Dissociative Identity Disorder in Media: The Negative Representation and Misinformation

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) may be a psychological state condition that's not really understood by many but has been mentioned in various movies, films and documentaries. This has been to either explain or show to the general public what the condition truly is and the way it can affect individuals. However, like many mental illnesses and conditions, DID faces pilloried media representations which will stigmatized individuals with the disorder as dangerous and violent. The depiction of DID in numerous TV shows and films inaccurately depicts actual conditions of the DID patients while sensationalizing the symptoms. Most movies depict people with dissociative identity disorder (DID) as comical (such as ‘Me, Myself and Irene’, ‘The Nutty Professor’) or sociopathic (in ‘Split’, ‘Psycho’, ‘Fight Club’), just few have convey the degree of suffering of those people. In some of the movies, the disorder is almost always attributed as the result of severed and chronic childhood trauma

Naturally, no one can underestimate the role or influence the media plays in modern culture. Consequently, the media can play an important role in educating the public on the DID. Nonetheless, there are inherent dangers too - the dangers of misinformation by the media, where medical conditions can be negligently or wilfully mischaracterized. The media, in some cases, has not been accurate in portraying people living with DID condition especially in its constant depiction of DID patients as dreaded monsters, beast or evil (Jessica). Such depictions impacts negatively of the acceptability of people living with DID by their friends, family members or the society. Furthermore, the effort of these people to recover from these childhood trauma is thwarted by negative pictures presented by the media as using DID condition in horror movies is becoming invoke in the film industry. Also, quite a number of fictional writers have written stories or screenplays which paint a misleading and inaccurate pictures of people suffering from DID as evil monsters or psychopaths with nefarious intentions against innocent people thereby creating unfortunate stereotype. If this negative narratives is not changed or countered by positive reportage, the media will constitute a danger to the people living with DID.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (previously known as “Multiple Personality Disorder”) is an uncommon condition that affects around 1% of a community population (Foote, 61). It is a metal condition resulting in an individual alternating between two or more very distinct personalities. It is the continued dissociation during ongoing traumatic events—ultimately leading to fragmentation of the individual’s personality that results in DID. This fragmentation leads to the creation of alters (also called parts, selves, personas, or other names) which can vary in age, behaviors, interests, values, and memories (Frank). These “Alters” are not different personalities or “alter egos”, but form the entire outlook of a person. It has been observed that when there a switch in identity or personality, the individual tend to experience a different behavior, sense of self, memory, cognition and self-image, the patient displays dissimilar verbal expression, vocabularies and perception of the immediate environment which are very noticeable from his/her primary identity. . Although most studies have indicated that the prevalence of DID is rear, 90% of DID patients have history of childhood abuse which are very traumatic while 10% have war history, accident or natural disaster (American Psychiatric Association, 15).

DID comes in two main forms, possessive and non-possessive. The possessive DID normally result to people noticing the identity disorder which may last for a long while the non-possessive DID usually within a short period of time without people noticing. Symptoms of DID include hallucinations, self-injurious, amnesia, anxiety, substance abuse and suicide risk.

According to Wang, the attitude and personal preferences of a person with DID may suddenly shift from one trait to the other and then shift back (Wang). The identities may manifest involuntarily and can cause distress in a patient. It has been observed that people with DID may feel that they have suddenly become observers of their own speech and actions, or their bodies may feel different, such becoming like a small child, the opposite gender, huge or muscular (Ducharme, 25).

Dorahy identified certain challenges hindering scientific investigation into DID which include: diagnostic concerns, cultural issues, post traumatic avoidance, cost benefit issues and conceptual challenges (408). He added that DID is a complex, valid common mental disorder associated with identity and cultural variables which is subjected to psychotherapeutic intervention.

DID is usually believed to be a mental disorder due to the association with “split personalities” and since the previous name was split personality disorder. But DID and personality disorders are different mental conditions (Brand, Loewenstein, and Spiegel, 1). Personality disorders can be noticed from consistent pattern of feeling and behaviors over time – mainly developing during early adulthood. Personality disorders, according to experts, are characterized by extreme emotional reactions and patterns of behavior which make it hard for the person to have normal, stable relationships and to function in society (Brand, Loewenstein, and Spiegel, 2). Rather than having extreme emotional reactions to either others or the public in general, DID patients tend to lose contact with themselves, their memories, sense of identity, emotions and behavior. Also, people with DID usually begins to exhibit the symptoms in early childhood though it may appear as a problem at almost any age.

Even though various movies and television shows have presented this disorder in ways that are often inaccurate and individuals with the disorder are negatively portrayed, there has been some positive works on the DID condition. It is important to consider the works of Corbett and Hervey which contributed to the screenplay ‘The Three Faces of Eve’. Although, much research work has not been done on DID as at production of the movie, the directors and actors help to portray one of the major causes of DID – which is childhood sexual abuse. After the movie was released to the public, more people became aware of the mental condition which was then referred to as “Multi-Personality Disorder” in the late 1950s.

In recent times, a lot of short videos have been produced, mostly on YouTube, to educate people on the DID condition. There are also documentaries by people living with DID to help fight the stigmatization. One of such is psych2Go. The video provides information and facts on DID as well as outlines the possible symptoms that patients may exhibit. One of the main themes of their videos is centered on the arguments that people living with it are not ‘monsters’ or dangerous to the society as presented by some section of the media. They can live health, associate with people, they have good metal health and need not stereotyped

In the movie “Split” and “Glass”, M. Night Shyamalan depicted a fictional character suffering from DID condition and having over 23 distinct identities – and most of the ‘personalities’ are evil. The movie portrays DID as a mental condition with display of extreme behavior of violence, torment, secrets and mystery. The lead character (Kevin) forcefully abducted and locked young women in his basement. Through the movies such as Split, the media has created a false image of DID which takes away from the legitimate severity of it. This image in itself reinforces the false belief that people with DID are either non-human or spiritually possessed beings and demonizes them into something that they are not. While it can be argued that the movie is based a fictional plot and characters, Night presents a negative image of DID patient to the public. Although, scenes in the movie showed the lead character visiting a psychologist, it does not explains the sufferings of the patient or the apparent lack of proper treatment administered to him by the health professionals and facility he is in. While the two movies, Split and Glass, were a commercial success, they did not help the audience gain better understanding of the DID mental condition. However, the lasting impression left in the minds of the audience is that of a uncontrollable maniac with lust for blood and violence once he starts moving between his various ‘personalities’.

In most cases, people with DID have developed the disorder on account of severe childhood trauma or abuse. To cope with the traumatic experiences, the patients subconsciously creates additional personas to combat and escape the horrors of their horrific realities. This is very different to what Split portrays and clearly people with DID pose little to no threats to the public but only to themselves. Moreover, there are no evidence or studies linking crime to DID. However, the media has often incorporated a character with DID into the entertainment industry by using a modified conceptions of DID patients with multiple evil personalities. Thereby, fuelling the misunderstanding that people with the disorder are inherently dangerous.

In concluding this paper, it is imperative that the media should desist from the further depiction or presentation of DID patients or its conditions in a negative prism. DID actually impairs people’s realities by projecting several separate identities into one physical body. Despite what the movies have portrayed, these identities are completely unaware of the others, believing they are the sole identity occupying the mind of this singular body. According to Frank, changing of personalities as new situations warrant different coping mechanisms and in turn, different personas. Thus, the identities of the individual experiencing DID may be dissociated from reality, making the life of the affected individual incoherent and perplexing to themselves or others.

Even though the most of the public cannot fully grasp the disorder or its complex impacts on the mind of the patient, it is essential that existence of such mental condition is properly presented and avoid perpetuating the stigma surrounding it by living in fear of what people do not understand. As argued throughout this paper, Movies and TV rarely provide an accurate picture of the DID. Symptoms are frequently sensationalized, exaggerated or are just erroneously depicted. As noted earlier, the film ‘Glass’ (and its predecessor ‘Split’) is a clear example of how a movie can clearly and deliberately smear a DID patient in an inaccurate and negative light, thereby spreading inaccurate information about a real-life problem. This may cause people without proper knowledge and information about the disorder, including those who have it, to develop false beliefs and fears related to it. Most people will argue that it’s just a movie, however, the movie is capable of causing disaffection, isolation from friends and family members who watch such movie. This is capable of hindering people living with DID from seeking for help, discourage their recovery process and dissociate them from the society.

The Media therefore has a duty to resolve the multifaceted problems that it has created. The first is getting proper information from experts about the condition and translating same into the characters and storylines of their movies or TV shows. Producers and Directors should consult health professionals ahead of production and reflect the condition as accurately as possible in their movies or TV shows. If the Media can continue to help people understand what it is like to live with a longstanding mental illness and help reduce stigmas, this would improve the general treatment of DID patients in the society.

The proper education of DID condition in movies, TV shows and other regularly consumed media would be advantageous as it allows people to understand the message that it is okay to seek help.

Most importantly, people living with DID can live a normal life. They need help and should be encouraged to seek help rather that feeding the public that DID patients are dangerous to the society. The media should play the advocacy role by documenting success stories of people living with DID, how they have been able to cope with their unique condition.

WORKS CITED

1.                 American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2013

2.                 Boorman, Heather. “Why 'Split' Is Harmful to People with Dissociative Identity Disorder:. The Mighty. 2017 https://themighty.com/2017/02/split-movie-harmful-dissociative-identity-disorder-did/

3.                 Brand, Bethany et. al. “Separating Fact from Fiction: An Empirical Examination of Six Myths About Dissociative Identity Disorder”. Harvard Review Psychiatry. Vol. 24, No. 4, July, 2016, pp. 257–270

4.                 Brand, Bethany, Loewenstein, Richarid, & Spiegel, David. “Dispelling myths about dissociative identity disorder treatment: An empirically based approach”. Psychiatry, 77(2), 2014, 169–189

5.                 Brooks-Simpson, Lara. The Importance of Representing Dissociative Identity Disorder in Fiction and Media for Children. 2018 https://www.acamh.org/blog/the-importance-of-representing-dissociative-identity-disorder-in-fiction-and-media-for-children/

6.                 Dorahy, Martin J., et al. “Dissociative Identity Disorder: An Empirical Overview.” Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 48, no. 5, May 2014, pp. 402–417, doi:10.1177/0004867414527523.

7.                 Ducharme, Elaine. Assessment and Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder. TPI Press, The Practice Institute, LLC, 2015.

8.                 Foote, Brad. “Dissociative identity disorder: epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, course, assessment, and diagnosis”. UpToDate 2013. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/dissociative-identity-disorder-epidemiology-pathogenesis-clinical-manifestations-course-assessment-and-diagnosis

9.                 Frank, Natalie. “Myths about Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personalities) Created by the Media”. Medium. March 3, 2019 https://medium.com/mental-gecko/myths-about-dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personalities-created-by-the-media-bd2ebb40b3a2

10.             Jessica “It's not "just a film": the damaging effects of misrepresenting Dissociative Identity Disorder” Mental Health Today, 2019. https://www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/blog/teach-me-well/its-not-just-a-film-the-damaging-effects-of-misrepresenting-dissociative-identity-disorder

11.             Rose, Steve. “From Split to Psycho: why cinema fails dissociative identity disorder” The Guardian 12 January, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/12/cinema-dissociative-personality-disorder-split-james-mcavoy

12.             Spiegel, David. “Multiple Personality as a post-traumatic stress disorder”. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 7(1), 1984, pp. 101-110

13.             Wang, Philip. “What are Dissociative Disorders?” American Psychiatric Association. August 2018. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/dissociative-disorders/what-are-dissociative-disorders