Dissociative Identity Disorder and the Movie Sybil (1976)

Introduction

This report takes on the dual focus of a movie and a mental disorder — two subjects that are directly related, since the disorder is depicted in the film. The disorder in question is dissociative identity disorder, or DID for short. In the past, DID was commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder. This report covers the major facts and facets of the disorder, followed by a correlation between DID and how it is depicted in the movie Sybil. While movies and reality often diverge in significant ways, it is important to understand the basics, facts, and implications of DID and disorders like it.

Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder

Just as post-traumatic stress disorder has evolved considerably in how it is handled and what it has been called, much the same is true of DID. Beyond that, the dissociation experienced so intensely by DID patients is something all people experience to some degree at one time or another. Indeed, most people have had moments of daydreaming or getting lost in thought. However, people with DID experience such events to a far more obvious and extreme degree.

Even with the evolution and changes surrounding the disorder, there is still active debate as to whether DID is real. Much like fibromyalgia and a few other conditions, many people are skeptical that it is anything more than the product of a calculating and lucid mind. Others believe that DID is simply an offshoot of borderline personality disorder, not unlike prior associations made between hoarding and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Disorders that are related to, yet distinct from, DID include other dissociative disorders such as dissociative amnesia (WebMD, 2016; Tartakovsky, 2016).

Setting those debates aside, what is widely known and accepted about DID is significant. The original — and now often discarded — name, multiple personality disorder, is actually a fairly accurate description of what occurs. Someone with DID has multiple personalities that they switch back and forth between. The switch can be nearly immediate or it can unfold over a period of minutes or even days. Hypnosis has been found to be useful in identifying the various personalities. Each personality will have its own apparent age, sex, race, and similar characteristics, along with distinct postures, gestures, and speech patterns. The inability to remember what has happened — especially during periods when another identity was in control — is a common feature that goes well beyond ordinary forgetfulness (WebMD, 2016; NAMI, 2016).

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Common signs and symptoms of DID include depression, mood swings, suicidal tendencies, sleep disorders (such as insomnia and night terrors), anxiety-related issues (such as flashbacks and panic attacks), compulsions and rituals, alcohol or illicit drug abuse, and eating disorders. Additional symptoms include headaches, episodes of lost time, trances, and out-of-body experiences.

DID should not be confused with schizophrenia, though this mix-up occurs frequently. The two conditions are quite different. DID is typified by a person seemingly "becoming" different personalities, while schizophrenia is characterized by a singular personality that experiences external voices or hallucinations. One feature DID and schizophrenia do share is that suicide attempts are considerably more likely in individuals with either condition compared to people with no known mental disorder, or even most other mental health diagnoses (WebMD, 2016).

Diagnosis is not straightforward and can take considerable time. According to the DSM-5, five criteria must be met before a diagnosis of DID can be made: there must be at least two distinct and real personalities present; amnesia must be present; the person must be distressed by the disorder; the disturbances must not be part of the person's normal cultural or religious practices; and the symptoms cannot be attributable to the physiological effects of a substance such as alcohol or drugs. A well-known public figure diagnosed with DID is former professional football player and occasional MMA fighter Herschel Walker.

Conclusion

It seems clear that Sybil's various personalities represented a compartmentalization of the feelings, experiences, and emotions she could not otherwise process, with Marcia (embodying suicidal impulses) and Peggy (embodying the trauma of childhood abuse) being two of the most significant. Once Sybil was able to confront the most critical personality — Peggy and the abuse she represented — she was able to begin putting herself back together and moving forward with her life. Until that point, she remained deeply fragmented, with each personality seemingly expressing a different aspect of her scarred psyche.

References

IMDb. (2016). Sybil (TV Mini-Series 1976). IMDb. Retrieved 2 November 2016, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075296/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Mayo. (2016). Diseases & Conditions: Dissociative disorders. The Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 2 November 2016, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dissociative-disorders/basics/causes/con-20031012

NAMI. (2016). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness — Dissociative Disorders. nami.org. Retrieved 2 November 2016, from https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions/Dissociative-Disorders

Tartakovsky, M. (2016). Dispelling myths about dissociative identity disorder. Psych Central. Retrieved 2 November 2016, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/dispelling-myths-about-dissociative-identity-disorder/

WebMD. (2016). Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder). WebMD. Retrieved 2 November 2016, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder#1