When someone has multiple personalities that they switch between at different times. Characterized by each personality not having full accesss to the memories of the others. Also, each personality often has totally different mannerisms, penmanship, and even voice patterns.

Often popularily called schizophrenia, though that disorder has nothing to do with this one.

Multiple Personality Disorder is not a form of schizophrenia, or vice versa, as many people seem to believe. Schizophrenia is detachment from reality, while MPD is the condition of having at least two very real personalities.

As MPD is a type of Dissociative Disorder. Often a personality may be unaware of the other(s) it shares a body with, although in some cases the personalities do talk to each other. MPD may sometimes accompanied by intense headaches and extrasensory experiences.

Nearly all sufferers of MPD have been abused, either sexually of physically, as children.

The first documented case of multiple-personality disorder, as it was called at the time, is the movie "The Three Faces of Eve." It portrayed one of the first known cases of multiple-personality in America: a lady who had three different personalities. However, since that time, the name of the disorder has been changed to Dissociative Identity Disorder. For that reason, more scientific and a greater quantity of information can be found at that node.

Lucy (not her real name) was 9 when the Court ordered her to be sent to a therapist to cure her aberrant behaviour. She was prone to distructive fits of rage and all of the children in her school were afraid of her. The Therapist diagnosed Incipient Disjunctive Personality Disorder and recommended a long course of remedial therapy. After 10 sessions however Social Services decided not to fund any further sessions ( no one could be found to give a reason for the decision ) and since her mother was unable to bear the cost therapy will shortly be terminated. What follows is, of course, fiction.



My name is Lucy and I am nine years old. I am very popular at school and have lots of friends who like me. I am going to be a doctor when I grow up.  My problem is my friend Ralph. Well, he is not actually my friend he is just always around. I have known Ralph for a long while. Back in the Bad Time he was the only one who helped me. Everyone is scared of Ralph but he is not afraid of anyone, He uses bad language and breaks things when he gets angry but he would not let anyone hurt me. That's alright I guess but sometimes he even scares me a little.

When they sent me to therapy I did not want to go at first, but the lady who worked there was nice, She didn't wear a white coat like most doctors and her office was full of toys and even a sand box. I taught her how to make paper mache with just sand and water and we played lots of doctor games where she let me put bandages on her. Sometimes Ralph would come there and I would tell her the things he said. She didn't seem to mind when he was naughty and used bad words and sometimes we played a game where I would talk to Ralph on the phone and I would tell her what he said and she would tell me things to say to him.  Ralph liked her and sometimes he would even play with us. He stopped being bad and breaking the toys. Only once he broke a toy I liked but the lady said her husband would fix it and the next time there it was good as new. I told the lady I would like to do that when I was grown up. She said Do you want to fix toys? No I said I want to fix people when they are broken. She looked a little sad when I said that I don't know why.

Then just when things were going well and even Ralph was enjoying my therapy the lady said I would have to stop coming.She seemed really sad and  Ralph broke some toys and threw sand everywhere. I listened at the door when she and my mother were talking and mother was crying she said but the court sent her and I can't pay for it. Well I guess that is true because her medicine costs so much.

So here I am back at school and of course  I am popular and have lots of friends but I miss Therapy. I am going to be a doctor when I grow up but you better look out for Ralph.

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