Even the history of MPD has its origins in confusion. Back in the eighteenth century, some people believed that those people possessing multiple personalities were actually possessed by demons. “Eberhardt Gmelin is usually credited as being the first to report a case of multiple personality.” (1) Dr. Benjamin Rush, who was the chief surgeon of the Continental Army, is recognized as the “Father of American Psychiatry,” wrote the first American text of psychiatry entitled, “Medical Inquiries and Observations Upon Diseases of the mind,” published in 1812. (2) In 1860, Mary Reynolds herself wrote her autobiography on having multiple personalities. (3) In 1906, Pierre Janet was invited to speak at Harvard Medical School. This meeting is believed to be the first transatlantic meeting on the subject of MPD. In the same year, Mortin Prince published the account of the Christine Beauchamp case in the “Dissociation of a Personality.” Prince also founded the still-published Journal of Abnormal Psychology…” (4) In 1943, multiple personality disorder was declared “extinct” by E. Stengel. (5) In 1957, the Sizemore case was popularized by Corbett Thigpen and Hervey Cleckley in “The Three Faces of Eve.” However, it is the case of Sybil Isabel Dorsett that is considered “the most important clinical case of multiple personality in the twentieth century.”(6) In 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-III created a separate category for the dissociative disorders and set forth the criteria for a diagnosis of Multiple Personality Disorder, giving legitimacy to the condition. In 1994, MPD was renamed to its current diagnosis as DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder. (7) Yet even today there are still professionals in the mental health fields who continue to believe that MPD/DID is not a legitimate psychiatric diagnosis. (8) (The above paragraph on the history of MPD is of the work done by Nancy Burnett, “A History of the Study of MPD/DID.”)(9)
The 1994 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition makes it clear as to what symptoms must occur in order for a client to be diagnosed as MPD/DID.
1. The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self).
2. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior.
3. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
4. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures). Note: in small children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.
Everyone has changes in their personalities. We behave one way at work, another way at home, another way around friends and family, and yet another way when we are by ourselves. These personality changes do not make a person MPD. Multiple Personality Disorder is derived from trauma. It is not a chemical imbalance or schizophrenia. It is not a psychosis, it is a dissociative disorder. It was once thought to be so rare that teachers of psychology avoided talking on the subject because they believed that most future psychologists would never run into the condition. It has now become an epidemic and there are not enough therapists trained on how to deal with this extraordinarily complex and dynamic disorder. On a rare occasion, a single trauma can produce itself into a small child that has witnessed something horrific, like seeing the death of a loved one, or a natural disaster, a car accident, etc. But this indeed is rare. The primary cause of MPD is child abuse. Severe, repeated child abuse. This can be emotional, physical, and/or sexual. It is the latter that has been proven to be the most destructive. Multiple Personality Disorder is the extreme end on the line of dissociation, hence its new name as Dissociative Identity Disorder. Every one of us dissociates. You can be in rush hour traffic, driving the usual roads that lead you home. You drift away in thought and suddenly you’re home and you don’t remember the drive. Maybe you’re watching TV or reading a good book and your child calls out to you, but you don’t hear them. You are lost in your own thoughts, caught up in the plot, or just relaxing from a hard day at work. This is dissociation at the low end.
When a young child, usually before the age of five, is being abused by a parent or other family member, a friend, a babysitter, or anyone close to the child, in her mind she denies the abuse is happening. “Daddy loves me; Daddy hurts me.” Because Daddy would never hurt “me,” the child has to pretend that the abuse is happening to someone else. Because the child can’t face what is happening, she creates another “child” who can be abused and therefore, she can go away (in her mind) and pretend it never happened. As the abuse continues, more “parts” are created to handle the stress. One may endure the sex, one may hold the anger, one may take the tears that can’t be cried, and one may take the physical pain. As the “original” child who learns to use dissociation as a defense mechanism to avoid dealing with what Daddy is doing, she now uses it for any other stressful situation. This is where one split can become hundreds of different pieces of the original child.
Among those who do believe in MPD, they all seem to agree that it takes an incredibly intelligent and creative mind to actually develop these alter personalities. Only young children have the ability to develop these parts. These alters are not imaginary playmates. When the original child gets into a situation she finds too stressful, one or more of these parts will come to the rescue. They will take the stress so the original child can continue to live in a “normal” world. MPD is found mostly in females. This is believed to be the case because women are more emotional and when the “system” begins to break down, showing signs of depression, suicidal notions, panic attacks, etc., they seek out help through therapy. Men on the other hand, become violent. Most men who are MPD find themselves in prison.
The treatment of MPD is an exhaustive term of several years of continuous therapy for the ‘multiple.’ The average multiple will spend seven years in therapy before they are correctly diagnosed with MPD. They are usually diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, adjustment disorder, and even borderline personality disorder. They will spend another two to seven years working through the MPD issues, and then another few years to integrate themselves into their now present world as a ‘singleton,’ a term used by multiples to class those who have a single personality. (10) Diagnosing someone with MPD is no light task. There are countless issues that need to be witnessed and discussed before attempting to make a diagnosis. Only a psychologist, who has been thoroughly trained to recognize the symptoms of MPD, has the “right” to diagnose a client. This is no small feat. A history of sexual abuse does not make a client MPD. In addition to sexual abuse, there are other symptoms that should be researched. It is extremely important to recognize that no two multiples are ever alike. Every client needs to be diagnosed on his or her own basis. Some of the common symptoms are blocks of missing time. Some call this ‘losing time,’ but this is not always the case. “You can be missing years of your childhood that are too extensive to be just ordinary forgetfulness,” as quoted in the DSM-IV. Most multiples don’t even realize when they lose time. You can be having a conversation and suddenly you stop in mid-sentence and can’t remember what you were just talking about. You might repeat things that you have already said three times. There will be noticeable changes in personality. We usually chalk this up to being moody. They will hear “voices” in their heads. Not outside; that is schizophrenia. These voices talk in thoughts. These are not demons, as some religions believe. The multiple does not have ‘little people’ running around in his or her head. The abusive memories are stored in the compartmentalized mind. Because the abuse has not been dealt with, the memories are stored in their full original form. Around the age of thirty, the dissociation begins to break down and the memories, pictures, emotions, and physical pains begin to be released into the conscious mind. This is what throws these clients into therapy. These memories weren’t forgotten. They were blocked. Repressed memories are forgotten. When you get a memory and say, “Oh, now I remember!” That is repression. When you get a memory and say, “That did not happen!” That is a dissociated memory. One of the strangest symptoms to look for is changes in handwriting. Some multiples will have one part that does all the writing. This keeps the person protected. But as the dissociation breaks away, so does the protection. There can be changes in the voice, abilities, even blood pressure. Abnormal phobias like being afraid of birds or spiders. The use of ‘we’ instead of ‘I.’ Changes in likes and dislikes. A history of suicidal thoughts and/or attempts. Changes in the tolerance to pain. These are only a few of a long list of symptoms. (11)
There are various diagnostic tools used in correctly diagnosing a dissociative disorder. Two such tools are the DES, Dissociative Experiences Scale and the SCID-D, Structured Clinical Interview for Dissociative Disorders. The number one criteria for diagnosing a client with MPD should be without a doubt, meeting, observing, and talking with at least one of these alter personalities. In any given multiple there are usually five main categories of alters. The Presenters are those who face the day. Their job is to make sure ‘everything is fine.’ The Persecutors are those deep inside to ensure no ‘secrets’ will ever be told. The Protectors are just what their name says they are. They attempt to make sure the ‘host’ will not be hurt again. There is usually an Inner Self Helper who knows everything about the system and its secrets. The Children are again, just that. Some are fun and laugh, but most are still stuck in the trauma that their job required of them to do. The host is the person you see every day. (12) The ‘host’ can actually be a number of Presenter personalities that work together to appear normal on the outside. Unless you live with a multiple or know one very closely, you will most likely never know that someone in your life is a multiple. You may work beside one every day at work, and you will never know. That is the job of these alters; make sure that no one ever knows.
In March of 1992, the False Memory Syndrome Foundation was formed when Peter and Pamela Freyd joined Dr. Lief, who are still board members today. Peter Freyd’s daughter accused him of sexual abuse and her mother went to the public to deny the abuse accusations. (13) The False Memory Syndrome Foundation gave a voice to those who were being accused of heinous acts with their own children. They have tried to convince the world that it never happened. Sure, they admit, it happens sometimes, just not in my household.
The False Memory Syndrome Foundation does not attack those children who are vocalizing what happened to them as children. No, they attack the therapists who treat these clients. The therapists are accused of creating these false memories. They are accused of creating these alter personalities who come out and say, “My Daddy touched me here.” The therapists don’t tell the clients what to say, what to believe, or what is or is not appropriate. The FMSF plead on the adult child’s emotions that the abuse didn’t really happen. It was made up under hypsosis. It was all concocted by a greedy therapist who wants only to keep the client’s money coming in. It was a nightmare that the therapist has now turned into a reality.
“Increasingly throughout the country, grown children undergoing therapeutic programs have come to believe that they suffer from ‘repressed memories’ and incest and sexual abuse. While some reports of incest and sexual abuse are surely true, the decade delayed memories are too often the result of False Memory Syndrome caused by a disastrous ‘therapeutic’ program. False Memory Syndrome has a devastating effect on the victim and typically produces a continuing dependency on the very program that creates the syndrome. (FMFS Newsletter, May 1995) (14)Another FMSF board member, Ralph Underwager, was forced to resign in 1994 after being quoted in a Dutch journal as saying,
“Pedophiles can boldly and courageously affirm what they choose…With boldness they can say, ‘I believe this is in fact part of God’s will…’ Pedophiles need to become more positive and make the claim that pedophilia is an acceptable expression of God’s will for love and unity among human beings.”
(15) The FMSF claim that it is impossible for a person to forget abuse, and yet everyday another adult walks herself into the therapist’s office and says, “I’ve been having these thoughts, these pictures in my head, these body sensations, etc.” The therapists do not go out on the streets and beg for new clients to come in. Most therapists are so busy that they have to refuse service to some until their caseload makes room for another opening. It can take weeks and even months for an opening. In the DSM-IV, False Memory Syndrome is not listed as any diagnosis. There is no evidence that False Memory Syndrome even exists. However, MPD/DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder does. DID is a real diagnosis and the people suffering through the numerous symptoms and hours of laboring therapy know first hand that it does indeed exist.
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, nobody wanted to believe that incest and sexual abuse actually existed. It was unfathomable to believe that a father could actually have sex with his own daughter. By the 70’s and 80’s sexual abuse became an acceptable plight. It now runs rampant. The movie Sybil brought MPD to the forefront, but we weren’t ready to buy that not only could a father have sex with his own daughter, but at the age of five? It was unbelievable that a child’s own mother could harm the very life she brought into this world. It was unconceivable.
Living life as a multiple is not the life anyone would choose to live. They live in shame because the public refuses to believe them. Instead they are ridiculed into believing they must be crazy. If MPD/DID doesn’t exist, “then what is wrong with me?” Instead of blaming the abuser for causing this disorder in the first place, they blame themselves. They see themselves as the perpetrator who has shattered their own mind. This is Multiple Personality Disorder.
2. “History-Dr. Benjamin Rush” (http://www.pahosp.com/timeline/tline7.html)
3. Greaves, G. (1993)”A History of Multiple Personality Disorder,” p. 357 and Putnam, F.W. (1989) “Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder” p.28
4. Greaves, G. (1993) “A History of Multiple Personality Disorder,” p. 358-359
5. Greaves, G. (1993) “ A History of Multiple Personality Disorder,” p. 361 and Kluft, R. (1995) “Current Controversies Surrounding Dissociative Identity Disorder” in “Dissociative Identity Disorder,” Cohen, L., Berzoff, J. and Elin, M., editors. New Jersey: Jason Aronson, Inc., p. 351
6. Greaves, G. (1993) “A History of Multiple Personality Disorder,” p. 364
7. Putnam, F.W. (1989) “Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder,” p. 34
8. Merskey, H. (1995) “ The Manufacture of Personalities: The Production of Multiple Personality Disorder” and Wilbur. C. with Torem, M. “ A Memorial for Cornelia B. Wilbur, M.D., in Her Own Words: Excerpts From Interviews and an Autobiographical Reflections p. xxx
9. http://incestabuse.about.com/health/incestabuse/library/weekly/aa030998.htm About; The Human Internet, Nancy Burnett, “A History of the Study of MPD/DID Dateline: 3-9-1998/5-4-2001
10. Turkus, Joan A. M.D. (9-7-99) “The Spectrum of Dissociative Disorders: An Overview of Diagnosis and Treatment” (http://asarian-host.org/inpsyte/dissocspect.htm)
11. Hocking, Sandra J. (1994) “Someone I Know Has Multiple Personalities” p. 3-5
12. Hocking, Sandra J. (1994) “Someone I Know Has Multiple Personalities” p. 20-23
13. http://www.feminista.com/v1n9/false-memory.html Feminista; Volume 2 number 10 Juliette Cutter Page “False Memory Syndrome: A False Construct 4-1-2000-5-4-01
14. http://www.feminista.com/v1n9/false-memory.html Feminista; Volume 2 number 10 Juliette Cutter Page “False Memory Syndrome: A False Construct 4-1-2000-5-4-01
15. http://www.feminista.com/v1n9/false-memory.html Feminista; Volume 2 number 10 Juliette Cutter Page “False Memory Syndrome: A False Construct 4-1-2000-5-4-01 (Bull and Marten, 1994; Ryan 1993b)