Multiple Personality Day is an annual holiday on March 5. Currently known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, Multiple Personality Disorder is a relatively new condition that psychiatrists are still learning about. It often goes undiagnosed among the general population. For those diagnosed with it, however, it can be a terrifying experience accompanied by unreliable mood swings and self-distrust. Multiple Personality Day aims to change those fears by spreading awareness of its existence, helping patients and their families with resources and methods to cope. Some observe this day by connecting with the many sides of their personality.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), originally called Multiple Personality Disorder, is a medical condition of suffering memory loss, out-of-body experiences, detachment from emotions, and a lack of self-identity, which may lead to suicidal ideations. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, only 2% of the American population experiencing these symptoms have been properly diagnosed.
Psychiatrists once diagnosed people with having at least two different and distinct personalities. In the 19th century, the disorder was often misdiagnosed as sleepwalking triggered by emotional trauma or even epilepsy. The first patient to be correctly diagnosed with multiple personalities was Louis Vivet in 1885, and his case brought the attention of the medical world to the condition. Clara Norton Fowler was the first diagnosed patient to be properly studied by a neurologist in 1898. Schizophrenia was discovered in 1906, and for the next several decades until the 80s, it was diagnosed for most psychological cases including DID. Dissociative Identity Disorder can include multiple personalities and a wide variety of other symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and dissociative episodes, usually caused by unresolved trauma. Research has proven the existence of the disorder, but few people are well-versed about its diagnosis or treatment. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), first published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 1952, helps maintain a level of uniformity to mental disorder identification.
Multiple Personality Day has two goals when it comes to observing it. The first is to empower those personally affected by the disorder to share their stories and find ways to love and accept themselves in a world where disorders aren’t well known or understood. The second goal is raising awareness about the disorder itself, helping others understand what it means to have Dissociative Identity Disorder and ways of managing it in daily life. The day aims to change common misconceptions and make the disorder well known throughout the world as a valid condition that should be understood by others. A multicolored awareness ribbon resembling a crazy quilt is the symbol of the day.
