How to Act Toward Someone
with Multiple Personality Disorder edited by MissMalice1989, Krystle, Muppetcrayz, Nicholas and 3 OTHERS
Try to understand what it is like for them. A person with Dissociative Identity Disorder may feel like they "lose time" or are "left in a dark place" when their alter personalities are evident. They may hear the voices of those personalities talk to them in their normal day to day life.
When their alter personalities are evident they will relay ideas/beliefs and other thoughts that are completely contradictory to what the actual person thinks/believes/feels. The MPD person may be a smoker and one of their alters may hate smoking. Sometimes they will have different accents/birthdays/jobs etc. to the person you know. They will also suffer from paranoia and sometimes other mental illnesses such as Bi-Polar, eating disorders, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Never judge a person who comes to you and tells you in confidence about what is happening to them. Always listen and do not scoff/doubt/insult/make fun of them as this may bring elements of their condition out. Do not accuse them of lying or talk to others about their condition in a way of slander as this will hurt the MPD person. Treat a person with MPD as any other so called normal person - be honest and sincere. Do not call the MPD person "sufferer" as this reinforces victim-hood and suffering. Instead, see them as normal as best you can, since they really do their best, as any other "normal" person.
Do not confess to know what the MPD person is feeling as you cannot know. Do not make the MPD person feel like their problems are trivial. Offer your help in any way you can. Give the MPD person all the love you can give without giving yourself away. Care for yourself first and stay in your vortex. This will ensure that the MPD person learns you can be trusted. If you can help them in any way do so. Ask them what they need and if you can provide it then do it.
Try to speak to each identity in a way that its specific personality can handle. For example, if the alt is a child, bring out crayons and paints. Always remember that just because their alt is 5 years old, it is AN ADVANCED 5 years old. They may be able to drive, or do other tasks considered to be "Adult" behaviors, but they still function and feel as a 5 year old child would.
If the MPD person is angry try your best to calm them down do not get angry back as this will not help the situation. If the MPD person has something that could potentially harm themselves or someone else do your best to calm them and remove the object. If you are out of your depth and cannot control or help the person safely, then call your local emergency services.
If the MPD person has not already, urge them to get help from a medical professional but do not force them. Make absolutely sure that that the professional you take them to actually knows about D.I.D. and that they believe in it. Unfortunately, there are some that don't, and these sorts of people can actually make it worse for your loved one. This is not the time for negativity as they need all the love and support they can get! Anti-psychotics can help DID but there is no direct cure. Integration therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychotherapy are all immensely helpful for this condition so do some research and then pass the information along so he/she can talk to their GP.
When their alter personalities are evident they will relay ideas/beliefs and other thoughts that are completely contradictory to what the actual person thinks/believes/feels. The MPD person may be a smoker and one of their alters may hate smoking. Sometimes they will have different accents/birthdays/jobs etc. to the person you know. They will also suffer from paranoia and sometimes other mental illnesses such as Bi-Polar, eating disorders, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Never judge a person who comes to you and tells you in confidence about what is happening to them. Always listen and do not scoff/doubt/insult/make fun of them as this may bring elements of their condition out. Do not accuse them of lying or talk to others about their condition in a way of slander as this will hurt the MPD person. Treat a person with MPD as any other so called normal person - be honest and sincere. Do not call the MPD person "sufferer" as this reinforces victim-hood and suffering. Instead, see them as normal as best you can, since they really do their best, as any other "normal" person.
Do not confess to know what the MPD person is feeling as you cannot know. Do not make the MPD person feel like their problems are trivial. Offer your help in any way you can. Give the MPD person all the love you can give without giving yourself away. Care for yourself first and stay in your vortex. This will ensure that the MPD person learns you can be trusted. If you can help them in any way do so. Ask them what they need and if you can provide it then do it.
Try to speak to each identity in a way that its specific personality can handle. For example, if the alt is a child, bring out crayons and paints. Always remember that just because their alt is 5 years old, it is AN ADVANCED 5 years old. They may be able to drive, or do other tasks considered to be "Adult" behaviors, but they still function and feel as a 5 year old child would.
If the MPD person is angry try your best to calm them down do not get angry back as this will not help the situation. If the MPD person has something that could potentially harm themselves or someone else do your best to calm them and remove the object. If you are out of your depth and cannot control or help the person safely, then call your local emergency services.
If the MPD person has not already, urge them to get help from a medical professional but do not force them. Make absolutely sure that that the professional you take them to actually knows about D.I.D. and that they believe in it. Unfortunately, there are some that don't, and these sorts of people can actually make it worse for your loved one. This is not the time for negativity as they need all the love and support they can get! Anti-psychotics can help DID but there is no direct cure. Integration therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychotherapy are all immensely helpful for this condition so do some research and then pass the information along so he/she can talk to their GP.
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