Dissociative Identity Disorder by Cyc (Rantings Of A Gothic Atheist)

From The Rantings Of A Gothic Atheist post on Disassociative Identity Disorder, full post is on there, this is just snippets of it. Please go to the link to view the full article. 

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), or if you go by its common name, multiple personality disorder, is an interesting subject to say the least. It is also a subject with which there is much contention. There are even some that claim it does not even exist. 

The reason for the splitting comes down to survival in most cases. While not always the case, DID generally forms in cases of severe childhood abuse. The torment the individual goes through becomes more than they can bear so the mind attempts to wipe it out, pressing it down and creating a new 'person' to deal with the new situation. This way the alters (the other personalities) can take the abuse in pieces so that they are not overwhelmed by so much trauma. When the splitting occurs, parts of the whole are often separated, leaving the alters to perform different roles.  

Most of the time, a person with DID is so good at acting 'normal' that nothing seems wrong with them at all. This is all part of the survival, acting normal, in abusive situations is the best way to avoid furthering the situation. Acting abnormal in any way only singles out the person for further abuse. So the person hides it, often from themselves (as the memories are divided just as the personalities are). 

Once it is accepted, communication between the alters may commence. In some cases the barriers of the mind are thin enough that they may communicate with one another freely. Other times, they are trapped separately and only a few can talk to one another with each having their own place. Some may remain in hiding from the others, still too terrified or feeling too alone to be able to contact the others. In some instances a reunification may occur, but only if all personalities are willing.  

 It has always been exceedingly rare and while its prevalence has never been accurately noted, it is believed to form in around .05% of the population.  

An unusual occurrence can occur where an alter of the alternate gender, for whatever reason, forms. Some alters may not even be quite human if the need arises. If the condition calls for a more animalistic being to survive the situation, cope with the emotions, or because something occurs that cannot be understood, these may also form. 

While I disagree on a few minor points (Like the occurrence of alternate gender alters forming being unusual), in general, I find the article very accurate and an easy way to either begin learning about DID, or to continue learning about it in more detail, as the article does go into detail in some places, while explaining it all very well, as Cyc often does.