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Prevalence and Controversy Over Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

DID is diagnosed most frequently in adulthood, and the literature indicates that females are more frequently affected than men. More than five times as many women than men are coming forward for diagnosis of DID (Miller, 2007). The disorder is no longer rare, and there is a sharp rise in reported cases of DID diagnosis in recent years.

This increase in numbers brings about a controversy among mental health professionals. Some contend that the increase in diagnosis can be explained by the notion that the mental health community is now more aware of the diagnosis, and that this has resulted in the identification of cases that previously may have gone undiagnosed or inaccurately diagnosed (DSM-IV-R, 2000). Also, it could be suggested that along with an increased awareness of DID, an increased awareness of childhood sexual abuse may have also led to earlier, more accurate diagnosis.

An alternate view is that the recent increase is due to the over diagnosis of DID, specifically within individuals who are considered highly suggestible (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). It is clear that DID remains a controversial diagnosis. Does DID exists or not? Is it a subjective perception of the reality by individuals based on their choices or is it a result of malingering and a way of coping with social and personal situations.

From the studies that have been performed by choosing randomly among families in countries with high rate of DID occurrence and with no knowledge about the disorder results that the disorder is apparent but there is more to be done in educating the public to treat the disorder as other more popular diseases are treated.

Diagnostic Criteria for Dissociative Identity Disorder

According to the DSM-IV TR (2000, p529), the diagnostic criteria for DID are as follows;

1. "The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring patters of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self)."

2. "At lease two or these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person's behaviour."

3. "Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness."

4. "The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance(e.g. blackouts or chaotic behaviour during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures)."

What causes the increase of the population with DID and is this related with the socio-economic and cultural issues in certain societies with certain political systems this is a question to be answered from social studies perspective.