for example.
Real cases of multiple personality disorder.
Being such a strange and notorious behavior, multiple personality disorder It has aroused a lot of curiosity and numerous cases have been compiled that have drawn the attention of the psychologist community. From people who claim to commit crimes and not remember to individuals who register 100 personalities and claim to fight every day to remain stable. Here's another look at the multiple personality: real cases.
Mary Reynolds.
The first case known multiple personality was described in 1816 and is that of Mary Reynolds. This woman lived in the United States and is described as a lonely, introverted woman with a tendency to depressive states. She is known that she passed almost two months stating that she was blind and deaf until one day she woke up with her senses totally "repaired" but not knowing how to read, write or express herself correctly, like a little girl.
A short time later, Mary Reynolds returned to a sad and melancholic personality state, stating that she did not remember anything of what had happened during the last months. This disorder accompanied him for the next 15 years of her life until, finally, the personality of "the girl" learned everything necessary and became her predominant identity.
Chris Costner Sizemore.
This woman was the inspiration for the film released in 1957 "The Three Faces of Eve"And the story of Chris Costner Sizemore has many elements that arouse curiosity and interest in dissociative identity.
One of the most striking episodes reported was when gave birth to her daughter and one of his personalities (Eve Black) she tried to kill her through strangulation but another personality (Eve White) managed to stop her in time.
After 25 years of treatment and 8 different psychiatrists, it was concluded that Chris had 22 personalities different.
Billy Milligan.
Probably one of the most chilling true stories about dissociative identity disorder. Billy Milligan committed several crimes including armed robbery and the kidnapping of three young people at Ohio University which were raped. However, Billy himself denied everything that happened and states that he does not remember doing it.
Another curious element in this story are the testimonies of the kidnapped girls. While one described him with a German accent and a tough personality, another girl claimed that he was a nice and friendly boy. Even though the physical description was the same, the personalities didn't seem to fit.
With the help of Billy Milligan himself and the community of experts who studied his case, they defined 24 personalities in his mind. Among them, we highlight "the undesirables"(13 aggressive personalities),"all ten"(10 friendly personalities) and"teacher"(the memory of everything that other personalities do)
Billy Milligan's case also set a precedent in the history of criminal law in America as he was the first man found "not guilty" due to his personality disorder.
Judy Castelli.
Judy is a renowned artist who fights for the visibility of this dissociative disorder and she has managed to get ahead despite sharing her body with 44 personalities different.
Judy lived a tough childhood marked by physical and sexual abuse, her situation did not improve over the years as she had to be hospitalized for a suicide attempt. Despite living with dissociative identity disorder, one of Judy's personalities found a place as singer while another of them she dedicated herself to painting.
Today, Judy's personalities are devoted to painting, sculpture, singing, music composition, and writing. In short, this case is a clear example that a diagnosis does not have to sentence a criminal and negative lifestyle.
Kim Noble.
If we want to analyze the multiple personality and real casesIt is essential to talk about Kim Noble, this is the case that registers more personalities in a single individual and it is that they have found up to 100 personalities living with Kim. This woman is a renowned painter who dedicates much of her career to trying to express through her paintings how she lives with this disorder.
While some of her personalities try to keep her stable and happy, like Patricia or Judy. Others have tried to take her life by crashing her into a van like Julie did. Today, the predominant personality is Patricia and this she affirms that "Kim Noble no longer exists, his mind has been smashed into pieces".
Nowadays, keep painting and his paintings are admired for the enormous emotional charge and symbolism they contain.
Image: CC Arte
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Multiple personality: real cases, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
References
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5. Editorial medica panamericana, 2014.
- Multiple. M. Night Shyamalan, Universal Studios, 2016.
Bibliography
- Poseck, B. V. (2006). The killer was me! or dissociative identity disorder in movies. Journal of Medicine and Cinema, 2(4), 125-132.
