Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Understanding the Causes and Symptoms of Disease
• Part 2 of 4: Professional help
• Part 3 of 4: Daily life
• Part 4 of 4: Working Life
• Tips

Dissociative personality disorder is a complex and serious disorder in which two or more separate personalities develop in one person, replacing each other, each of which has its own characteristics. This disorder is also called multiple personality disorder and multiple personality disorder. Dissociative disorder is difficult to treat, so living with the disorder can be difficult. This article discusses how you can learn to cope with illness in order to be able to live a normal life.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Understanding the Causes and Symptoms of Disease

1. 1 Understand the nature of the disease. You are a person with multiple personalities. Each of the personalities is yours, even if it seems to you that you cannot control them. Recognizing this fact will give you a sense of the wholeness of you as a person and will help you learn to cope with the disease.
2. 2 Find out the causes of the disorder. This mental illness is most common in women and is almost always associated with emotional trauma in childhood (usually repeated episodes of violence). It can be difficult and painful to understand the cause of the disease, but this is the first step to recovery.
3. 3 Accept that all of your personalities exist (at least for the time being). Someone may tell you that there are no other personalities, that you yourself invented them, and to some extent this is true, since they are all aspects of your character, and not individual people. However, for people with dissociative disorder, all personalities seem more than real. At this stage, you need to acknowledge their existence and come to terms with it.
4. 4 Expect your memory to be impaired. People with dissociative personality disorder have two types of amnesia. The first type is the loss of memories of painful and traumatic events in the past (remember that for many people with this disorder, the cause of the disease lies precisely in childhood abuse). The second type is memory lapses due to "switching" between personalities.
5. 5 Get ready for fugue states. Since your personalities will replace each other, at times it will seem to you that you are far from home, that you do not understand where you are and how you got here. This phenomenon is called "dissociative fugue".
6. 6 Depression is a common symptom of dissociative disorder. People with this condition have depression, sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, and sometimes suicidal thoughts.
7. 7 Anxiety is another symptom of this disease. Anxiety attacks are common in people with dissociative disorder. You may feel an incomprehensible uneasiness for which you cannot find an explanation.
8. 8 Look for other symptoms of mental health problems. In addition to amnesia, fugue, depression, and anxiety, you may find the following symptoms in yourself: mood swings, a feeling of indifference to everything, and a loss of connection with reality.
9. 9 Be prepared for auditory hallucinations. People with dissociative personality disorder often hear voices. These voices may cry, comment, criticize, or threaten. You may not immediately realize that these voices exist only in your head.

Part 2 of 4: Professional help

1. 1 Find an experienced psychiatrist. You need a doctor who can get important information from you and all your personalities, and you also need a person who will patiently listen to you and keep your medical history for a long time. Alternatively, you can try hypnosis, art therapy, and other treatments. See a psychotherapist.
2. 2 Do not give up. Diagnosis alone usually takes about 7 years. This is due to the fact that not all people understand their symptoms, and the fact that the symptoms of dissociative disorder are not always obvious, since the general symptoms (depression, anxiety) mask the cause of the disease. If you have been diagnosed with this, start treatment. If your doctor doesn't listen to you or understands you, find someone else. If the prescribed treatment does not work, consider alternatives.
3. 3 Follow your doctor's instructions. The more accurately you comply with all the assignments, the easier it will be for you to cope with the manifestation of your other personalities and the easier it will be for you to live. Remember that treatment takes a long time, but it can bring good long-term results. The doctor will help you understand the disease, resolve conflicts between individuals and combine them into one.
4. 4 Take your prescribed medications. In addition to psychotherapy, it is very important to take medications prescribed by your doctor to combat depression, anxiety, mood swings, and insomnia. Medication will not cure your dissociative disorder, but it can alleviate uncomfortable and debilitating symptoms. When combined with psychotherapy, all of these can have positive effects.

Part 3 of 4: Daily life

1. 1 Prepare for episodes of split personality. Remember that a "switch" can happen at any time. One or more individuals may be children, or you won't know where to go for any other reason. Prepare yourself. Carry a piece of paper with you with your name, address, phone number, and contact information for your doctor and at least one good friend. Keep these notes in your workplace, in your car, at home, and tell your loved ones exactly where they are.
   • You may also find it helpful to leave notes with other important information (such as your daily routine) everywhere.
2. 2 Take precautions. One of your personalities may be unreliable. She may spend too much money and buy things that you don't need. In this case, do not carry credit cards and large amounts of money with you. If one of your personalities can harm you in a similar way, take action ahead of time.
3. 3 Meet people with the same problem. If your city organizes special meetings for people with dissocial disorder, do not miss them. People with similar symptoms can help you understand how to deal with the disease and what effect you can expect from treatment.
4. 4 Get the support of friends and family. While conversations with a therapist are helpful, it is equally important to communicate with loved ones who understand the specifics of your condition. They can help you make sure you take your medications on time and provide emotional support.The unconditional love of loved ones will return you strength and faith in yourself and will not allow you to abandon treatment.
5. 5 Read other people's stories. Stories about how people managed to overcome illness and begin to lead a normal life will give you the strength to fight. Your therapist will be able to tell you what to read.
6. 6 Find a special place. When memories start to bother you or you feel very sad, hide in a safe place where no one can offend you and where you will be calm. This place may be quite small, but it should be cozy and safe. You can do the following:
   • create an album of good memories that you can revisit regularly;
   • decorate the room with calm images;
   • Post encouraging phrases on the walls, such as "I feel good here" or "I can handle this."
7. 7 Avoid stress. Stress is a major factor in "switching" between personalities. A person tries to find salvation from stress, subconsciously suppressing the existing personality and running away from reality. Reduce the risks of switching to another person: avoid disputes; if you feel that a conflict is brewing in the company, leave; strive for people who understand and support you; do soothing activities such as reading, gardening, and watching television.
8. 8 Know how to feel when a situation becomes dangerous. Over time, you will learn to understand in what situations you may experience a "switch" and what symptoms indicate an imminent "switch". Take it seriously and take steps to prevent it from shifting to another personality. Write down the circumstances of the situations so that you can prevent "switching" in the future. Most often, the transition to another personality is caused by the following situations:
   • participation in the conflict;
   • bad memories;
   • insomnia and somatic complaints;
   • the need to hurt yourself;
   • mood swings;
   • a feeling of losing touch with reality;
   • auditory hallucinations (often these are voices that comment or argue with each other).
9. 9 Do something that calms you down and helps you enjoy life. Do something small but enjoyable, and try to help others whenever possible. If you are religious, make time for your faith. Take up meditation and yoga. All of this will help you overcome stress and gain a sense of inner strength.
10. 10 Give up alcohol and drugs. These substances not only cause negative effects on the body, but can also aggravate your symptoms.

Part 4 of 4: Working Life

1. 1 Find a suitable job. Everyone is different, but if you have dissociative disorder, the illness will limit your options. What kind of job is right for you? It depends on whether your personalities are in conflict with each other. Talk with your doctor and psychotherapist about your options for work, but remember that avoiding stress is very important for you, so avoid strenuous work that will cause you constant anxiety.
   • Consider your future responsibilities. You don’t want to suddenly become a child during an important meeting, or to have clients and partners bewildered when you suddenly reverse beliefs and suggestions.
2. 2 You must have realistic expectations. You can try to control your identities or set rules for them, but they may refuse to cooperate. They will make mistakes, confuse employee names, leave the workplace, and even be able to quit. Thinking about all of these possibilities will stress you unnecessarily, so be aware that you may not be suitable for any job.
3. 3 Tell your colleagues about your illness. It only depends on you whether to tell your colleagues or not. If your illness is rare, and you manage to successfully fight it, it is quite possible that there is no need to tell people.But if with your behavior you will confuse and annoy them, if the quality of your work will decline due to manifestations of the disease, you will need to explain everything. Otherwise, people will try to understand you, but they will not succeed, because your thoughts will change direction for no apparent reason.
4. 4 Deal with work stress. Even in the quietest places, stress sometimes occurs. Don't let it get stronger. As usual, try to stay away from arguments, rest and relax.
5. 5 Know the law. The law protects the rights of people with disabilities, and this also applies to people with dissociative personality disorder. If you are up to the task, the law will be on your side.

Tips

• Dissociative personality disorder leaves an imprint on a person's character and behavior and is difficult for his loved ones. If you have this disease, you may feel as if the disease is in complete control of you. But it's worth looking at it differently. Dissociative Identity Disorder is treatable over the long term, but only if you really want to be cured and follow all the guidelines.
• If you have tried to work but failed due to your illness, it is likely that you can count on a disability group.