Dissociative Identity Disorder and Relationships

Dissociative identity disorder(DID) is a mental disorder that involves a coexistence of two or more personalities in one person. “DID is very rare. The disorder affects between 0.01 and 1% of the population. It can occur at any age. Women are more likely than men to have DID.” (Cleveland Clinic, 2021) Most people with DID may not even realize they have it, as when another personality (referred to as an alter) fronts, which is when an alter takes over, they experience it as a loss of time and do not realize that it is instead an alter fronting. People with DID have what they call a system (refers to how many alters there are, as well as the host, the person whose body it actually is). Systems allow for each alter to front at allotted times and interact with the real world. They make friends, and each alter usually has a different preference for friendship. Such disorders can be detrimental to the hosts mentality and physical ability when maintaining a healthy relationship