Dissociative Identity Disorder and Complex PTSD
A Hard Combination to Live With
By now, if you have been reading our blog, you have heard about the distressing symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and some of its coexisting diagnoses.
However, you may not be aware that the same type of childhood trauma that causes CPTSD causes many other mental illnesses. In this article, we will tackle what happens when CPTSD and dissociative identity disorder mix.
A Good Look at Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a trauma-caused mental health issue where a person who experienced severe and repeated abuse as children dissociate away from the pain and helplessness they feel.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th addition states the following diagnostic symptoms:
· The person has two or more distinct personalities existing in one individual; one personality is always present (Host).
· The person will have dissociative amnesia, including gaps in the recall of important information that is personal and for everyday events.
· The person experiences severe distress and impairment in functioning because of the disorder.
