Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly called “Multiple Personality Disorder”, is one of a group of diseases called “Dissociative Disorders”.
Research has shown that the leading cause for dissociative identity disorder is early childhood abuse.
Out of the general population, it is estimated that 1.1% hasd DID disorder at any given time.
Multiple studies have found that the leading cause for #DID is trauma from early childhood abuse (psychological, physical, sexual and neglect). 90% of people diagnosed with DID in the US, Canada, and Europe report early childhood trauma which leads to post trauma stress disorder – PTSD – and Complex post-traumatic stress disorder – CPTSD – later on in life.
Why are PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder so Connected?
It’s thought that long term trauma is a root cause of dissociative disorders, with dissociation occurring as a coping strategy that allows people to distance themselves from their trauma.
Chronic dissociation becomes a habitual response for reducing the severity of stress in daily life, and therefore serves as a mechanism for #avoidance, one of the primary symptoms of PTSD
Source: Differences in trauma history and pathology between PTSD patients with and without co-occurring dissociative disorders -Pascal Wabnitz et al. 2011
More information about Dissociative Identity Disorder
Last Updated on November 26, 2020 by Maya Hall
