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Dissociative identity disorder facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
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The book The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was about someone with a "split personality", and later became a story people associated with DID.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID), is a mental disorder. It was called multiple personality disorder (MPD). It is listed in the mental health diagnosis manual DSM IV.

This is one of the most controversial mental disorders because people disagree about what causes it. The main symptoms of DID are a person showing two or more "identities" or "personality states". The person behaves differently depending which identity is in control. The second important symptom is when a person forgets important, personal things which people normally do not forget.

A person is not diagnosed with DID if the symptoms are caused by drugs, illness or (with children) pretending to play with imaginary friends. Doctors must also rule out pretending to have DID for attention or sympathy, and malingering (pretending to have DID for some personal gain). Most patients with DID are also diagnosed with other mental disorders.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Trastorno de identidad disociativo para niños

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