Myths and Misconceptions of Dissociative Disorders
Dissociative disorders are among the most misunderstood conditions in mental health. Popular media often portrays dissociation—particularly Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)—as dramatic, bizarre, or inherently dangerous. These portrayals can contribute to stigma and may make it more difficult for people experiencing dissociative symptoms to recognize what is happening or seek appropriate treatment. The purpose of this blog post is to outline the most common myths and misconceptions of dissociative disorders and to replace this information with facts.
Myth #1: Dissociative disorders are rare.
It has often been said that dissociative disorders are extremely rare. Even some in the scientific community say it is a very rare occurrence. While dissociative disorders are very hard to diagnose, there is factual data that shows that dissociative disorders aren’t as rare as people think. Most studies put the prevalence of dissociative disorders in the general population at around 10% or about 1 out of every 10 people. Considering that dissociative disorders are the result of complex trauma and complex trauma isn’t rare, this would make sense.
Myth #2: Dissociative disorders are obvious and easily noticed.
Dissociative disorders aren’t easily seen and are very hard to diagnose. TV and movies portray someone with a dissociative disorder, usually DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder, as having “multiple personalities” and completely switching character in front of others. But it isn’t real, it’s just for TV. In real life, only about 4-6% of people with DID present with overt symptoms of self-state switching and even then it is still hard for most people to notice. Dissociative disorders are also commonly misdiagnosed as other mental health disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, OCD, etc. In fact, most people with a dissociative disorder spend about 5-7 years in the mental health system before they actually get recognized with the proper diagnosis.
Myth #3: People with dissociative disorders have “split personalities.”
People with dissociative disorders don’t have split personalities. Think about it this way: you are not the same person you are as a co-worker, an employee, a friend, a brother/sister, a spouse or significant other, a father/mother, etc. And yet, this is all the different parts of you that make up who you are and it all feels like you. For someone with a dissociative disorder, they may have these different parts of themselves, but they feel separate. Sometimes, these parts may even be separated by amnesia. Other times, they aren’t. For someone with a dissociative disorder, their parts have purpose behind their existence, for it was necessary for our survival during times of trauma. For example, maybe there is a part whose job is to hold onto the trauma memories and keep them separate from consciousness. Or maybe there is a protective part whose job is to keep us from discovering the memories.
Myth #4: Anyone can develop a dissociative disorder at any time.
There are several factors that make someone susceptible to developing a dissociative disorder: there must be complex childhood trauma, there must be multiple traumatic events, and the traumatic events start before age 6. Although, on average they usually start before age 4. Even the type of trauma matters. For example, while childhood emotional abuse can be traumatizing, it has a lower correlation with dissociative disorders versus experiencing physical and sexual abuse. As for when the dissociative disorder develops, it develops during childhood as a protective mechanism to survive the trauma. This means that someone cannot develop a dissociative disorder like DID or OSDD as an adult.
Myth #5: People with dissociative disorders are dangerous.
People with dissociative disorders are no more dangerous than anyone else in the general population. This myth probably comes from the depiction of dissociative disorders on TV and in movies. Because of re-traumatization, people with dissociative disorders are most likely to be victims and not the other way around.
If you are interested in learning more about dissociative disorders, you can check out:
Sources:
Sar, Vedat, Epidemiology of Dissociative Disorders: An Overview, Epidemiology Research International, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/404538
Vonderlin R, Kleindienst N, Alpers GW, Bohus M, Lyssenko L, Schmahl C. Dissociation in victims of childhood abuse or neglect: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Medicine. 2018;48(15):2467-2476. doi:10.1017/S0033291718000740