Written by: Heejoo Shin
Edited by: Preeti Shaji
The idea of separate identities coexisting has piqued curiosity and fascination among others such as movie directors and producers creating fictional characters that would portray Dissociative Identity Disorder like the character, Kevin from the movie, “Split”. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) defines Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) as “the presence of two or more distinct personality states or an experience of possession” associated with “overwhelming experiences, traumatic events, and/or abuse occurring in childhood.” Furthermore, people with DID experience “amnesia, distinct gaps in memory, and recollections of daily and traumatic events” (Mitra, 2023). However, the inaccuracies of such illustrations formed misconceptions and negative ideas of what the disorder consists of. These ongoing issues allow for viewers to create bad images and impressions on people with the disorder and eventually stigmatize mental health.
In 2016, M. Night Shyamalan produced and directed “Split,” a thriller and horror film that depicts a violent kidnapper with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The movie has garnered attention and criticism for its inaccurate portrayal of people with the disorder. The main character Kevin has 24 personalities although only a few of the characters are depicted. There is Dennis, who has OCD and is obsessed with cleanliness; Ms. Patricia, an older woman who acts as a mother figure and keeps all the other personalities in check; and Hedwig, a naive 9- year old child who can take control of Kevin’s body whenever he wants (Acuna, 2019). While the characters resonated with some of the DID symptoms in the DSM-5, there were also many inconsistencies. It seems that Kevin can “function normally in his daily life "without severe distress or dysfunction due to the disorder”” (Chen, 2022, pp 544). At the same time, however, the depiction of DID symptoms is distorted and overexaggerated, and the movie directly establishes the main character as a criminal; Kevin kidnaps and murders, among other illegal actions. As a result, “Split” ends up representing an individual who suffers from this disorder as “distorted into a criminal and an abnormal person with supernatural power.” (Chen, 2022, pp 544). This sensationalized image can create a negative impact on how the audience may view people with DID since it forms an association between DID and violent behaviors. Dr. Simone Reinders, a neuroscientist studying DID at King’s College London, argues how damaging movies like “Split” can be as it “makes it seem as if patients with DID are extremely violent and prone to doing bad things.” (Rose, 2017) This creates a misconception that patients with DID are dangerous, violent, and that they have an “evil alter” when in fact, there is a low connection between DID symptoms and criminal behavior: only 3% of individuals with DID have been reported in having been charged with an offense (Chen, 2022, pp 544). Currently, there is already skepticism and stigma surrounding DID with how the general public would view them in society.
While many other media portrayals such as hit movies like “Sybil”, “Identity”, and “Fight Club” have similar depictions of people with DID as violent and aggressive, there are other misconceptions about DID that many believe. One of the main myths is that DID is not real and that it is only a phenomenon shown in movies or TV shows. In actuality, many people suffer from this disorder, often due to overwhelming traumatic experiences that impairs the mind’s ability to cope with the trauma. In consequence, the brain develops a defense mechanism of dissociation that allows a person with DID to create alternate identities to escape from their real life. Studies have demonstrated how people’s impressions of DID have become generally negative. Suqi Chen, of the “Analysis of Dissociative Identity Disorder presented in popular movies” conducted a pre and post-screening survey on the examination of nine participants from Dalton Academy to determine the effects of media portrayal of people with DID and the impression it makes on the viewers. As a result, she found that “the willingness to get in touch with DID patients has gone down after watching DID-related movies” (Chen, 2022, pp 545). It is especially crucial to eliminate the stereotypes and stigma associated with DID patients. DID is a real mental illness that needs to be accurately represented to raise awareness, foster empathy, and encourage support for people suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Moreover, it also helps clinicians to recognize symptoms and provide appropriate interventions for patients with DID. In order to validate the experiences of people with this disorder, it is important that we reduce stigma and educate others. We must acknowledge the challenges these individuals face due to both their dissociation as well as the harmful stereotypes of their disorder.
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.978089042559
Acuna, K. (2019, April 16). James McAvoy plays a character with 24 different personalities in “glass” - here they all are. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/james-mcavoy-split-characters-2019-1
Chen, S. (2022). Analysis of Dissociative Identity Disorder presented in popular movies and the possible impacts on public stereotypes. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 631, 542–546. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220105.100
Mitra, P. (2023, May 16). Dissociative identity disorder. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568768/
Myths about dissociative identity disorder. DIDR- Dissociative Identity Disorder Research. (n.d.). https://did-research.org/did/myths
Rose, S. (2017, January 12). From split to psycho: Why cinema fails dissociative identity disorder. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jan/12/cinema-dissociative-personality-disorder-split-james-mcavoy
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