An Argument On Dissociative Identity Disorder (did) As Fictitious
Table of Contents
Summary
A Dissociative Identity Disorder Analysis
Historical developments
Childhood Trauma
An Incorrect Diagnosis
Evaluation of DID Supporter Claims
In closing
Summary
No, this is not correct. Abstract and Summary are two different things. An abstract is a brief summary of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper’s purpose. A summary is a short overview of a longer work (such as a book, film, or speech) that highlights its key points.
This essay argues that Dissociative Identity disorder, or DID, may be fictitious. This essay first examines historical trends over the past 18-, 19-, and 20 centuries to show the impact of sensationalism on the condition. The essay continues with credible quotes and articles from knowledgeable individuals to support the claim that DID is not caused by childhood trauma. The paper makes a logic appeal to the conclusion that DID is not a valid cause.
The paper also mentions that DID can be misdiagnosed by doctors using subjective diagnosis tools. DID could be misdiagnosed as a misdiagnosis for other more credible mental health problems. The paper reviews a valid diagnosis report and the expert opinions of college counselors to support these assertions. Finally, the article counters two common rationales DID advocates utilize to maintain that this condition is scientifically-based. Dissociative Identity Disorder was first recognized in 1976. Sybil, an animated miniseries, was televised over this time. This series featured Sybil Dorsett, a patient fighting to overcome a mental disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder (or Dissociative Identity Disorder) is a medical condition where multiple personalities can be formed within one person. This aids the individual in coping with childhood abuse. Sybil, with her sixteen personalities, was the focus of the bizarre story. The show gained wide popularity and educated people about the condition.
Dissociative Identity Disorder is a growing problem. In fact, there have been thousands of DID cases reported in the last decade. Today, DID is being recognized by more people. DID’s true nature is revealed by an in-depth analysis. Dissociative Identity Disorder can be described as a fake affliction because it lacks historical trends and may have been misdiagnosed due to faulty processes.
Historical TrendsDID was less well-known before Sybil’s launch. This explains why historical trends have exposed the true nature of the condition. Corbett Thigpen & Hervey Ceckley give a brief history on DID. The first documented case, according to Eberhardt Glanin, was reported in 1791. It involved a young German woman that imitated an aristocrat from France (para. 10).
The symptoms most commonly associated with DID in the eighteenth-century were revealed by this female patient. She merely has two minds of the same age and gender. The article “Essay Review …,”” by Wes Sharrock (1999), describes Mary Reynolds (a patient diagnosed with DID around 1815). Reynolds’ personality was often a mixture of shy, reserved, and outgoing personalities (para. 3).
Evidently, DID patients in the 18th and early 19th centuries had two distinct personalities. They were of consistent sex and age. These symptoms were not as severe as those experienced by Sybil, which had sixteen distinct personalities. DID is a condition that causes symptoms to be very different in severity between Sybil, and other cases.
DID’s current symptoms are now more potent than ever, especially since Sybil was released. Historical trends continue showing the fictitious elements. DID was diagnosed in the early 1990s. Patients began experiencing symptoms similar to Sybil. Five years later, Billy Milligan, a patient diagnosed with DID was found to have twenty psyches. 5).
Milligan’s DID symptoms, which were more intense than any other documented case before Sybil, were quite dramatic. Milligan was influenced by the DID sensationalism, which proved that the condition is not real. In the same way, Kim Noble, a patient, was discovered to have nearly 100 distinct psyches in late 1990 (Leudar and Sharrock 1999, para. 5).
Noble’s harsh diagnosis during Sybil’s scandal and fame highlights that DID symptoms can be caused by sensationalism. Accordingly, patients Milligan & Noble show that the symptoms, which include crippling pain, were fabricated to explain the condition. A study of DID’s alleged causes also shows the fake nature of this disorder.
The inability to point to childhood trauma as the sole cause of DID reveals the disorder’s uncertain beginnings, thus putting into question its authenticity. The patient might develop many personality types to deal with the trauma of childhood abuse. According to the article “Remembrance of Traumas Past”, (2017), studies of trauma survivors have shown that they are unable to forget and not unable to recall past events (para. 8).
A victim who has suffered abuse previously will often be unable to erase those painful memories. DID is not something that could be caused by childhood trauma. DID patients will have trouble recalling their trauma experiences unless they are properly treated. Children who are victims of abuse in childhood often suffer from multiple symptoms. (Remembrance of Traumas Past, 2017, para. 23).
DID is characterized by a split of the mind and multiple personality development. DID is not a condition that can be caused by childhood abuse. However, the symptoms are often fictitious. The entire disorder is faked, as childhood trauma is unlikely to be a cause.
The fear that childhood abuse memories stem from treatment sessions is a result of the inability of identifying a cause for DID, emphasizing its fabricated basis. Debbie Nathan, the author of “Real Sybil” (2012), stated that treatment sessions can trigger agonizing childhood abuse memories. Nathan specifically mentioned Sybil, who revealed that she had fabricated her traumatizing childhood.
Sybil recalled these experiences after months of hypnosis, sodium pentothal injections and hypnosis. 6). Sybil is a perfect example of the therapeutic ability to create false memories from childhood trauma in the treatment patients. This supports theory that recollections about adolescent violence are not the source and that the entire disorder has been fabricated. Cathy Kezelman, a DID patient, experienced traumatic memories of being raped by a cult under the guidance of her grandmother. (Remembrance of Tragas Past 2017 para. 28).
Kezelman’s inability remember such terrible memories prior to therapy indicates that Kezelman was unable to recall them. However, Kezelman maintains that DID is not real. Sybil and Kezelman’s therapy generated memories show that DID’s supposed source, childhood trauma memories, is caused by treatment. The general consensus of DID’s source is false so the disorder itself appears to have been fabricated.
A MisdiagnosisDue in part to the subjective diagnostic tools used to diagnose DID, the disorder may be mistaken for another medical issue, which would indicate the condition’s fictitious character. Psychologist Leopold Winter describes the tools he uses in diagnosing DID patients. Winter believes that an IQ test administered to all the personalities in an individual can determine if they have DID (para. 10).
Basic observations and IQ tests are extremely subjective, and cannot be used to prove that a patient has the disorder. For instance, a subject may become disinterested when completing a second IQ testing, which would result in a lower score. This could be mistakenly taken to mean that the patient has multiple personalities.
Thus, using subjective tools may lead to misdiagnosis and a false diagnosis of DID. Unfortunately, modern diagnostic tools are not able to remove the subjective nature DID examinations. Janine Swanson (college counselor) and Benjamin Levy (college counselor) (2008) talk about these developments in the article “Clinical Assessment of Dissociative Identity Disorder Among college Counseling Clients.” These counselors state that the Dissociative Experiences Score, or DES as it is commonly known, can’t distinguish between DID and PTSD symptoms. 4-9).
Modern DES tools could lead to a misdiagnosis or misinterpretation of DID. This incertitude supports the claim that DID does not exist, but is a misdiagnosis for other conditions. Levy & Swanson (2008), college counselors, directly state that the symptoms and signs of PTSD are identical to DID (para. 12). Due to the extreme similarities between DID and PTSD, one could argue that the former is simply the technologically-based misdiagnosis of the latter. DID can be misdiagnosed by faulty IQ tests or subjective observations.
Evaluation of DID Supporters’ Claims The article “Remembrance of Traumas Past” (2017) was introduced by an anonymous author. This refers to the 2015 International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation convention. Peter McClellan is the keynote speaker and he declares that DID has credibility because it is included in the DSM. (para. 13).
McClellan illustrates an assumption that supporters of DID hold, namely that the condition is confirmed by being included in the “bible” for psychologists. However, Dr. Numan Gharaibeh, psychiatrist uses a previous study to support his argument on DID. He claims that only twenty-one percent (para. 6).
DID’s inclusion in the DSM does not mean that psychiatrists are denying its scientific validity. DID’s inclusion in the DSM does not disprove its fictitious nature, as it is viewed by many professionals. DID supporters continue to support the disorder by using other methods.
DID advocates often cite patient stories of successful treatments. However, they are not able to verify the existence of the disorder. Professor Bethany Brand (a supporter) and Debbie Nathan (an opponent) debate the existence this disorder during “Exploring multiple personalities in ‘Sybil exposed’ (2011). Brand first mentions a study where 280 DID patients were treated with therapy. 32).
Brand uses this statistic for support that DID may be treatable. Nathan says that therapy is beneficial for everyone regardless of their diagnosis (“Exploring Multiple Personae in ‘Sybil’, 2011, para. 33).
Nathan says that correct diagnosis of the 280 patients didn’t directly lead to their improvement. Instead, the commonly used therapeutic methods in the experimental treatment sessions led to advancements in the test areas. Nathan disputes the notion that a patient should be correctly diagnosed in order for therapy to work. Paul McHugh later joins the discussion. McHugh claims that all these reports of DID success are always being reported by DID believers. (Exploring Multiple People in “Sybil Exposed,” 2011, para. 41).
McHugh claims that DID cases with effective treatment are uncredible because they were reported only by therapists who favor the existence of the disorder. These reports cannot be verified, and are usually only validated by a partial observer. This proves that DID does not exist.
Although some psychologists believe DID’s credibility can be illustrated by patient success stories, biased reports do not show a direct causal relationship between proper diagnosis and psychological improvement. DID’s fictional core is evident despite patient progress through therapy.
ConclusionThe Sybil miniseries changed society’s views forever. This miniseries sensationalized Dissociative ID Disorder, increasing the annual number of reported cases. An in-depth examination of the condition is needed to confirm that they are correctly diagnosed. This will allow them to make improvements in their mental health. Unfortunately, the investigation raised questions about whether or not this disorder is real.
An analysis of historical trends revealed a shift after Sybil was released in DID severity. This correlation discredits DID’s existence. DID is also associated with childhood trauma, which further complicates the mystery surrounding it. DID is also misdiagnosed by therapists using subjective tools. However, DID could be validated by its inclusion in DSM or reported successful cases.
DID’s fake core is still supported by the fact that many doctors consider it to be fraudulent. As demonstrated by historical trends, Dissociative Identity disorder is a fabricated mental condition.
