NON-WESTERN VIEWS ON DID

What is DID?

“DID is defined by the DSM-5 as experienced or observed disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states or experiences of possession, involving marked discontinuity in the senses of self and agency, and with alterations in affect, memory, states of consciousness, and other psychological processes.” [1].

It was discovered in 1988 [2]. And although treatments are highly varied, like is the case with a lot of other mental illnesses, most of the controversy surrounding DID is about its diagnosis and its causes i.e., whether it is trauma or fantasy-based, with more evidence leaning towards traumatic origins [3]. How accurately modern-day media outlets represent this is debatable.

Western Media

Movies have provided many varied portrayals of individuals with DID, from the classic Psycho [4] to the more recent blockbuster Split [5]. Despite their popularity among the general population, these movies have also undergone significant criticism. The Guardian criticised Psycho, calling its portrayal of DID "nonsense", concluding that the movie played into the stereotype that having DID makes one a "psycho" [6].

DID is not only portrayed in movies, but also in social media. For example, DissociaDID [7] is a content creator on YouTube who suffers from DID. She uses the platform to showcase daily life, explain different terms in the DID community and try to educate the general public to see past stereotypes. This is very helpful as it provides in-depth and realistic information on a personal level. That said, the severity of the illness varies from person to person.

In comics by Marvel, The Incredible Hulk [8], scientist Bruce Banner, was abused and maltreated by his father whilst growing up allowing for the creation of an alter (a term used to describe personalities of DID victims) when the accident that gave him superpowers occurred. This is rather accurate, besides the science fiction of gamma-ray abilities. Nevertheless, the violent nature of “The Hulk” could create a stigma generalising DID patients fanatically.

Non-Western Media

In recent years, Korean media has begun to explore mental disorders, DID being one of them. The Korean drama Kill Me Heal Me [9] features a male protagonist who, due to a traumatic event in the past, has DID. He has seven distinct personalities that fit into the DID personality "stereotypes" e.g. a child alter, a teenage personality (both male and female), an older male, and an "evil" alter. Throughout the show, the male protagonist aims to "cure" himself by merging his personalities. Although merging personalities is not seen as a method of "curing" the illness, the sensitivity of the drama to the nature of the illness is deserving of praise.

Japanese animation has also tackled this issue. Kuroko no Basket [10] (Kuroko's Basketball) features a character called Akashi. He is portrayed as an omniscient character due to his split personality which enables him to see everything and therefore, plan ahead. There is a lot to even though cases, where alters, communicate with each other are common and switches between said alters can occur rather rapidly, the show takes it to the extreme and also showcases it as though it were a gimmick of some sort which is not necessarily ideal.

Factors that affect the portrayal of DID

A lot of other media industries are in the hands of developing countries and as a result, some of their portrayals aren’t as accurate. Take, for example, the West African country Nigeria. One in four Nigerians – some 50 million people – are suffering from some sort of mental illness, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [11]. But yet mental health is hardly a topic of discussion in conventional conversation. Lack of awareness creates room for misinformation and can furthermore impact the way mental illnesses will be portrayed (if ever).

Some other reasons that DID may not be portrayed frequently, or at all, maybe due to the cultures of the land. Tradition, religion or common belief causes people to compare symptoms with what they have come to understand as reality and therefore reduce the possibilities of such a phenomenon being recognised as a mental illness.

DID is widely misrepresented with a select few examples that afford to make the grain. We can safely say that a lot of the representations of DID in the media are more detrimental than they are beneficial. Hence further educating ourselves on the illness would help reduce the stigma on the community.

References

1. Cardena, E. (2017). Dissociation and the Dissociative Disorders. Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. [online]. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128093245064014 [Accessed 13 Mar. 2021]

2. Gillig, P. M. (2009). Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Controversial Diagnosis. Pychiatry MMC, 6 (3), 24-29. [online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2719457/ . [Accessed 13 Mar. 2021].

3. Vissia, E. M., Giesen, M. E., Chalavi, S., Nijenhuis, E. R. S., Draijer, N., Brand, B. L., & Reinders, A. A. T. S. (2016). Is it Trauma‐ or Fantasy‐based? Comparing dissociative identity disorder, post‐traumatic stress disorder, simulators, and controls. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 134 (2), 111-128. [online]. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acps.12590 [Accessed 13 Mar. 2021]

4. Psycho (1960). [Film]. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Paramount Pictures

5. Split. (2016). [Film]. Directed by M. Knight Shyamalan. Universal Pictures.

6. Rose, S. (2017). ‘From Split to Psycho: why cinema fails dissociative identity disorder’. [online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/12/cinema-dissociative-personality-disorder-split-james-mcavoy#:~:text=One%20conspicuous%20example%20old%20enough,mystery%20with%20a%20DID%20twist.&text=Psycho%20is%20a%20horror%20masterpiece,%2Dhealth%20condition%2C%20it's%20nonsense [Accessed 15 Mar. 2021]

7. DissociaDID. (2018). Dissociative Identity Disorder - The Basics of DID!. [online video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohjHEGdnVA0&ab_channel=DissociaDID [Accessed 15 Mar. 2021]

8. Liber, S.M., Kurtzberg J. (1962). Incredible Hulk. Marvel Comics.

9. Kill Me, Heal Me. (n.d.). MyDramaList. [online]. Available at: https://mydramalist.com/10873-kill-me-heal-me [Accessed 15 Mar. 2021].

10. Kuroko no Basket. (n.d.). MyAnimeList. [online]. Available at: https://myanimelist.net/anime/11771/Kuroko_no_Basket [Accessed 15 Mar. 2021].

11. Mbamalu, S. (2019). Nigeria has a mental health problem. [online]. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2019/10/2/nigeria-has-a-mental-health-problem#:~:text=One%20in%20four%20Nigerians%20%E2%80%93%20some,federal%20neuropsychiatric%20hospitals%20in%20Nigeria . [Accessed 15 Mar. 2021]