Dissociative Identity Disorder?

...is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities known as alter egos,to provide an official defenition of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Here is what it says in DSM IV: 300.14_DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER(formaly MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER). Diagnostic_Features:_ the essential feature of "dissociative identity disorder" is the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality-states, *(CRITERIA_A), that recurrently take control of behaviour, *(CRITERIA_B). There's an inability to recall important personality information,the extent of which is too great to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness, *(CRITERIA_C). The disturbance is not due to direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition, *(CRITERIA_D). In children,the symptoms cannot be attributed to imaginery friends or other fantasy play. DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER... reflects a failure to integrate various aspects of identity,memory, and consciousness. Each personality state may be experienced as if it has a distinct personal history,self-image, and identity including a separate name. Usuually there is a primary identity that carries the individuals given name and is passive,dependant and depressed. The alternate identities frequently have different names and characteristics that contrast with the primary identity. Individuals with this disorder experience frequent gaps in memory for personal history,both remote and recent. The amnesia is frequently assymetrical. The more passive identities tend to have more constricted memories,whereas the more hostile,controlling or "protector" identity have more complete memories. An identity that is not in control may nonetheless gain access to the sub-conscious by producing auditory or visual hallucenations. There may be loss of memory not only for reccurent periods of time. But also an overall loss of biographical memory of some extended period of childhood, and transitions among identities are often triggered by psychosocial stress. The time required to switch from one identity to another is usually a matter of seconds but less frequently may be gradual. The number of identities reported ranges from two to more than a hundred. Half of reported cases haven often included individuals with only ten or fewer identities.