Multiple Personality Disorder: Alternating between Personalities

What is Multiple Personality Disorder?

Every person in this world has a personality (or persona). Some people tend to be two-faced, but more or less, almost everyone’s behaviour resonates with their personality. But there are people that exhibit multiple personalities, with each personality being considerably distinct from the other. This condition is better known as Multiple personality disorder (MPD). It is also known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, or Split Personality.

People having multiple personalities alternate between their personalities depending on the place, the situation, or the person they are interacting with.  For example, when a person faces a tense or scary situation, his personality changes. Most of the times, these distinct personalities have no idea about the other personalities existing within a person. In some cases, a dominant personality has a complete idea about the other personalities that exist within a person.

(courtesy: blacksintechnology.net)

Most of the people diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder have 2 or 3 distinct personalities. There are very few people with more than 100 different personalities. Sometimes patients will start with just 2 or 3 alter personalities and it will develop into nearly one hundred. It is common for those with MPD to have personalities of both sexes. Advancements in research on Mental Health and personality development in the past few years has helped doctors diagnose Multiple Personality Disorder, and the extent to which it has affected a person, much more clearly.

What are the reasons for MPD?

There are many speculated reasons for people having multiple distinct personalities; sometimes a tragic or a scary incident makes a person to behave differently, which results into another personality. In a few cases, the person adopts the personality of another person who has impacted their life in a drastic way. This impact could either be good or bad. At times, due to Stockholm Syndrome, people tend to replicate the personality of their bully or abuser. At times people adopt a different personality if they consider their current personality to be inferior, or if they were teased or harassed for their personality.

A person having multiple personalities, may not remember the events of the other personalities, or the things and activities that he or she did while they were in their other personalities. Relations are altered too, while a person shifts between personalities. So there can be a small chance that the other personality may not recognise their family members, and may even go to harm them unknowingly.

Multiple Personality disorder has been romanticised in movies and shows. But in real life, it can be a mess. People with Multiple Personality Disorder have a heightened sense of paranoia and obsession, which usually messes with their day to day activities. People with Multiple Personality Disorder find it very difficult to maintain friendships and relationships. People affected due to MPD are also much more likely to struggle with substance abuse and self harm.

One way to treat Multiple Personality Disorder is to deconstruct the various different personalities in a person and integrating them into one. Anti-depressants and tranquilizers may be prescribed for patients that also have anxiety and stress issues. Regular visits to counsellors and psychologists, and opening up to a close relative or a friend can also help alleviate the issue.