You may notice sudden changes in mood and behavior. People with dissociative identity disorder may forget or deny saying or doing things that family members witnessed. Family members can usually tell when a person “switches.” The transitions can be sudden and startling.

Many kinds of dissociative orders exist, but each one is different. DID is the most severe form of dissociation. With DID, there are two or more personalities (or identities) in one person. The main personality is known as the “host.” The personalities can take over at different times.

The person with dissociative identity disorder however may not be aware that it is happening at all. They may just have a sense of losing time or incoherence about who they are and what they have been doing.

Dissociation is a break in how your mind handles information. You may feel disconnected from your thoughts, feelings, memories, and surroundings. It can affect your sense of identity and your perception of time. The symptoms often go away on their own.

Making the Diagnosis: Clinical Description The typical patient who is diagnosed with DID is a woman, about age 30. A retrospective review of that patient’s history typically will reveal onset of dissociative symptoms at ages 5 to 10, with emergence of alters at about the age of 6.

While there is no specific test for dissociative identity disorder, medical tests may be ordered to help rule out other causes of dissociative symptoms such as a neurological disorder, medication side effects or intoxication.

7 Helpful Tips to Overcome Dissociative Identity Disorder Build Your Knowledge of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Empower yourself with information about your condition. Develop Alternative Coping Strategies for Painful Emotions. There are different ways to cope with dissociative identity disorder. Learn How to Curb Impulsive Behavior. Practice Relaxation Techniques. Create a Daily Schedule.

There are certain symptoms of split personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder. Some of the major symptoms of this kind of mental illness include amnesia, distorted perception, and anxiety. Amnesia is one of the major symptoms of split personality disorder.

Dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder, leads people to display alternate personalities, known as alters, often in connection to stressful periods in their lives. This may feel like a presence of one or more people talking and ‘living’ inside of them.