Berna Guney
Communications Course
Diagnosing Dissociative Identity Disorder Outline
General purpose: To inform.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience of the two steps on how to diagnose dissociative identity disorder.
Central Idea: The three steps in diagnosing dissociative identity disorder are to identify all symptoms the patient presents, then to rule out all other illnesses, and to rule in dissociative identity disorder.
Organizational Pattern: Topical Order
Introduction
I. Dissociative identity disorder is a mental process which produces a lack of connection in a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, and sense of identity.
II. Dissociative identity disorder, once known as multiple personality disorder, is thought to stem from a combination of factors that may include trauma, experienced by the person with the disorder.
III. The trauma causes the person to dissociate themselves from the situation that caused the trauma as a coping mechanism.
IV. Diagnosing the disorder is complex, because the symptoms mimic those of several other psychiatric conditions, and medical conditions that create similar symptoms.
V. Once the primary physician is able to rule out medical conditions that may be causing the symptoms, mental health professionals step in.
VI. Mental health professionals mainly use DSM-5, the main psychiatric manual used to identify mental illnesses. According to http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder, it is estimated that people with the disorder spend seven years in a mental health system before receiving an accurate diagnosis.
VII. The disorder is rare and according to the American Psychiatric Association it affects about 1% of the population.
(Transition: Now let us discuss what initially happens when the person sees a Doctor for evaluation).
Body
I. The first step once the person seeks medical attention is to be evaluated by the primary care provider.
A. The primary care provider will identify all symptoms the patient presents.
1. Suspicious symptoms the Physician may identify are gaps in recall of memory of personal information or major events, auditory hallucinations, hostility and anger, phobias and fearfulness, depression, anxiety (sweating, rapid pulse, palpitations,) headaches, and eating disorders.
(Transition: The Physicians process to rule out a medical condition. Now let us discuss the possible causes of the symptoms and how to identify what they can be).
II. The primary care provider will order tests to investigate the symptoms in order to rule out other possible causes.
A. The signs and symptoms of dissociative identity disorder can each be individually related to a separate illness. In order to declare DID as the diagnosis, all other illnesses must be ruled out.
B. The physician may run drug screens, because certain drugs can be the cause of the majority of the symptoms if the person is taking drugs such as amphetamines and anticholinergics, which can cause rapid pulse, palpitations, anxiety, and hallucinations.
C. Diagnostic tests will be done to rule out tumors, head injuries, and certain brain diseases, which can cause auditory hallucinations, forgetfulness, headaches and irregular heartbeats.
D. Blood tests will be done to test for infections, which can cause irregular heartbeat, forgetfulness, headaches, and eating disorders.
(Internal Summary: So far we have discussed the initial step the Doctor takes when identifying there is a problem, and what is done to rule out all medical conditions other than dissociative identity disorder).
(Transition: Now let us discuss the steps taken to rule in dissociative identity disorder as the diagnosis).
III. The third step in diagnosing dissociative identity disorder is to be evaluated by a mental health professional.
A. Using DSM criteria, the mental health professional must identify the criteria including,
1. Your symptoms are not caused by drugs, alcohol, cultural or religious practices, or medical condition.
2. Having recurrent gaps in memory of daily events, traumatic events, personal information, or everyday skills.
3. Displaying or being observed having two distinct personalities with each identity having its own pattern of perceiving themselves and the world.
4. Your symptoms cause significant problems in your relationships, work and other important aspects of your life.
B. The patient is assessed by the mental health professional over a period of time until diagnosis is confirmed to be accurate.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder is a process. A team of health care professionals work together to evaluate the person for all other possible causes of the symptoms. It is a complex disease and difficult to diagnose, because it is rare and also because as mentioned above, several other illnesses overlap the signs and symptoms of the disease. Once it is diagnosed, the person can live a full life manageable with medications, therapy and dedication.