Diving into unknown water: D.I.D. - Dissociative Identity Disorder

As a hopeful student of Psychology, I love exploring the unknown of the human psyche. What we think we know and what is actually real may be two completely different things. I am so intrigued by all of the things that we don't know about our own minds, and I hope that my research can help bring awareness to many different mental disorders. We know that the realm of psychology is infinitely expanding and changing, due to our own minds being never ending. Because of this huge spectrum of knowledge and information that's out there, there is one specific, microscopic piece of psychology that especially fascinates me. Previously referred to as "Multiple Personality Disorder", Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D.) has caused quite a stir in the psychological community. Some believe that it's real, some do not. The over-arching question I want to answer is: Does the human brain actually have the ability to split itself into multiple parts? Initial research behind the disorder has created one main question regarding D.I.D's existence: Is it 'real' or is it 'constructed'? These two terms and their meaning will be discussed later, but at least I know where I can start. Before I have you engulfed in the controversy, you will want to know exactly what Dissociative Identity Disorder is, at least by a dictionary's standards: Dissociative Identity Disorder is defined as a dissociative disorder involving a disturbance of identity in which two or more separate and distinct personality states (or identities) control the individual's behavior at different times. The number of identities (referred to as alters) a person with D.I.D can have ranges from 2-100, with the average number being 10.

What I want to research. 

-Is D.I.D. real? constructed?

-What is the history of D.I.D.?

-Does therapy play a role in the diagnosis/creation/exaggeration of D.I.D.?

-Does hypnotherapy play a role in the exaggeration of symptoms?

-How does media portray D.I.D?

-How does it differentiate from schizophrenia? Borderline?

-Why do some abused children develop D.I.D. and others don't?

-What is the concluding factor in ALL cases of D.I.D.?

My hope is to address these questions in each of my blog posts in hopes of them leading to a conclusive answer to my overall question of whether or not the disorder is real. I'm sure that many more questions will come up along the way as I research, and I hope that my readers and classmates can ask their own questions as well, because we will be going on this journey through the mind together.

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