What Is Dissociative Identity Disorder?
4. Causes
People who experienced long-term abuse, molestation, or neglect during childhood are at greatest risk of developing dissociative disorders. In fact, of all known mental disorders, dissociative personality disorder has the strongest link with childhood trauma, with sexual abuse implicated in 70 to 100 percent of cases. Especially susceptible are those whose trauma occurred between the ages of three and four or between eight and nine years old.
The condition begins as a coping mechanism the mind uses to escape from the initial trauma. Especially when children are not comforted after a bad experience, normal psychological development then becomes stunted, and they are not able to maintain a sense of self. After the experience, they often are unable to remember what occurred. The average age when symptoms begin is 16, with 80 percent manifesting multiple identities by age 20.
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