Multiple Personality Disorder is a mental illness in which the person has two or more personalities that take over and affect the person’s life. Multiple Personality Disorder, in most cases, is caused by some mental trauma that the person has suffered in their past life.
There are rare cases wherein Multiple Personality Disorder is caused due to genetics. People with Multiple Personality Disorder are most likely to hear voices inside their heads, which can sometimes affect them while they switch personalities.
If you think that your partner may be suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, then here’s how you can help them.
If you think that your partner is suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, then living with them could be a difficult experience. You need to be prepared mentally and physically to bear the frequent breakdowns that you might go through while dealing with them.
Here are certain tips that might help you in dealing your situation in a better way.
To understand the disorder, it is important to be aware of its symptoms, the causes and how can they be alleviated or reduced. You can always consult a professional to gain an insight of the disorder. Some basic causes of Multiple Personality Disorder are:
#. Childhood abuse
#. Trauma
#. Insecurity
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#. Torture
The symptoms may include:
#. Auditory hallucinations
#. Amnesia (memory loss)
#. Fugue episodes
#. Depression
#. Anxiety
It is obviously upsetting to be faced with someone suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, but try to avoid panicking. Stay calm and understand the fact that you are dealing with a well-documented disease. Get used to the idea that your partner has multiple personalities, or alters within them. These alters can be completely different in age, personality and even gender. Under the influence of an alter, your partner may react differently and might not even recognize you. Just try to pretend to know that alter image depending on the situation and make them aware that you are there to help and support them.
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While dealing with a partner suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, there will be times when you will get frustrated or hurt. You are dealing with an extremely challenging situation, and therefore you need to be patient. Your partner has no control over themselves when the alter takes over them. Try to be patient even if the alter tries to do something to irritate or annoy you. If it gets too overwhelming, then try to escape the conversation or leave the place of discussion.
Apart from showing patience and determination, you also need to empathize with your partner. You obviously cannot understand what they go through, but you can try to reduce their stress by showing them love and care. Use kind words while talking to them and listen to what they have to say about their situation.
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While some people suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder can manage their own schedules, others are unable to decide due to memory loss and frequent behavior changes varying with each personality. If your partner is having a hard time in keeping a track with their schedules, help in reminding them the activities that they have planned for the day. You can use charts, on which you can list down everything they need to do throughout the day.
When your partner experiences a personality shift, it is not necessary that they carry over the memories from their other personalities. This can make it difficult for them to keep a track of important items like wallets, cell phones, etc. You can create an inventory of your partner’s important items and place notes on them accompanied by your name and phone number on them. Make sure you have a copy of your partner’s important documents which includes his medical histories and passwords.
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As a partner, who is taking care of his/her spouse suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, you’ll see a whole range of everything, from the ones who are sexually very active to the ones who would be willing to get involved in sexual intercourse, to angry ones, to silent ones and to the ones who will just throw up on the idea. Any relationship involving sexual intimacy is going to be very tangled and confusing because you won’t be sure about your partner.
The emotional backlash can be overwhelming and can affect your partner’s health.
Okay, it does sound weird, but if nothing else works, then try to accept your partner the way they are. Being with a partner suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder can have some surprisingly wonderful attributes. His/ her alters may be artists, musicians, sports lover or even an academician. They will definitely have some interesting and unique qualities and talents that you were unaware of. Start enjoying your time with your partner. Your partner is much more than just their difficult medical history.
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Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) brings with it some unique difficulties, whether you are the one going through it or you are taking care of someone who is suffering from it. One can only imagine the frustration, confusion, and the pain that have to be dealt with when you have a partner with DID.
#1. Be Aware Of Your Boundaries
It is fair to let your partner down a few times while in a relationship. But if you let someone with DID down, the aftermath can be surprisingly painful. The idea of negotiating your needs may sound tempting at first, but it will eventually backfire you by sowing the seeds of resentment imbalance. Making hard decisions to honor your limits is vital.
#2. Do Not Take It Seriously
People suffering from DID generally have trust issues that incapacitate them in relationships. It’s no surprise that the protective alters make attempts to sabotage intimate relationships. Do not take it seriously, your partner has no idea of what they are doing.
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#3. Remember That All Systems Are Different
Living with someone who has Dissociative Identity Disorder is just plain hard. It is sensible to educate yourself about the topic as much as possible. It is awfully hard to deal with something you don’t understand. Educate yourself about all the possibilities so that you can prepare yourself for the worst-case scenarios.
Do you think that it is safe to live with a partner with Multiple Personality Disorder? Let us know in the comment section below.
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