Dissociative Disorders Related Content

Inside DID: A Closer Look at Dissociative Identity Disorder

Once referred to as multiple personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a serious mental health condition. DID is associated with long-term exposure to trauma, often chronic traumatic experiences during early childhood. It is often misunderstood and portrayed incorrectly in...

Debbie’s Story: A Lifelong Journey of Healing

As a young mother and wife, Debbie never imagined that she would receive a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (DID). It wasn’t until a child psychologist, who was working with Debbie’s daughter, witnessed Debbie’s symptoms firsthand that her DID was recognized. This diagnosis forced Debbie...

Holly’s Story: We Are Destigmatizing DID

Holly had always lived her life in full pursuit of achievement and was driven by perfection. She studied her way to high school valedictorian, was top of her class in business school, and had the highest score in her state on the exam to become a certified public accountant. I didn’t understand it...

Video: The Sum of Her Parts With Olga Trujillo

In this session, we talk with internationally renowned speaker and author Olga Trujillo. Olga bravely shares her story, including the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse she endured as a child, significant events which led to the development of dissociative identity disorder. Olga explains how she...

Video: Robert Oxnam and His Life With Dissociative Identity Disorder

From the outside, Robert Oxnam had it all. He was successful in high school and college, earned a PhD, had a thriving career, and was married with two children. What was completely hidden from everyone was the inner torment he was experiencing. In 1990, Robert was diagnosed with dissociative...

Video: Effectively Managing and Treating Trauma Disorders, Including PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex and frequently misunderstood condition: while often associated with the horrors of war, anyone who has witnessed or experienced traumatic, life-threatening, or life-changing events can find themselves struggling with the psychological impacts of...

Sandy’s Story: I Am a Whole and Dynamic Person

Sandy taught history at a local high school. It was her passion to help kids. She led the running club, school newspaper, and debate club. As an immigrant herself, she volunteered after school to help newcomers to the country. I knew a career in service and teaching was for me. She was the picture...

Healing Begins With Understanding Trauma

Trauma can impact every part of a person’s life—but with the right support, healing is possible. By centering lived experiences, providing compassionate education, and equipping professionals with trauma-informed tools, we’re changing how trauma is understood and addressed. Whether you’re on your...

Olga’s Story: Sometimes, I Feel That Having DID Is Like a Superpower

Of all the big decisions Olga has made in her life—going to law school, getting married, becoming an advocate for victims of assault and abuse, writing a book—the most important decision was to get help for her dissociative identity disorder (DID). When I started having panic attacks, I knew that I...

Madison’s Story: Our Disorder Is Complicated and Messy

Decision-making for Madison doesn’t come easy. Since early childhood, Madison has felt as if there are multiple entities living, sometimes harmoniously and sometimes chaotically, inside her mind—as many as 30 or more. They are humans, animals, or curious beings. These presences occur, reoccur, or...

Fee’s Story: Keep Asking for Help

I think that there is a long way to go when it comes to people of color and indigenous people regarding mental health. The attitudes are still not where they should be. There is a lot of stigma. Fee wants to change perceptions about mental health in her community. She also wants to expand access to...

Robert’s Story: I’m a Survivor

Robert is an accomplished scholar, a popular author, and a political heavyweight. He is also a survivor of child abuse that left unseen scars on his brain. Scars that resulted in mental health struggles, including alcoholism, bulimia, and dissociative identity disorder (DID)—formerly known as...

Christina’s Story: Music Speaks for Me When I Don’t Know What To Say

Christina’s fondest memories growing up involved music—singing in a children’s choir, blasting Carole King and The Beatles, and dancing in the living room with her mother and brother. I could sing before I could talk. I sang on stage at Carnegie Hall in 2010. But Christina had an uneasy childhood...

Renee’s Story: I Wore the Coat of Stigma Through My Life

Like so many people with dissociative identity disorder (DID), Renee experienced severe trauma in early childhood. Compartmentalizing her experiences and attributing them to different identities became a way to cope with an unbearable situation. My abuse started when I was four years old and...

Shirley’s Story: I Just Needed To Hang On

It was tough to be in therapy. In fact, I’ve often said every session was like wrestling with an alligator. I was encouraged to keep going, though, because my therapist kept telling me that there was light at the end of the tunnel. I just needed to hang on. Going through treatment for her...

Video: Understanding Trauma and Trauma-Related Disorders

When it comes to recognizing and addressing trauma and trauma-related disorders, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, is often associated exclusively with the horrors of war, but it’s a myth that only veterans of combat develop the...

Profile: Milissa Kaufman, MD, PhD

Milissa Kaufman, MD, PhD, is a trauma psychiatrist, clinician, and researcher focused on advancing evidence-based care for individuals affected by post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociative identity disorder. As Kingdon Saylor Endowed Director of Trauma Programs at McLean Hospital, she provides...

Profile: Patricia Mangones, PMHNP-BC

Patricia Mangones, PMHNP-BC, is a nurse practitioner at the McLean Hospital’s Trauma Continuum of Care at the Hill Center, where she works on a multidisciplinary team. In this capacity, she provides trauma-informed medication management in individual treatment and facilitates dialectical behavior...