 West pursues the study of psychology and is awarded a Ph.D.

West writes "First Person Plural" using a first-person omniscient style, in which he is typically the narrator, but the reader can still see scenes that don't involve the narrator.West struggles with denial of his condition for several years, beginning with the first “takeovers” of his body, until at last he begins to accept that his condition developed to protect him from the psychological experience of repeated childhood sexual abuse.West writes that he authored the book to present the public and treatment professionals with a first-hand account of DID so that others could more fully understand this often misdiagnosed condition.