The Debate Over DID

For people suffering from a dissociative disorder, finding professional help is essential, but it can also feel impossible. There are so many hurdles to jump. 

The first problem involves finding a professional trained to recognize and support dissociative clients. The teaching of dissociative disorders within professional establishments is severely lacking. I’ve read countless reports of mental health providers-in-training receiving little more than an hour-or-so of discussion about these disorders, often delivered with an offhand disclaimer that dissociation is so rare they’re unlikely to see it in their office. As a teacher of students with learning differences, many of whom have experienced adoption and attachment trauma, I see it every week. 

The second problem involves a lack of  belief from professionals - people who house the DSM5 in their offices but are quick to claim that dissociative identity disorder is a feigned behavior encouraged by therapists. 

To read more, this article in Psychology Today may be of interest.