​Art Therapy and Dissociative Identity Disorder
By:
Kaylee
Rose
Symptoms of DID
Dissociative Identity Disorder, can be characterized by two or more distinct or "split" personalities states that have a certain power over the persons behavior. when someone suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder they lack the ability to recall key personal information that is far more than just regular forgetfulness,

The "Alters" or also known as the other identities have their own age, sex or even race. they all have their own gestures distinctions in ways of talking and even ways they carry themselves. sometimes the alters are imaginary people or even animals anything that the mind can conjure. when a Alter personality reveals itself and controls the individuals behavior and thoughts, it is called "switching", this can take a matter of seconds to minutes to even days, when under hypnosis. the individuals different alters may be able to respond to the therapists questions and requests.
Symptoms can include
- Depression
- Mood Swings
- Suicidal Tendencies
- Sleep Disorders (isomnia, night terrors, and sleep walking)
- Anxiety, Panic Attacks, phobias, (flashbacks, reactions to stimuli or "triggers"
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse
- Compulsion and Rituals
- Psychotic-like symptoms ( including auditory and visual hallucinations
- Eating Disorders
Other symptoms of Dissociative identity Disorder can include headaches, amnesia time loss, trance like states, and " out of body experiences." Some people with dissociative disorders tend to have a self -loathing point of view that can lead to violent behavior, that can be inflicted on them-self or towards other people. They may find themselves doing things they wouldn't normally do such as speeding or stealing,

Other Common indicators of dissociative identity disorder would be
- An instinctive ability to dissociate easily from situations.
- A Repeated and prolonged episodes of severe physical or sexual abuse in childhood, generally thought to have happened before 7 years of age.
- Lack of nurturing or comforting people in a child's life who comforts or cares for the child.
- Childhood experiences with trauma associated with emotional, physical or sexual abuse , or some combination of all of these.
