I chose the movie “Sybil” for my media report. “Sybil” is the true story of Sybil Isabel Dorsett who was diagnosed as developing sixteen separate personalities. In the movie it is stated that Sybil developed multiple personalities to deal with her childhood which was very dark and traumatic. The other personalities that Sybil has are very interesting characters. Ruthie is a toddler who never grows up. Vanessa and Marcia showed up at different times in Sybil’s life but somehow connected and had a close knit relationship with one another. Mike and Sid are male versions of Sybil, which was odd at the time that some of her alternate personalities were male instead of female. This movie tells an amazing story, not only about Sybil and her …show more content…
Dissociative Identity Disorder did not used to be diagnosed as it is today, there were not the tools and tests available to diagnose this uncommon disorder. Dissociative Identity Disorder is often linked to previous trauma in life such as physical or emotional abuse during childhood. When a person dissociates they may re-experience the trauma that they went through earlier in life, switch to an alternate personality or have nightmares or flashbacks. Dissociation can be a form of protection for some. If a person cannot deal with the stress or trauma in their life they can develop alternate personalities to help them deal with those stresses for them. (Stickley T. & Nikeas …show more content…
These symptoms often lead doctors to misdiagnose patients because they are common with many other diagnoses as well. The three distinct symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder are dissociation, fragmented memories and abreaction. (Spanos, N.P.) The treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder is reassociation, or putting the consciousness back together. This may also be known as gaining insight (Freud 1966), transformation, or inventing realities that work. Another way that this disorder can be treated is by coming to terms, processing and understanding the previous trauma which may be causing these alternate personalities to show up. (Putnam, F.W. & Lowenstein,