In the early nineties Dr. G. Fraser a pioneer in the field of what was called multiple personality disorder, was changed to dissociative identity disorder by the mid to late nineties. In the late eighties, when Dr. G. Fraser opened his office at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, he specialized in phobic disorders. There was no mention of multiple personality disorder on the directory board of listings for specific disorders.
When referred to this specialist for agoraphobia and after a list of improper diagnoses, I was properly diagnosed with concurrent disorders that fit my profile. While in therapy, I helped illustrate M.P.D., now D.I.D. in association with P.T.S.D. There were all ready four diagnosed clients with four varying forms of M.P.D. In the early nineties, there was also only a few categories named to categorize M.P.D.:
1. Polyfragmented (more than 8 major personalities and more than 10 fragmented alter ego states)
2. Complex (average of 8 to 10 major personalities and no fragments)
3. Lucid (the clients are aware of their alter ego states and fragments. There is a co-consciousness)
4. Simple (there is less than five major personalities that the client is aware or unaware of)
5. Fugue State (there are few instances where there is complete amnesia for years of a person’s life)
Since that time, the categories for M.P.D. (D.I.D.) encompassed a new section, called N.O.S. (Not otherwise specified). It was discovered that fragmented alter ego states entailed animals, aliens, objects, other relatives, and non-describable entities. On rare occasions there were esoteric beings as a major or minor personality state.
Dr. Fraser wrote an article for the Ottawa Citizen in November 1989, with one of my drawings of the “table technique” where personalities would gather in a boardroom, created in the mind where all alter ego states could voice their opinions, memories and everyone could hear what was transpiring in each session. He stated that 1 in 300 Ottawans has a form of M.P.D. (D.I.D.).
Since then, doctors jumped on the bandwagon to take on one or two clients that were diagnosed with this disorder. As years passed, it was realized how long a process it was to integrate personality states thus phasing out the idea that D.I.D. still existed; that is is now a rare occurrence. P.T.S.D./A.S.D. (Acute Stress Disorder) is now starting to replace the diagnosis of D.I.D. which I find a sad reality.
Doctors who once treated D.I.D. now have traveled down to the U.S.A. to treat the same disorder leaving Ottawa with less than five doctors to treat this gravely disturbing disorder. It is my hope to teach an overview of D.I.D. and dissociation at places where the need is expressed as I’ve worked with this specialist as a client and now work freelance to educate the public on the need to understand the disorder.
