Dissociative Identity Disorder

            Running head: THE SYMPTOMATIC PROCESS OF DISSOCIATION.
             Symptoms and Reasons for Dissociation in Dissociative Identity Disorder.
             Maria .
             Abstract.
             The symptoms of dissociation, specifically in Dissociative Identity Disorder, the process of how they are formed, as well as how they endure will be explained. The reasons for dissociation developing and the persistence of the alter states of unconsciousness that will eventually lead to separate entities shall be explored. The symptoms of Dissociative Identity disorder, including the emotional, physical, and biological indications, including the changes that occur in each state will be made clear. The differential diagnosis of this disorder will be discussed as well.Symptoms and Reasons for Dissociation in Dissociative Identity Disorder.
             Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is defined by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of an individual's behavior (DSM-IV). People with this disorder cope with stressful situations by escaping to an alter consciousness that eventually takes on specific personality traits. The personalities often appear as separate extremes of what would normally be combined in a whole personality. The identities take control of the being periodically, displaying unique patterns of thinking, speech, and habits. .
             The continuum of severity for dissociation is very broad. Many people tend to "zone out", or "lose themselves" in a book or movie, but on the more extreme side of the spectrum, the mind is capable of creating a series of separate identities, as seen in DID. Best understood as a post traumatic stress condition, DID is the adapted response of a young child's mind to the fear and pain of overwhelming trauma which is often times abuse (knowledge.emedicine.com). Dissociation is a psycho-physiological process that alters a person's thoughts, feelings, or actions, so that, for a time, certain information is not associated or integrated with other information as it normally would be (knowledge.