FACT: Schizophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder are not the same.
QUESTION:
What’s wrong with the following popular jokes? (Besides their general offensiveness, I mean.)
1. What’s the worst thing about schizophrenia?
Paying more than once for everything.
2. Roses are red/Violets are blue/I’m schizophrenic/And I am too.
3. A psychiatrist asked her multiple personality patient, “So do you feel like you’re cured?”
He replied, “Absolutely. We’ve never felt better.”
ANSWER:
The first two jokes confuse the definitions of the distinctly different conditions of schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder). A diagnosis of schizophrenia does not include having more than one personality but may include having delusions or hallucinations, neither of which are likely to cause a sense of internal division.
The third one implies that integration of personalities has to be the only or ultimate goal of therapy for those with dissociative identity disorder (DID), a common myth that might have something to do with the popularization of “Sybil” and her supposed treatment, a topic that was addressed in yesterday’s post.
In fact, some individuals with DID do wish to achieve the merging of their different alters, but many do not. My own approach with clients with DID has been to find out what they want. (Note: This should not be a novel thought among therapists.) The upshot is that my experience has been to work with clients’ alters or “parts” to help them learn to co-exist, not to integrate.
Identifying as a dissociative with a system of different parts—and not identifying as a one-name/one-personality-only type of person—does often lead, when feeling safe enough, to using “we” versus “I” in self-reference. Thus, if a client with DID were to say to me, as in the above joke, “We’ve never felt better,” I’d be very happy for them.
After over 30 years of therapy, I finally feel safe. Safe enough, to trust my judgement for the good of ALL. My therapist often responds, “Well, maybe, maybe not!” In my opinion, my experience is that repeat, rhythm and rhyme or double talk are positive kibble bits to the MPD/DID community. My response to the maybe/maybe not comment was, “Well, it’s, NOT, NOT true!” It is a discreet cognitive style that accommodates a committee/team style of problem solving. My therapist has never claimed to know anything about MPD/DID except for what I’ve told her over that years. From my perspective we both had the opportunity to wonder about my responses together. Therapy has always been about ME and not a diagnosis. Assessment yes, but labels just not a priority.
As a female Army Airborne paratrooper I was trained to believe that I could excel far beyond the capabilities of the average person, both physically and mentally. Note: Excellent survival training skills, ocean night navigation, land navigation skills, escape and evasion skills, jump qualified (Airborne silver wings) Army Security Agency Intelligence.
My struggle has been to feel safe in a civilian environment without referencing that military training as my ONLY option. I have ten (10) grandkids, and I assure you that when I’m around . . . they are safe, happy and their personal power/judgement encouraged.
I’m also a VSO (Veteran Service Officer) assisting Vets with their service connected compensation claims. I recently had to suspend my work on a daily basis as it was triggering for me. I have been in the VA ER many times for panic and anxiety. (3) MST (military sexual trauma) in one day. Next day a cannibal. Just like Speed Dating I’m required to determine if a Veteran is living with MPD/DID, TBI or dementia or any number of possibilities. Integrate that!