In a situation of strong, unbearable, the human mind begins to look for a way out of the current state. Most often, we use one or more defense mechanisms, which were first described by the well-known Sigmund Freud, and then several defense mechanisms were developed by his followers. The human subconscious is capable of clever tricks, coming up with ways to protect our psyche from the destructive effects of stress factors, and if one of these mechanisms continues to operate for a long time, it completely absorbs the work of the human consciousness and leads to serious mental disorders. Everyone remembers American films when, in response to sad news, the actress wails, repeating the words: “Oh, no, no. This can't be true. This is not true."
It is often not possible to use all of these methods. But the importance cannot be underestimated social worker and the availability of services for these distressed people, their care and active interventions. Ultimately, this attitude is internalized, and through such help the client learns to think about problems instead of acting hastily, just as he learns that there are people who are worried.
Mrs. P. is 45 years old; she has no children and is divorced. Working with him lasted for many years, at first once a week; she later met with her social worker once every two or three months and eventually reached several meetings per year. If necessary, she could always find her social worker and talk to him by phone; sometimes he called her just so as not to lose contact. Initially, Ms. P felt confused and unable to function in every social conflict situation in which she found herself.
This is a vivid example of one of the common mental defense mechanisms - denial. In a situation of enormous stress, a person gets stuck in a state of denial of reality and invents his own reality, which is far from reality. As a result of the protracted process of the body protecting its own psyche, dissociation occurs - its division into several independently existing parts, completely different from each other (and there can be three, four, five or even ten).
She was looking for help because of the hatred she felt for her boss. The woman wanted to leave her job and go somewhere else, but she just couldn't do it - she couldn't make a decision about it. In meetings with authority figures, her anxiety grew so intense that she became paralyzed. Ms. P.'s reaction was related to the belief that the authorities were very critical of her. She was an angry and depressed woman, unable to give her a voice. The client spent long periods of his sessions simply sitting in silence, not saying anything to the social worker.
The essence of split personality
This mental illness consists of launching a complex mechanism in which the subconscious seeks the possibility of dividing into several parts specific painfully experienced memories or thoughts that correspond to ordinary consciousness and taken from its once realistic perception of the world around it. Once in the area of the subconscious, these thoughts cannot be removed from it, so they pop up in consciousness again and completely unexpectedly, as a result of stimuli - people, objects or events that surrounded a person in a traumatic situation for him.
She hated herself, drank too much and was convinced that she was on the verge of psychosis. This did not stop Mrs. P. from believing that she was more intelligent than most people with whom she had ever had a closer relationship. After quite a long period of regular meetings with her social worker, she felt finally accepted and supported, the client began to talk about his childhood torture. Her parents did not protect her from her older brother, who was very abusive to her; she could never get closer to her distant and cold mother; never felt close to her hypercritical father - he never liked her, despite her best efforts.
If you notice one or more of the listed symptoms in yourself or your loved ones, do not rush to jump to conclusions. To make an accurate diagnosis, psychiatrists use a number of proven tests and techniques, and also collect a complete history to make a final diagnosis.
She was already an adult because she doubted her abilities, lowered her qualities, avoided intimacy, and strived to be a “free agent.” However, Mrs. P could never bring herself to leave her parents' family, which she lived alone at the time.
The client always spoke about authority figures with anger and sarcasm that mirrored her. In the end she got scared and shocked. She was overly identified with people whom she perceived as weak, helpless, and victims. She often tried to help them by offering them cash loans or other material services, and she regularly took care of this because she was unable to accurately assess the extent to which these people were disrupting work. These actions of Mrs. P. are a very clear example of the mechanism of proactive identification.
Split personality is a relatively rare mental disorder that is classified as a dissociative pathology. As a result of this pathology, the individual’s personality is divided, which creates the feeling that two personalities coexist in one human subject. According to other terminology, two personalities co-existing in an individual are called two ego states.
Over the course of many years of work together, she experienced concern, deep interest, active support, caring, closeness, crisis intervention, and the social worker's attempts to help her control her impulsive behavior. The client began to talk about his feelings instead of expressing them in his behavior, beginning to plan and think about the consequences of possible actions. Both the social worker and Mrs. P felt her self-destructive behavior gradually diminishing.
At this point, she could already see the connection between the torment of her early childhood and her relationships. This allowed her to begin to individualize the people she encountered so that she could no longer unconsciously identify them with people from the distant past. Mrs. P began to recognize the “good” and “bad” in her siblings; her anger against her mother and her father subsided, bridging the rift. This reduced impulsive behavior authority figures, and eventually the woman began to live in the present, judging and planning her future.
What is split personality called? The described illness is also called organic dissociative or personal identity disorder, split personality, multiple personality syndrome.
The disease, split personality, is characterized by “switching,” as a result of which in an individual one personality becomes a substitute for another. Ego states can have different genders, different nationalities, intellectual abilities, beliefs, being in different age period. The reaction to the same everyday situations is also different for two coexisting personalities. Each ego with this pathology has individual patterns of perception and well-established interaction with society and the environment. The currently active personality, after the so-called “switching,” does not remember what happened when another ego state was active, which leads to the destruction of the life of the person suffering from split personality and the emergence of serious mental disorders. Often individuals with this pathology are prone to commit various criminal actions.
She was able to take several long trips, complete a higher level of education, and seek employment in another community while remaining old while the search process continued. Mrs. P stopped calling herself a "cuku", she believed that she was talented and smart, and that people might like her. Although she always regressed and became depressed when she had to make important decisions, the scope and scope of her work improved significantly and she experienced more time satisfaction. Does Mrs. P still call her social worker from time to time when she has to make an important decision or just tell him how you are?
Causes of split personality
Split personality syndrome is a whole device, thanks to which the individual’s brain is able to dismember into parts certain memories or thoughts that are significant for ordinary consciousness. Subconscious images dissected in this way are not erased, as a result of which their repeated reproduction and spontaneous emergence in consciousness becomes possible. Their activity occurs due to the action of the corresponding triggering devices - triggers. Such triggers can be various events and objects surrounding an individual when an incident occurs that is traumatic for him. It is believed that identity splitting is provoked by a combination of the following circumstances: extreme stress, the ability to develop a state of dissociation, as well as the manifestation of protective mechanisms during the individual formation of the organism with an established set of factors inherent in this process. In addition, the manifestation of protective mechanisms can also be observed in childhood. This is due to a lack of participation and a lack of care for the baby at the time of his traumatic experience or with a lack of protection necessary to avoid subsequent experiences that are undesirable for him. In children, a sense of unified identity is not innate. It develops as a consequence of exposure to many different experiences and factors.
She may never be happy, but her life is now less worrying and her relationships with many people are now better. Group therapy is a possible intervention when working with borderline clients when they have serious deficiencies in ego functioning and in relation to objects. Many workers recommended the group because it offers the support and peer supervision that many of these clients need. Leonard Horwitz reports success using group confrontation in which they feel accepted in their attempts to help them overcome their "selfish and destructive association with other character traits."
Multiple personality syndrome is a rather long and serious process in itself. However, if a subject experiences a dissociative disorder, it will not necessarily indicate the presence of a mental illness. Dissociation to a moderate degree often occurs due to stress, as well as in people deprived of sleep (sleep) for a long time. In addition, dissociation can occur when receiving a dose of nitric oxide, for example, during dental surgery.
Group therapy helps clients learn to listen, explore, and understand the messages of others. Reality and corrective emotional experience can be achieved without the immediate proximity of four-eye therapy. The group offers safety and can regulate the intensity of reactions. When several people in a group simultaneously hear similar comments that apply to them, they protect themselves from the feelings of narcissistic depletion caused by others' criticism. Wilfred Bion reports cases in which he dealt perfectly with the signs of splitting of good and bad parts and proactive identification in a group.
One can also note, among the most common variations of the dissociative state, a state in which the subject is completely immersed in the plot of a film or absorbed in a book, so that the reality around him seems to fall out of the time-spatial continuum, as a result of which time flies by and unnoticed. In addition, there is a form of dissociation that arises as a result of hypnotic influence. In this case, a temporary transformation of the state occurs, which is familiar to consciousness. Often, individuals experience a dissociative state when practicing certain religions that use putting subjects into trance states.
While addressing the underlying issues of separation, the individual remains the goal of individual therapy; the group can be used to improve maladaptive behavior. For many clients social services this goal is more urgent than the more ambitious goal of reorganizing early childhood issues. Other therapists who have gained experience working in leadership groups for borderline clients over a long period of time report that this type of therapy has led to the development of intimacy and trust, fostered relationships, created a sense of support and family, and allowed for the realization of individuality. It is a slow process, but it's time and strength.
In moderate forms of dissociative disorder, as well as complex ones, traumatic experiences experienced by people in childhood, caused by cruel treatment, are identified as factors provoking splitting of consciousness. In addition, the appearance of such forms can often be found among participants in robbery assaults, military operations, torture of various types and scales, and those who suffered a car accident or some kind of natural disaster. The formation of dissociative clinical symptoms is relevant for subjects with pronounced reactions in post-traumatic post-stress disorder or in a disorder caused by somatization.
The open-ended cohort, led by the Family Care Association of Greater Boston, included seven middle-aged women with borderline disorder. These women are very different: some are very well educated and have a high social hierarchy, others are poorly educated and poor; in some psychotic heartbeats it is obvious, in others it is hidden with defense; some of them work, while others cannot overcome their fear of starting a job or living on social benefits. The age of women ranges from 45 to 64 years.
Mrs. B is 60 years old, graduated from college and works as a secretary. Five years ago, when she joined the group, she was depressed and suffered from phobias. She perceives herself as a "nothing" and believes that she deserves the bad treatment she receives from her co-workers and employers. The group helped her see herself as a valuable person, supported her in finding a better job, and pressured her to budget more carefully so she could pay off her debts. When Mrs. B expressed her paranoia, the other participants patiently told her that she perceived reality as distorted and clarified together her misinterpretations and misunderstandings in interpreting events.
According to studies conducted earlier by North American scientists, more than 98% of patients (adults) who had a split in personal identity experienced violent situations in childhood, of which 85% have documented facts of this statement. As a result, it became possible to assert that mental, intimate coercion experienced in childhood is the main reason provoking the occurrence of a split personality. The next factor that can cause a dissociative disorder is the loss of a close relative at an early age, a serious illness, or another stressful event that entailed large-scale experiences.
Ms. P., 60 years old, spent five years in the group. She is a recovering alcoholic. She suffers from phobias, has never worked and blames her husband for all her problems. Ms. P. joined the group after a course of individual therapy. The group helped her buy herself, go to meetings and eventually get on a plane. When her husband refused to pay for her group treatment, the group forced her to get a job to pay for herself. Everyone involved sympathized with her as she struggled to find a job.
The group also dealt with her paranoia, so Mrs. R now blames her husband less. Mrs. T. is 64 years old, graduated from college and has good abilities. She spent three years in the group, but she never supported her interests and masochistically called herself a "slave" for her husband. When Mrs. T's husband abandoned her, the group helped her think about what to do legally to protect her interests.
In addition to the listed reasons, factors that provoke splitting of consciousness include genetic disposition and lack of help in case of ill-treatment by strangers.
Also in modern world Another reason has appeared that causes a split identity - addiction to computer games, in which individuals often become close to the character they have chosen. Many experts are confident that in recent years, gaming addiction, together with Internet addiction, are the fundamental reasons for the increase in the number of diseases. In addition, individuals with a weak character, weak-willed people who seek protection for themselves on a subconscious level constitute a risk group for the development of a dissociative disorder.
Two years ago she was sent to a shelter. She had a drinking problem and had several psychotic episodes. Mrs. L grew up in constant terror of her mother's psychotic episodes. Group members helped her decide to divorce, organize herself to find a job, and gain control over her drug use.
Now she is thriving, has a nice apartment and never misses a group session. She spent a year in the group. She experienced a pathological reaction to mourning after her divorce, crying constantly, and was so dependent that she could not live alone. The group encouraged her to excuse her grief and explore opportunities to get started. Now Mrs. B is looking for a much better job.
Symptoms and signs of split personality
Almost everyone has probably heard about the term that describes such a psychological condition as split personality, but only a few understand what this disease actually means, what manifestations it has and what the treatment methods for such a condition are. Most people often mistakenly call split personality schizophrenia. Therefore, the question: “what is split personality called?” is often answered. In fact, schizophrenia has nothing in common with multiple personal identity syndrome.
She is divorced; her husband was an alcoholic and he beat her. She worked as a waiter, dressed poorly and looked like a person who was not aware of reality. The group encouraged her to take care of her appearance, to find her better job, continue to visit Alcoholics Anonymous collections.
Now she has new guy who loves her and takes care of her. She is currently writing her doctoral dissertation. He joined the group a year ago. She then suffered from phobias and depression, she was convinced that she had never been able to live up to her expectations foster parents, and her husband thought she had failed. When her husband found himself in a sexual relationship with another woman, she gathered her strength and, with the help of the group, left it and focused on her research. Now he looks better and accepts himself more.
Schizophrenia is characterized by the presence and loss of reality. Patients can hear voices and often cannot distinguish what is imaginary from what is real. existing world. All symptoms are perceived by schizophrenics as consequences of external influences, and not inherent in their own personality. In schizophrenia, certain functions of the psyche are separated from the personality. During dissociation, individuals have at least two alternative personalities that coexist in one body and are characterized by a different set of characteristics, may have different ages and floor. People with dissociation often react differently in the same situations. This is due to the presence of individual patterns of perception and response in each ego state.
First of all, the manifestations of dissociation are expressed in severe imbalance; patients often lose touch with reality, as a result of which they cannot realize what is happening. In addition, memory impairment (lapses) is typical. Patients suffering from a split personal identity experience insomnia, they complain of pain in the head area, and profuse sweating may also be present. In addition, it has been established that the manifestations of dissociative syndrome are expressed in the absence of logical thinking; quite rarely the subject understands that he is seriously ill. A person suffering from split consciousness can vigorously express his own joy, and after a couple of minutes falls into a sad state for no apparent reason. Joy is replaced by a tearful mood. The feelings of subjects suffering from dual identity are quite contradictory towards themselves, those around them and current events in the world. Symptoms of dual identity do not depend on age.
Signs of a split personality.
It is sometimes difficult for the individual suffering from dissociation to realize the presence of the disease. However, the close environment can determine the presence of a mental illness by the changed behavior of the individual, consisting of unpredictable actions that are absolutely not inherent in his character and behavior. It should be understood that such behavioral transformations are completely unrelated to the use of alcohol-containing liquids, narcotic drugs or psychotropic drugs. Often the behavior of individuals with dissociation can be assessed as completely inadequate. Also a sign of splitting of personal identity are significant memory lapses.
Characteristic signs of dual identity can have varying degrees of severity, as they depend on the subjective qualities of the sick organism. The degree of progression of the disease is determined by the duration of the pathological process and the patient’s temperament, but in approximately ninety percent of clinical cases immediate hospitalization and isolation are required. Although at the beginning the patient may not pose a danger to himself and the environment, but due to the inadequacy of his behavior, such a threat to society and himself may appear.
First of all, the danger is associated with memory lapses, since they leave some of the events from the patients’ lives outside the boundaries of consciousness. While under the influence of the alter ego, the individual is able to perceive information, but then, when the other personality takes over, he loses it. This happens every time there is a change of personalities. In a person suffering from this disease, two completely unfamiliar personalities can coexist.
Secondly, an absolutely normal and familiar state for patients with double consciousness is flight. In other words, such patients may suddenly leave home, work or school. Such attempts to leave are quite dangerous for health, since, being in an alter personality, the individual does not recognize the place and is not able to understand where he is, as a result of which he falls into panic. Therefore, it is very important to control the patient’s movement, otherwise strangers may suffer.
Thirdly, the main personality of the patient becomes suppressed, because a new alter character dominates his life. In the state of an individual with a split identity, depression, depression and depressive attitudes begin to prevail. We also cannot exclude the possibility of seizures, characterized by increased excitability and activity.
Signs of a split personality progress every year, as a result of which the individual’s personality practically disappears.
In some cases, an alter personality helps an individual forget or block negative experiences and painful memories. There is a kind of self-suggestion that the problem or traumatic experience never happened. In such a case, the personality created by the individual will dominate his life.
The immediate symptoms of split personality are considered quite indicative, but at the same time they are quite difficult to identify, since they are often hidden. Among the well-known manifestations are: loss of time, loss of skills, facts of an individual’s actions that he himself does not remember, provided by other people.
Key symptoms of split personality: auditory hallucinations, phenomena and trance-like states, changes in self-perception, awareness of other personalities, confusion in self-determination, memories of traumatic experiences experienced in the past.
Auditory hallucinations are a fairly common symptom of dissociative disorders. Often, the alter personality actually speaks at the moment of experiencing hallucinations; it is her voice that is heard by the self, which is in relationship with the external environment. Voices can also be a manifestation of a disease such as schizophrenia, while split personality is characterized by qualitatively different hallucinations.
Depersonalization manifests itself in a feeling of detachment from one’s own body, but the perception of the surrounding world is not impaired.
Trance-like states are expressed in a temporary lack of response to external stimuli, the patient’s gaze is directed “to nowhere.”
A change in self-perception is a sudden state of inexplicable change (transformation) in a person’s sense of self. An individual may feel that his body or thoughts belong to another person, bodily insensitivity occurs, a violation of cognitive processes, and the ability to perform daily skills. A change in self-perception is considered one of the significant criteria for dissociation detected during a diagnostic examination.
Awareness of other personalities can be manifested by a complete lack of such awareness, partial or full awareness of all present personalities. The manifestation of this symptom is expressed as an opportunity to activate another personality or to speak on behalf of an alter personality, to hear another personality.
Identity confusion or disorientation is defined as a feeling of ambiguity, embarrassment, or contradiction in one's identity orientation.
Psychotic symptoms can often be misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and split personality, although they cannot be diagnosed by psychotic symptoms, but their significance for diagnosis should not be reduced.
People with multiple personality disorder have a base personality, which responds to the first and last name given to individuals at birth, and an alter personality, which alternately takes over their consciousness. Small individuals are also susceptible to the described illness.
The split personality of children is facilitated by circumstances related to the use of physical acts of a violent nature, cruel treatment, bullying by adults, serious road accidents, natural disasters, long periods of treatment and recovery, or painful medical procedures. At the same time, they lack support and protection during such difficult periods.
Split personal identity in children is characterized by:
- picky tastes;
- different manner of speaking;
- sudden changes in mood;
— aggressive behavior with a “glassy” look;
— conversations with oneself (“we”);
- inability to interpret one’s own actions;
However, it should be borne in mind that passion gameplay or availability imaginary friend will not always be a symptom of a split identity. Such manifestations may be a variant of the norm. In addition, almost seventy percent of children with children also have dissociative disorders, due to susceptibility to stressful situations.
Treatment of split personality
The disease multiple personality disorder requires complex treatment using medicines. Treatment for dual personality disorder often takes quite a long time. Often people with multiple personality disorder are under medical supervision almost their entire lives.
The most commonly prescribed medications are:
- drugs used to treat schizophrenia - antipsychotics, for example, Haloperidol, in some cases atypical antipsychotics, namely Azaleptin, can be prescribed;
- antidepressants, for example, Prozac;
- tranquilizers, for example, Clonazepam.
Drug treatment must be prescribed with extreme caution, since patients with dissociative disorder have a much higher risk of addiction than patients with other diseases.
In this case, drugs are selected individually. Before prescribing any type of therapy, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive examination.
Diagnosis is carried out according to the following criteria:
- the individual has two different personalities, each of which is characterized by its own attitude to any situation and environment as a whole;
- the individual is unable to remember important personal information;
— the state of duality is not provoked by the intake of alcoholic beverages, drugs or other toxic substances.
In addition, it is important to exclude:
- tumor processes of the brain;
- post-traumatic stress disorder;
- herpetic infection;
- schizophrenia;
— somatoform disorders;
- mental retardation;
- post-traumatic amnesia;
- amnestic syndrome;
Unfortunately, today there is no psychotherapeutic treatment method that would cope with this pathology completely. Basically, all therapeutic methods can only weaken the clinical manifestations of this disease.
The main methods for preventing dual identity are:
- timely contacting specialists when primary signs of illness, even the most minor ones, appear;
- systematic visits to a psychotherapist upon completion of the course of therapy;
- avoidance of stress;
- stop taking alcoholic beverages, drugs and medications without medical prescription.
Romirro:
Perhaps my conclusions are only a consequence of amateurism, but let’s go from the opposite: what we know for certain, a person’s personality, his self-awareness, his inner voice is nothing more than the connections at the tips of the synapses of our neurons. You are billions of established neural connections. Certain parts of the brain are responsible for certain responsibilities, so one part is responsible for protection and safety, and the other for passion, attraction and pleasure. Now imagine that the connections of these particular areas are broken, that is, they do not communicate with other areas, as a result of which, when a dangerous situation occurs, the brain delegates powers to the zone responsible for safety, it takes the reins, but does not communicate with other zones. If this happens repeatedly, then this zone will have its own empirical experience which we will perceive as separate personality, due to the disruption of connections, this experience will not be available to the rest of the brain. In fact, there is one personality in one head, only in people suffering from this illness it is split into areas of the brain. This hypothesis fits perfectly with the available scientific data: as an example, this article describes that a change in “personalities” is caused by certain triggers, and this coincides with my conclusion.
Alina:
Hello. I am 40 years old. I have discovered the symptoms of split personality that are described in your article, but I will never turn to psychiatrists, I am afraid of them. The fact is that I often (since childhood) have all sorts of thoughts in my mind, they of a negative nature chaotic and uncontrollable. They seem to emerge from the subconscious in phrases, it scares me. Recently I have been depressed after prolonged stress (I am one of those people who do not know how to deal with stress), I was getting worse. Then a period came, a period of phobias and panic attacks, it seemed to me that I was going crazy. And
, one day, after a sleepless night, I had the symptom described in the article - a very negative phrase in my mind, as if from another person, while I felt detached. I was scared, I’m afraid of going crazy and doing something bad... Recently it happened again a couple of times, although the panic attacks have passed for a month now. I will not contact a psychiatrist, please tell me what is happening to me, I already live in fear. I mean obsessive phrases that arise spontaneously and scare me. Thanks in advance.
Rommiro:
I’m not an expert, but I think you shouldn’t worry about a split personality, all your symptoms boil down to basic dissatisfaction with your own life. I think you really need professional help. This is a stupid excuse - fear of doctors! Surgeons are perhaps the most feared, but they don’t suffer from this because during an attack of appendicitis, you go under the knife like a darling. Your depression is the same as the appendix, only in consciousness.
Sergey :
Hello! Please tell me if there is verified evidence that the physiology of these different individuals is different. I read that with a split personality (smokes - doesn’t smoke, drinks alcohol - doesn’t drink) there are different conditions of organs, blood, pressure). This is true? And recommend literature on this topic.
Vedmesh N.A:
Hello, Sergey. The scientific community has not reached a consensus on what constitutes multiple personality disorder because there were too few documented cases of this disorder in the history of medicine before the 1950s. The incidence of dissociative identity disorder has increased dramatically in recent years. Critics of the dissociative identity disorder model argue that the diagnosis of multiple personality disorder is a phenomenon more common in English-speaking countries. Billy Milligan is one of the most famous people diagnosed with multiple personality in the history of psychiatry. Milligan's split personality consisted of 24 full-fledged personalities. Billy Milligan's story is told in Daniel Keyes' nonfiction novels The Many Minds of Billy Milligan and Milligan's Wars.
Romirro:
Sergei, transfer and replacement of physical parameters is possible only in a narrow range due to hormonal levels, but all the main characteristics of the body will remain unchanged, because any restructuring will require colossal energy costs, which our bodies do not possess. In general, the body at the molecular level is a chain of billions of coordinated chemical reactions supporting metabolism. Sharp changes in any part of this chain lead to the death of the entire organism (most poisons act precisely on this basis). Try to look at this disease more down to earth, like our consciousness, it is contained in the brain and does not go beyond the ego with its physiological effect on the body.
Svetlana :
Hello, I'm Svetlana, I'm almost 13 years old. I am a very sensitive person, I care very much about other people and try to help them in any way possible. But I am categorically against helping myself, because I immediately believe that my problems are empty lies from my lips. So... A month ago I asked my mother about going to a psychologist (I was very depressed and often cried), but my mother said that I had no problems and there was nothing to do there. Recently I was talking to myself about my experiences and crying a lot. I had thoughts that this was not normal. Again I asked to go to a psychologist, but my mother said that there was nothing to do there, I was not surprised. An hour ago I started getting hysterical, I was talking to myself again (no one was home), asking myself questions, giving advice, but I still couldn’t find answers to my questions. I started thinking again
- I talk to myself, I say what I should say to a psychologist.
I calmed down, lay down on the bed and a thought flashed through my head
— people have feelings, that’s why they are so vulnerable.
I started laughing not with my own laughter, I laughed and brought this thought into my head again and again, it caused even more laughter. I laughed for about 10 minutes. I went up to the mirror and as if I wasn’t there, as if I was somewhere inside my body, but it wasn’t me, suddenly I spoke
- has been in you for a long time, you pathetic person. *grin* Well, it’s a pity that I fell into your body, you are too kind, but I managed to slightly spoil you and you are rude to people (alas, I often snap at my family, for which I hate myself). But very soon I will be able to suppress your kindness, and that guy whom you love so desperately (I like the guy who acted very cruelly to me), he is not stupid, he also has a demon, just like I do in you, his demon is strong , you can’t say anything *laughter*. I see demons in people, but you can’t do it, stupid, take advantage of this quality of mine, you will see the essence of people. *laughter*. Now you think you’ve gone crazy, but I’ve been in you for a very long time, and you didn’t even know. This is so funny and ridiculous. Well, I have to go. Sit in thought.
I walked away from the mirror, heard her voice in my head...
Am I going crazy? Do I need a psychiatrist? I want to be myself. Mom won't believe me, I don't know what to do.
Alexa kanellis:
Tell your mom: “You don’t live my life and you don’t know my problems that I want to talk about with a psychologist.” And what seems to you is very similar to hysteria, you are screwing yourself up. The patient does not realize that he is sick, but you all understand this is normal, well, what person has not talked to himself at least once.
Vera:
Good afternoon
I want to ask about my daughter, who is almost 20 years old. I can’t determine whether she has schizophrenia or a split personality. She cannot be alone for more than 5 hours. In the mirror she begins to see herself as different and loses her sense of reality. He can cut or scratch his arms and legs and speaks to return to reality, but does not feel pain. Sometimes he wants to commit suicide because... it doesn't make sense. She is haunted by constant feelings: loneliness, uselessness, unfulfillment, low self-esteem. Sometimes he hears voices at night and has difficulty falling asleep. She says that she is not loved and understood...inconsistent, illogical. The mood changes quickly.
Hidden, sometimes lies, sometimes very smart...
Frequent headaches. As a child, she could tear out her hair and rarely hit her head against the wall. This did not last long. We went to a special kindergarten. Dad and mom are of different nationalities. She felt like a Russian for a long time until she realized that she was more like an Indian. This is a fact that cannot be avoided.
I, my mother, devoted as much time as I could to her, but I myself had cancer with chemotherapy, radiation, surgery...hormone therapy. I myself have fallen out of real life... Probably this is already a lot and uninteresting. Sorry. I'm waiting for advice. What's wrong with my daughter? And how should I behave with her?
Thanks anyway.
Vedmesh N.A:
Hello Vera. To figure out what is happening with your daughter, you need a face-to-face consultation with practical psychologist If deviations from the norm are detected, the specialist will refer you for consultation to a psychiatrist or neuropsychiatrist.
Elena:
My name is Lena, I’m 13, and two years ago my very beloved uncle died, after which my character and behavior changed a lot. As a child, I was a very kind girl, the life of the party, and generally an extrovert. And after my uncle, I began to talk to myself, addressing the interlocutor (myself) as you or you, when I talk to myself I can say stupid things for no reason to laugh, but only when other people don’t see it, sometimes I can come up with a story that it wasn’t with me in order to make an impression, to evoke sympathy, pity, to make a person laugh, and very often I begin to believe in it myself, and most often I forget what actually happened. Now I have become an introvert, but at the same time I talk a lot, it happens that I can tell my whole life to a complete stranger who simply expressed even the slightest interest in me. My mood changes very often, literally within an hour or half an hour. It seems to me that I have manic-depressive psychosis, but I don’t tell my mother, she will say that I’m just making it up. Tell me, what's wrong with me?
Vedmesh N.A:
Hello, Elena. The passing of loved ones leaves a tangible imprint on the mental health of every person. Experiences of this nature can lead to an explanation of one’s own life, a rethinking of the value of being. Grief also leaves its mark on relationships with others. Here there may be a loss of warmth, irritability, and a desire to retire. The complexity of your situation is further aggravated by the fact that you are entering adolescence, the transitional period between childhood and adulthood. The vigor inherent in this age, colorful plans, and excitement are quickly replaced by a feeling of sadness, weakness and complete passivity. An emotionally uneven, unstable background is characteristic of this period. Puberty will be marked by powerful psychological transformations in your personality.
The chronological boundaries of this age are not strictly defined; it is often placed between 11–12 and 16–17 years. Be patient. It will definitely end and everything will be fine for you.
Alena:
My name is Alena and I would like to ask for help or advice)))) I am 24 years old, the last year of my life I had strong obsessive thoughts, I somehow coped with them, but the last 3 months simply became a disaster for me, I lost feelings and emotions towards my son, husband, and in general all my loved ones and relatives, I don’t recognize myself in the mirror, I don’t feel like myself, inappropriate, stupid thoughts and phrases are constantly spinning in my head, the feeling that there is another person inside me. I can’t come to my senses, I don’t have the strength to do anything, I look at everything and I want to cry, I forgot my former self, I started talking to myself, I’m very scared from this state, but my son is only 5 months old, please give me advice on where to turn .
Vedmesh N.A:
Black Eye:
How I got into this state, I don’t understand. I don’t even remember how and when She appeared in me. I only know that her name is Natasha, she is a policewoman and she is 35. Despite the fact that she is a law enforcement officer, Natasha is angry and categorical, not like the real me. Sometimes I hear her talking to me, she has a beautiful sonorous voice. I don’t have a change of consciousness, I just live with her in the same body, talk, consult. I don’t want to accept the fact that I need to see a psychologist. But because of this, I have problems with self-determination: I can’t even say what my opinion is about certain situations, what my character is, because people see me in different ways, and when I say that I’m kind and specific, they grin and joke: “Well, yes, but recently did some other woman yell at her friend?” And the most important thing is that I understand that it is I who offend people, but at such moments I cannot control my flow of thoughts and speech, I ask you to stop - they send me. Natasha sends! This is laughter and sin! I don't know what to do. Maybe this is my fantasy running wild or something else?
Veronica:
Hello. There is a strange situation in my life with my boyfriend, who lived for five months under the mask of an identity he invented. Under a different name, under a different age, date of birth, hiding the stamp in the passport. He showed me his other non-existent life. I made up things about my parents, about the size of my salary, and a lot of other things that wouldn’t have affected our relationship at all and wouldn’t have mattered if I didn’t know this. And he behaved very believably, that during this time I never suspected him of anything, there weren’t even any small mistakes or anything. The man became so accustomed to the image of a non-existent personality that it seemed to me that he believed it himself. but it was an ideal image. And then he told me everything and I saw an absolutely complex, insecure person who is ashamed of his profession because someone once instilled uncertainty in him. I thought that a university teacher, a candidate of science, was not serious for a man of his age. He turned out to be very worried about the financial side of the issue; he is embarrassed by his salary. He told me about an ideal family, about the love of a father for his mother, but in reality it turned out that his father left the family when he was two years old. I don’t believe that a mentally healthy person could invent all this and behave so naturally.
Alexandra:
Good afternoon, I started communicating with myself when I was in 1st grade. My classmates (some) began to see that I was communicating with an empty shell. And they started laughing and calling me crazy. I only have 2 personalities (except for the real me).
The 1st personality is the one from first grade. She didn't have a first and last name until 6th grade. Her first and last name is Abigail (Abby) Santry. Age unknown. But her story is very interesting and touching... Fortunately, it doesn’t cause me any harm. And Abby herself is very kind.
2nd personality - but this one is very dangerous for me. To be honest, I got it (I had it since 4th grade, but it didn’t harm me) only at the end of 6th grade. Sali Walder is her name. She is vile, cunning, a liar, angry, capricious, selfish, arrogant and most importantly crazy.
The reason for the appearance of Sali, I think, is because of childhood. When they beat me hard, scolded me (only my mother raised me), laughed, called me names, blackmailed me (although they joked lightly) and put pressure on my nerves (classmates, my eldest cousin and him sister), I felt loneliness and I wanted to either fall through the ground or run away somewhere far, far away. To be honest, I didn’t hear it in my head and didn’t pay attention to it. She wants to help me, in a crooked way. When I'm in pain, she appears when there is no one near me. To begin with, she says that everything is fine, don’t be afraid, the time will come and you will answer them to their face. But I don't understand what she's even talking about, but I'm afraid that I can't control her. I tried my best. Even when it was very, very difficult for me and I needed to yell at someone, I waited for the time when I would be alone. And all the time it seems to me that no one (even my mother) understands me (Although it doesn’t seem to me, but for sure) and that feeling that I’m alone with myself. And when I remember Sali, and then my past, I start crying for no reason.
When I'm alone at home, then I can only talk it out alone with Abby.
I don’t even know whether to tell my mom about my problem or just keep quiet and do it myself. If I tell her, I will start having mood swings. She may not understand me... And she will start saying that this is some kind of nonsense.
And if I do it myself, I’m not sure what will happen, but I’ll try. Tell me, what should I do in this situation?
Seraphima:
Good day. I read the article and was horrified.
Since childhood, I had the habit of talking to someone. I almost saw her, she had a name appearance, age and even history. But over time, she disappeared, the image grew from a tiny “nut” sitting on her shoulder to a real person. In the dark, it even seems to me that I see their outlines. I can often change my mind in one second, I commit uncontrollable actions (like: running after someone and abruptly starting to move away, or just hitting a person in the face). There are three personalities. One I don’t know, it’s somewhere deep inside. Apparently, the subconscious. The second is me, capable of supporting, becoming a support, seemingly kind, strong in character. And third, main problem- the girl whose name I say every day. She is angry and selfish. She often has thoughts of killing someone, yelling, abandoning, betraying. One day I was offered great job and I really wanted to fulfill it, but she screamed, fought back and eventually just left. I cried along the way, but my legs carried me on their own. Sometimes there is a struggle inside for the right to control the mind, but usually everything is quiet. I'm just telling someone about my skills. I feel eyes on me, I even hear their whispers. Yes, even now they stand nearby. And the worst thing is that I am aware of all this. This is not childish nonsense, I’m not even 16. It started a long time ago, everything progressed. There were powerful emotional shocks. The most terrible of them are betrayal, slander and the outbreak of hostilities. It’s not even that I’m talking to myself, but that I’m telling it out loud to someone. I will no longer say that there are several images, incarnations of people that have never existed. I will be grateful if you help me.
It is necessary to listen to the inner voice, both that coming from the Parental “I”, and, especially, to the Childish, creative and intuitive “I”, distinguishing in them obvious stereotypes and biases, whims and illusions.
And the rational and intellectual Adult “I” will help to distinguish the truthfulness and usefulness of these inner voices.
The inner voice from the Parent lives according to the “MUST” principle.
The Inner Child lives according to the “I WANT” principle, therefore the Parent I-state and the Child state are essentially antagonists - they often oppose each other.
Favorite words of a child's I-state are: I want, I don’t want, I will, I won’t.
The adult “I” is unemotional and insensitive - like a robot. Only dry logic, intelligence and reason.
It is the voice of the inner Adult “I” that should give you the last, decisive information; it is in the inner Adult that you need to process the voices of the Parent and the Child, including demands and intuition, and make a decision.
Hel:
- We can go there... Why? Let's ask Hogle? But he's not ready yet. Let's do it. Hurry up. For what? So that we wouldn't be alone. But there are two of us? So we are no longer alone! No, that's not entirely true. There are three of us. But we have captured it so much that soon there will be nothing left of it. And if she disappears, will we be able to exist? She saw those people, well, those broken by shock. She guesses everything. Why does she need us? We are protecting her. From whom? First of all, from myself. But we are destroying it. Yes, that's true. How to understand this? No way. I'm confused. I want to run. I'm weak and gullible, look, I'm already crying. You still won't be able to escape... And neither will I. I am strong, very strong, but with me you will die faster. So we need to stick together!? Yes. For now, yes. Because she has no one else. Let's do a Hoggle? For her. Let's. Well, for now we need to give her time to be. Where will we go? Nowhere. We'll just pretend we're not there. But she knows that we are always with her?! Yes, he guesses...
- Time to sleep... Who came up with all this?
— Hogl.
- That's what I'm guessing.
Vova:
Hello, my girlfriend has 2 personalities, one according to her is good, and 2 is bad, and according to her, she dominates. Recently I messed up a little bit, she showed a 2nd personality, a bad one, she was talking to a completely different person, she was talking rudely, laughing for no reason, talking confidently as if she were the queen of all things, and when asked who I was talking to, I received an answer with a demon, this is a bit It’s strange, of course, but I don’t understand at all what’s going on, how to live with it further, I love this person, yesterday the 2nd person said that it’s not our destiny to go through life, but somehow I hardly believed it , what can you say as a specialist?
Olga :
Hello. Please tell me, my mother is 54 years old, she doesn’t work, she has no friends. Recently, her behavior has made me question her emotional stability. At first, let’s say at the beginning of the month, she shows excessive concern, imposes her opinion in every possible way, buys something for our family (I’m married, we have a child and we live separately, but not far from our parents, we communicate with my mother several times a day times, I constantly listen to her opinion), changes things in the house to her own, at her discretion, tries in every possible way to help, to be there. I try to react kindly, I always say thank you, but she doesn’t seem to hear. After a while, her concern changes to screams that I’m ungrateful, she screams persistently, for a long time, cries, then withdraws into herself, doesn’t talk, then there comes a period of calm, about two weeks. Then everything repeats all over again. Such cycles used to be rare, but now they are repeated every month. What is this and how should I behave?
Alexander :
Good afternoon, I recently found my wife’s diary (the entries date back to 2000-2002 - she was then 19-22, now she is 35 years old), it describes her falling in love with various young people, often, as far as I understand, unrequited, a feeling of loneliness, misunderstanding those around her, dissatisfaction with herself, but this is not the point, I was more excited that she associates all the bad and inappropriate actions with the name “Kira Lorenova” she invented for herself, there is such a writer (mostly various depressive poems and works). The diary acts as a third party (listener) to how she is trying to understand herself (who actually commits these immoral acts - indiscriminate sex, alcohol, inappropriate behavior, thoughts of suicide). We now have two children, everything seems to be fine, I wouldn’t even think about it if I hadn’t found her diary, now I’m starting to remember that before the wedding she sometimes had hysterics, aggressive behavior - she told me that at the age of 16- At the age of 18, there were two attempts at rape (at school, at college). She remembered this not so recently - during sex with me (it really hurt me - comparing me to a rapist, it’s just that we have sex quite rarely now - she says that I’m putting pressure on her, and she just doesn’t want sex yet - small child- the lactation period has not yet ended).
Maybe it all seems to me and I’m just screwing myself up, maybe it was just a period of personality formation - the search for “Yourself”, youthful maximalism, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but now “everyday life” has just crushed me - and there’s no reason to look into the past, Should we deal with our relationships now, look for compromises, or is the reason still in the past? Thank you for your attention, I will wait for your response.
Vedmesh N.A:
Hello, Alexander. There should be no reason to worry. The diary at one time acted as a “vest”, protection, and psychotherapist for the wife. The wife described everything that was painful there and thus got rid of problems. Endure the lactation period, allow your wife to rest more, take on some of the household responsibilities, be gentle and patient.
A temporary lack of sexual desire in a woman can be caused by chronic fatigue and postpartum depression.
Sergey :
Good afternoon, I often speak to myself in YOU or WE. It started somewhere after junior classes. At the same time, I like to walk in circles (around the room for up to several hours a day) or walk through the forest. I feel like I have 2 or 3 interlocutors (ME). I myself easily “switch” from one I to another, and at the same time I get very tired or feel a headache in the back of my head, on the sides of the back of my head or higher to the top of my head. The pain is expressed as if someone pressed on the head, but did not hit it and does not pulsate. The pain lasts for several minutes or more.
Convenient when working: helps to take your mind off extraneous problems. True, when someone starts communicating with me, I behave inappropriately (or rather, I manage not to yell so as not to interfere when I switched (or rather, he became me, and I observe) to another I if at the same time I need to concentrate). I work for different professions (though in the same field: 2 jobs + hobby houses). In recent years I have been/feeling unwell: drowsiness, irritability and sometimes aggressiveness (probably stress). These I cannot be in me at the same time: I need to “switch” and one I does not understand the other I (if necessary, asks for advice, etc.). I talk to each other through me (simply listening to what one says to me and the other I respond). I have several opinions on many events (my opinion, civic position and opinion as to what should be correct), while I feel that they (opinions) belong to me (but to another me or I). When switching, my opinions and some communication habits (for example, respect) change slightly.
I thought about this a lot. Maybe I'm confusing all this with self-hypnosis or it's just my fantasy. But life is becoming more difficult for me, now I am 31 years old. I don't feel a midlife crisis. I am satisfied with life (except for difficulties with the “disorder” or is it still stress).
Right now it is very difficult to survive even non-stressful situations when communicating with friends or relatives, when it comes to my position (opinion) on some issue and it infuriates me (I try to restrain myself). I also can’t understand at what point I “came back.” In recent years, after “switching” back, I perceive the events that happened earlier as deja vu - this is not pleasant, this almost never happened before.
I rarely have dreams, but sometimes I’m not alone in my dreams. And those other selves are nearby (or it is me).
I don’t want to see a psychiatrist. I think that everyone talks to themselves and that this is normal (Question: is this so?). To tell the truth, I think that what I have written will be considered simply stupidity or nonsense. The opinion of a specialist is very interesting.
Vedmesh N.A:
Hello, Sergey. Many people talk to themselves and this is not considered pathological.
Many people probably have acquaintances, for example, at work, who say, as if to themselves: “It’s time to go home,” “I’ll go eat.”
For those around you, these phrases are of no value, but for the people commenting, they are meaningful. The human mind is constantly in a stream of thoughts. There is more and more information (for the most part absolutely useless), our minds are overloaded. And every word spoken by a person has a special force - a vibration that pushes to certain actions.
Speech addressed to oneself is called egocentric speech. Its function is to regulate and control practical activities.
Very often, this form of speech is used in adulthood, when a person performs some actions for the first time, saying them out loud (as if to himself).
The origin of inner speech itself has not been sufficiently studied.
