Dissociative Identity Disorder: More Than Just Split Selves

What Is Dissociative Identity Disorder?

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder, is a severe mental health condition in which a person experiences two or more distinct identity states. These “alters” may have different names, behaviors, memories, and even ways of speaking. Each identity can take control of the person’s consciousness at different times, often leaving gaps in memory.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), DID is classified as a dissociative disorder, meaning it involves a disruption in a person’s consciousness, memory, identity, or perception (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes that this condition is rare but deeply impairing, with onset typically in childhood following extreme trauma (NIMH, 2022).

DID is more commonly diagnosed in females than males. This may reflect higher rates of reported childhood abuse among females or diagnostic bias in clinical settings (Mayo Clinic, 2023).

Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder

DID symptoms can look different from person to person, but the core features fall into several categories:

1. Identity Disturbances

• Two or more distinct personality states (called “alters”)
  
  

• Changes in voice, behavior, handwriting, or gender expression
  
  

• One identity may be unaware of what the others do or remember
  
  

2. Memory Gaps (Dissociative Amnesia)

• Inability to recall everyday events, personal information, or traumatic experiences
  
  

• Lost time or unexplained objects or injuries
  
  

3. Depersonalization and Derealization

• Feeling detached from one’s body (like watching oneself in a movie)
  
  

• The world feels unreal or dreamlike
  
  

4. Emotional and Behavioral Issues

• Depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts
  
  

• Sudden shifts in mood or impulse control
  
  

• Self-harm or risky behaviors under unknown influences
  
  

These symptoms often lead to confusion, distress, and significant problems in relationships, work, and daily life. Some individuals function with partial awareness of their condition, while others are completely unaware until prompted through therapy.

What Causes Dissociative Identity Disorder?

There is no single cause, but DID is closely linked to overwhelming early trauma.

Severe Childhood Trauma

Nearly all people with DID have a history of prolonged, repeated trauma before the age of 6. This often includes:

• Sexual or physical abuse
  
  

• Emotional neglect or abandonment
  
  

• Exposure to war, ritual abuse, or severe medical trauma
  
  

When trauma occurs at such a young age, before the self is fully formed, the brain may create different identities to compartmentalize pain and survive.

Protective Dissociation

Dissociation is the mind’s defense mechanism. In extreme cases, it becomes chronic and fragmented, forming separate identities with distinct memories and traits (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, 2011).

Brain Function and Development

Emerging brain imaging research shows different activity patterns between identities. The hippocampus and amygdala—regions responsible for memory and emotion—often show changes in people with DID (Reinders et al., 2006).

How Is Dissociative Identity Disorder Diagnosed?

Diagnosis of DID requires careful clinical evaluation. Mental health professionals follow DSM-5 guidelines, which include:

• Evidence of two or more identity states
  
  

• Recurrent memory gaps not explained by normal forgetfulness
  
  

• Symptoms causing significant distress or functional problems
  
  

It’s important to rule out other conditions like schizophrenia, epilepsy, borderline personality disorder, or malingering. The process may involve clinical interviews, psychological testing, and collaboration with trauma-informed specialists.

Sadly, DID is often misdiagnosed for years due to lack of awareness or skepticism in the medical field.

How Is It Treated?

There is no quick fix, but long-term therapy can help individuals integrate their identities and heal from trauma.

1. Psychotherapy (Main Treatment)

• Trauma-Focused Therapy helps process the original abuse
  
  

• Integration Therapy aims to unite the identity states into one coherent self
  
  

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are commonly used
  
  

2. Medication

There is no drug that treats DID directly, but medications can help with related issues like:

• Depression
  
  

• Anxiety
  
  

• Insomnia
  
  

• PTSD symptoms
  
  

3. Supportive Environments

Creating a stable, non-triggering environment is essential. Trust with a therapist is key, and support from understanding friends or family can make a big difference.

Recovery can take years, but healing is possible with patience and consistency.

Spiritual Insights: What Science May Not Explain

While DID is considered a clinical disorder in psychiatry, many cultures and religious traditions interpret it differently. In some parts of the world, a person switching personalities or speaking in unfamiliar voices is believed to be possessed.

In Islamic tradition, the concept of jinn—invisible beings capable of influencing humans—is used to explain behaviors that resemble dissociation. In Christianity, possession by spirits or demons is often invoked when someone exhibits sudden shifts in voice, behavior, or memory.

For many families, spiritual explanations offer comfort and context. But these interpretations can delay or replace medical intervention, sometimes worsening the person’s condition.

The World Health Organization urges integration of cultural beliefs with evidence-based care, rather than dismissing spiritual views or over-medicalizing spiritual experiences (WHO, 2019).

HAQ's Embrace

At the Home of Abrahamic Quiver, we believe that some forms of suffering defy scientific explanation. Dissociative Identity Disorder is one such condition—where the human soul appears fractured, burdened by unseen pain, and reaching beyond the limits of modern medicine.

We do not diagnose. We do not medicate. What we offer is deeper.

We offer:

• Faith-centered support for individuals and families seeking clarity when medical labels fall short
  
  

• Spiritual insight grounded in Abrahamic traditions—Islam, Christianity, and Judaism—that recognize the presence of unseen forces, spiritual wounds, and divine healing
  
  

• Sacred guidance to help those experiencing identity confusion, spiritual torment, or haunting inner voices find peace through prayer, scripture, and divine connection
  
  

At HAQ, we do not treat the body—we attend to the soul. We walk with you through confusion, not as doctors, but as believers. You are not broken. You are complex, created with mystery and purpose. Together, we seek the kind of healing that only faith can unlock.

References (APA Style)

• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
  
  

• Mayo Clinic. (2023). Dissociative Identity Disorder. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dissociative-identity-disorder
  
  

• National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Dissociative Disorders. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/dissociative-disorders
  
  

• Reinders, A. A. T. S., et al. (2006). Functional brain imaging of traumatic memory in dissociative identity disorder. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 146(1), 35–45.
  
  

• World Health Organization. (2019). Mental disorders. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders
  
  

• International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. (2011). Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults.
  
  

Fragmented Hours: A Day in Her Life

My name is Maryam. I think. At least, that’s the name I usually wake up with.

Today I opened my eyes in a stranger’s bed—except it was my own. The curtains were closed, the lamp still flickering from the night before. My shoes were neatly placed beside the rug. Someone had made the bed. I don’t remember doing any of it.

There was a note on the mirror in red lipstick:
"You’re safe. I cooked for us. – Lena"

Lena. One of them. The one who hums when she's nervous and always adds cinnamon to everything.

I touched the note with trembling fingers and felt that familiar drop in my chest—the slow fall into confusion. I had no memory of yesterday. Again. What did she do? Did she go to work? Did she call our son?

At 11:04 a.m., I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the pancakes she made. Blueberries. I hate blueberries. She loves them.

I tried to quiet my mind, but the silence never lasts. Every time I breathe deep, another thought intrudes. A memory that isn’t mine. A voice I don’t recognize. A trembling child, hiding in a closet. A furious woman yelling at a stranger. A calm girl who speaks Spanish—I don’t speak Spanish.

I blinked, and it was already past 1 p.m. I was sitting on the couch now, my hands sticky with jam. I didn’t even taste it.

The phone buzzed. I flinched. It was my sister, again.

“Maryam. You promised you’d come today. It’s mama’s birthday. Please don’t do this again.”

But I didn’t promise. Not me. Maybe one of the others did.

I felt the tears coming but stopped them. I have learned to cry quietly. Especially when I'm not sure who is crying.

That evening, I sat quietly with a book in my lap. I wasn’t reading. I just needed to hold something solid. I don’t always know who I am, or where I go when I’m not here. But I do know I’m not broken—I’m many.

Maybe I split to survive. Maybe I carry more than one story. I don’t need all the answers. I just want peace.

HAQ's Embrace

At the Home of Abrahamic Quiver, we don’t ask what’s “wrong” with you—we ask how we can walk with you.

When you come to us, we don’t label your pain. We don’t reduce you to symptoms. We treat you—with faith, with compassion, and without judgment.

You don’t need to explain your suffering to earn our care. You are not broken. You are sacred.

At HAQ, healing doesn’t start with a diagnosis. It starts with being seen.