Dissociative Identity Disorder (also known as Multiple Personality Disorder) is a dissociative disorder categorized by two or more alters, or personality states, that take control of the host personality. It is caused by abuse leading to the failure to integrate ego states in a young child. The American Psychiatric Organization is currently (as of April-30-12) proposing the following criteria for the diagnosis:

"1. Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states or an experience of possession. This involves marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning. These signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual.

2. Recurrent gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information, and/or traumatic events that are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.

3. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

4. The disturbance is not a normal part of a broadly accepted cultural or religious practice. (Note: In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.)

5. The symptoms are not attributable to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or another medical condition (e.g., complex or partial seizures).

Specify if:

With prominent non-epileptic seizures and/or other sensory-motor (functional neurologic) symptoms"

The new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) currently includes a very useful description of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). This diagnosis is very important for those who have suffered extreme childhood abuse, as this is the most common cause of DID. These individuals are often invalidated and misdiagnosed with schizophrenia or other psychosis. During their childhood, they were silenced again and again, and no one ever saved them from the abuse they faced. Now, in claiming that they and their struggles do not exist, they are again being silenced.

The False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF) and its supporters are petitioning the APA, who compile the DSM, to remove this diagnosis completely. If this were to succeed, it would serve to

1] further invalidate, isolate and marginalise survivors of childhood abuse

2] further protect and validate the perpetrators of that abuse.

The FSMF are petitioning DID on the grounds that it is a rare condition and there have been cases of misdiagnosis. However, there is sound clinical evidence of its existence, and to remove this diagnosis would set the mental health care field back many years.

The following articles are in support of the diagnosis Dissociative Identity Disorder. These provide additional support for the diagnosis and evidence for its validity.

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?Volume=163&page=630&journalID=13​

http://www.copingwithdissociation.com/Dell_2006_ANewModelofDID1.pdf​

http://www.towson.edu/topddstudy/AssessmentDID2006Brandetal.pdf​

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14683715%20(Free text can be found online by searching "One Brain, Two Selves)

Please do the right thing and sign this petition. Vulnerable survivors are counting on you to help them heal.