Multiple Personality Disorder example essay topic

"Multiple Personality Disorders" Sometimes people undergo traumatic experiences in their lives that are either physical or mental and maybe even a combination of both. If the experience was so intense, and so horrible, that the mind didn't want to remember it, or possibly didn't know how to deal or cope with it, then that one experience has the power to split a person's mind into "another personality". If this happens, the other personality or personalities come out when a person who has MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder) is put in a situation that he / she doesn't know how to handle or feels that the other personality can handle it better. People suffering from MPD also have the risk of developing some symptoms of MPD that include fugue and amnesia. Fugue is the loss of identity in which the person suffering from fugue would not know who they are, who their family and friends are, where they worked, etc.

Amnesia is a temporary loss of memory. If a person experiences amnesia they are not going to remember a specific event or experience in their life. People with amnesia know who they are but do not know of a traumatic event that happened in their life. If someone has MPD then fugue and / or amnesia are most likely present as well. I will be writing brief descriptions of a few people who suffer from multiple personality disorder. Gretchen, John, Barb, and Beth plus are all people diagnosed with MPD.

Gretchen is a thirty-four year old woman and has been diagnosed with multiple personality disorder. Gretchen has three personalities, one is her, another is called "Myself", and the third personality is "Enigma."Myself" concentrates better, and she comes out when Gretchen is having a bad day. She deals with Gretchen problems better then Gretchen can. "Myself" makes attempts to kill Gretchen. She cuts herself repeatedly and doesn't know why. "Myself" also relives the abuse that was done to Gretchen as a child.

"Enigma" is the evil personality. She doesn't come out very much but when she does, she physically abuses herself, and tries to commit suicide to kill all the personalities. "Enigma" reminds me of the Exorcist because her voice is different, and the things she talks about is sadistic and evil. Gretchen has no conscious awareness of what is going on when the other personalities are out. She keeps records of what she does and what she does not do when each personality is out. Gretchen is desperately trying to understand her condition and live through it.

She plans to continue with her education and her pursuit to control her life. John is a police officer with about twenty personalities. John is a sharpshooter, army ranger, and policeman. John suffers from depression and was divorced three times.

He has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome and multiple personality disorder. John was sexually abused by a priest at a young age. All of John's abuse seem to come from his childhood. When John was ten years old he was pushed down the stairs. He still has flashbacks of the abuse. When John shoots his gun, he shoots it standing up; another personality, "Scout", shoots from one knee.

John has a personality called "Hans" who was tortured with electricity. John's personalities come out a lot during work as a policeman because he has a personality for almost every situation. Barb has been married for nine years and has three children. Barb has many personalities and has no control over any of them. One personality, Mae, acts like a child and comes out sometimes when she passes toys, or is around something childish.

The way Mae talks, her thoughts, and her sight, is equal to that of a five year old. One time Barb woke up and her husband was sleeping next to her, and she didn't know who she was and she told her husband that she was nine years old. Barb has been to therapy for depression; she was also physically, sexually, and mentally abused as a child. She had many abortions as a teen, her first at thirteen years old. Barb's husband says that homelife sometimes becomes chaotic. Barb revealed through one of her personalities (DJ) that a dentist drilled in body when she was younger.

"DJ" is one of Barbs personalities and she smokes and has totally different thoughts. "DJ" has memories of abuse. "Devon" is a teen male who likes to fight and goes to bars sometimes. Barb's father brought men home to have sex with her. "Kari" is a personality who feels no responsibility of the household and comes out to deal with memories.

"Audrey" is a seven year old personality. Beth plus has many personalities. Beth is married with children. Some of Beth's personalities include: "Beth Ann" who is an eight year old girl.

"Margaret", remembers bad side of abuser. "Megan" remembers the good side of abuser. "Frenchy", twenty-three year old female nymphomaniac who came out to deal with the sexual abuse. "Billy" is an eighteen year old male who is the "protector" personality. "Cheyenne" is a six year old girl and was the first multiple to appear to the therapist.

"Janet" comes out to drive. "Carol" comes out to grocery shop. "Mary" is the financial keeper. "Skeptic" claims that Beth is a liar and is acting everything. "Yard woman" takes care of the yard. Beth once caused her family to be $6,000 in debt because all her personalities had a combined seventeen credit cards and ran them up.

Beth was abused and raped from age ten until the age fourteen. Multiple Personality Disorder is a serious and real condition that is basically present in people who have gone through some kind of abuse or traumatic experience. So far MPD is not known as hereditary. There is no true explanation for multiple personality disorder but its accepted as a condition. Multiple personalities have not only been proved as dangerous and hazardous to surroundings, but its also the mystery of every psychologist and therapist. Many people devote their lives to unlock the secret of MPD and they try and unlock the "locked" memories in MPD patients minds.

Multiple personality disorder has and continues to boggle the minds of psychologist everywhere and is still unexplainable.