Do People With Several Personalities Really Exist?

QUESTION: After watching a recent television show about a person with several
different personalities, I began to wonder if such people really exist. It
made for interesting watching but the whole thing seemed quite bizarre. Would
you please provided some clarifications?
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ANSWER: It is a fascinating area of mental care, and yes, such patients do
exist. The condition is called Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) and
reports of such cases are appearing with ever increasing frequency in the
medical literature. Perhaps the expanding number of diagnoses are the results
of more clearly defined guidelines that help delineate the condition and make
the process of diagnoses just a bit easier, but by no means simple. One of
four conditions in the class of dissociative disorders, MPD sees an alteration
in the area of self identity, and the patient will display characteristics and
expressions of separate and different personalities or identities. Each
personality has its own story and life experiences, but will not remember the
events which occurred in another identity's existence. Physicians may use 4
types of signs to help identify MPD patients: physiological, psychological,
behavioral and environmental signs. For example, when there is a history of
wide ranges in blood pressure, or blood sugar levels from visit to visit
(physiological findings), physicians may be alerted to the possibility of MPD.
Psychological signs include significant time lapses or lack of memory for past
serious illnesses. A patient's behavior may manifest changes by alterations
in voice tone or sound, or the way he stands or walks. Environmental signs
are sought in the history of traumatic life events, child abuse, or changes in
home situations and locations. The treatment of such complex disorders
require specially trained individuals who can understand and deal with the
particular needs of these complicated patients.