What Is a Split Personality Disorder? (2025)

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a condition involving a split personality or multiple personalities. This means you have two or more unique identities. DID—as well as other types of dissociative disorders—involves symptoms that interfere with a person’s mental functioning, such as detachment or memory loss.

Studies suggest that traumatic stress is a cause linking dissociative identity disorder and similar diagnoses considered "trauma spectrum disorders." Therapists use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other techniques to treat DID, address these trauma histories, and monitor a higher risk of suicide.

This article presents the common symptoms of DID, its causes, and who is most at risk. It explains some of the treatment options and coping strategies for those living with a dissociative disorder.

What Is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a condition marked by the presence of two or more distinct personality states within one individual. Each of these personality states may have a unique name and characteristics, including a different voice, gender, and set of mannerisms.

This mental health condition, which used to be called multiple personality disorder, is one of the dissociative disorders listed in the"Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders"(DSM-5).

Other Types of Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative identity disorder is one type of disorder in which people disconnect (disassociate) from their thoughts, memories, and lives. While they share some similarities and symptoms, these conditions each have specific features.

In addition to DID, the three main types of dissociative disorder include depersonalization/derealization disorder, a sense of watching your life from the outside, and dissociative amnesia (involving memory loss).

Up to 75% of people will experience a depersonalization/derealization episode at some point in their lives, even if it lasts just for a few moments of duress. Only about 2% of people meet the criteria of a chronic diagnosis. Females are more likely to be affected than males.

Symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder

The main symptom of DID is experiencing the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states, sometimes known as "alters." The shifting of identities happens involuntarily and is described as being undesirable, causing severe distress or impairment to a person with DID.

Other symptoms may include:

• Feelings of being emotionally disconnected or detached
• Experiencing a feeling of being outside of one’s own body
• The inability to recall specific events, people, or times
• An inability to recall childhood memories or a personal history
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide

Causes of Dissociative Identity Disorder

Although having a history of trauma experience is not required as part of the DSM-5 criteria for being diagnosed with DID, trauma is almost always associated with the disorder. Trauma that leads to DID is often the result of severe emotional, physical, or sexual abuse.

Other scenarios can cause trauma that contributes to a dissociative disorder, including:

• A natural disaster (such as a tornado or earthquake)
• War
• A substantial loss early in life (such as the loss of a parent)
• Long periods of isolation early in life (such as social isolation that occurs during a long-term illness)

Trauma and chronic stress can lead to long-term changes in the brains of people who are diagnosed with DID and other trauma spectrum disorders. Genetics, environmental factors, and previous experiences all contribute to how DID progresses and symptoms emerge.

Diagnosing Dissociative Identity Disorder

As with other mental disorders, a healthcare provider will make a diagnosis of DID based on the criteria defined in the most recent edition of the DSM.

An in-depth history is taken to assess the person’s symptoms, and the symptoms are compared to the criteria that must be present to justify the specific diagnosis of DID. These criteria include the following:

• There is a disruption of identity involving two or more distinct personality states. The signs and symptoms of the disorder may be observed by others, or they may be reported by the person having the symptoms.
• There are ongoing gaps in memory that involve forgetting personal information, day-to-day events, and/or traumatic events of the past.
• The person experiences significant distress or has problems functioning—such as on the job or socially—as a result of symptoms such as memory loss.
• The symptoms are not part of a cultural, spiritual, or religious practice involving altered states of consciousness.
• The symptoms are not the result of substance use or a medical condition.

Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder

The main treatment for DID involves the use of various therapeutic approaches. Some of the treatments that have been proven effective include:

• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, can help people with DID process emotions and gain control over symptoms. A goal of psychotherapy is to integrate the personality states into a more cohesive sense of self. It is considered a first-line treatment.
• Behavioral therapy: Behavioral treatment options like CBT have been successful in treating people diagnosed with DID, especially those with co-occurring anxiety and depression. CBT focuses on a person’s thoughts and behaviors, and ways of changing how they manage distress and overwhelming emotions and moods.
• Hypnosis: Hypnosis may be used to help manage symptoms such as PTSD flashbacks.
• Medication: Certain antipsychotics like Zyprexa (olanzapine) can be used to treat dissociation. Antidepressant medications can treat depression and PTSD. There are no specific drugs for DID, but selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can be used.

Risk of Suicide

Because of the high rate of suicide in people with DID, part of an effective treatment plan is to watch for signs and symptoms of increased suicidal risk.More than 70% of people diagnosed with DID who participated in outpatient treatmenthave attempted suicide.

Coping with Dissociative Identity Disorder

Many non-medical coping strategies reportedly help people with DID, including:

• Learning self-calming techniques: This will help you manage disturbing thoughts and other symptoms on your own.CBT and other therapies can equip you with effective tools like deep breathing to help improve symptoms. Mindfulness practices and journaling also can help.
• Grounding techniques: Focusing on real-time textures and smells (e.g., the cold of an ice cube, the weight of a blanket, the sounds you hear) is a strategy to help you stay in the moment.
• Lifestyle changes: Habits to boost your well-being (getting enough sleep and exercise, choosing a healthy diet) can help to reduce stress and better equip you to deal with difficulties.
• Planning ahead and staying organized: Practical ideas can help you remember when to take your medications and how to get in touch with friends. Wearing a watch and keeping notes (on your device or written on a whiteboard) are easy ways to keep up with your schedule.
• Forming a support network: Having a good support system is crucial to coping with a mental illness such as DID; it’s best to have a variety of people in your network whom you feel comfortable sharing your feelings with, such as family members, close friends, and healthcare providers.

Educating yourself about your disorder can help empower you in making treatment decisions, such as whether to try hypnosis, or if you would benefit more from group therapy, individual therapy, or both.

Summary

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a distinct type of dissociative condition in which a person expresses multiple (at least two) distinct identities with different personality traits. It is no longer called split personality disorder.

DID is believed to be rooted in trauma, and researchers identify similarities with other trauma-related mental health disorders like PTSD, including stress-related brain changes. It remains, however, a separate diagnosis with treatments that include talk therapy and medication.

While people living with DID are at a higher risk for suicide and co-occurring conditions like anxiety, symptoms can improve with proper treatment and support. Your healthcare provider can help with referrals to therapists and other resources.