Diagnosis and Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder General Guidelines for Creating an Effective Poster Posters need to be read by attendees from a distance of 3 feet or more, so lettering on illustrations should be large and legible. The title should be in very large type, 84 pt. or larger. Do NOT use all capitals for titles and headings. It makes them hard to read. Text on panels should be between 18 and 24 pt. to be legible. Use double or 1.5 spacing between lines of text. Keep each panel relatively short and to the point. More than 25 lines won't get read, but 15 to 18 usually will. Framing the text by putting a box around it will also help readers to focus. Choose a simple font such as Times, Helvetica or Prestige Elite and stick with it. Avoid overuse of outlining and shadowing, it can be distracting. To make something stand out, use a larger font size, bold or underline instead. Whenever possible, use graphs, charts, tables, figures, pictures or lists instead of text to get your points across. Make sure your presentation flows in a logical sequence. It should have an introduction, body and conclusion, just like any other presentation. Posters don’t need to be "arty". Simplicity, ease of reading, etc., are more important than artistic flair. In a room full of posters, consider the visual impact your presentation needs to make in order to attract readers. Use colors behind panels to increase contrast and impact, but avoid fluorescent colors which will make things hard to read when someone gets closer. Consider bringing extra copies of your data and conclusions. Samantha Bryan, MSW Candidate GRC MSW Program Abstract Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is considered by the general public and mental health field to be a controversial diagnosis. Published, peer reviewed articles were reviewed concerning the diagnosis, history, theories, and treatment of DID. The diagnosis of DID is to be considered the most severe form of dissociative disorders. This is where clients go into dissociative states but also have alternate identities. The alternate identities (alters) have their own personality traits. The theories and treatments of DID have changed from the first written accounts in 1586. Those who are diagnosed went from being called hysterics in the 19th century, multiple personality disorder in the 1980’s, to currently DID. Some research indicated that DID is caused by early childhood, complex trauma; while others believe that DID is more fantasy based with those diagnosed being highly susceptible to influence. Treatment for DID has been found to minimize symptoms and in some cases help those diagnosed integrate personalities through building report and the therapeutic process. History Alters Diagnosis 1586: First published cases of DID 19th Century: DID patients were considered to be hysterics 1980’s – Called Multiple personality Disorder; average 2-3 alters; took approximately 7 years in treatment to be diagnosed 1990’s to Current – Called DID; Posttraumatic and Socio-cognitive theories; approximately 7 years in treatment to be properly diagnosed; average is 13 alters; looking for best treatments Alters are the alternate identities that take temporary control of the body, mind, behaviors of a single person. They present with different behaviors, thought processes, perception, and a sense of their own will. Trauma-related: remember and protect the host from the past trauma Trauma-neutral: remembers some of the trauma Trauma-avoidant: either do not remember the trauma or try to avoid it Possession-form: the alter’s behaviors “appear as if a ‘spirit’, supernatural being, or outside person has taken control The presence of two or more distinct personality states or an experience of possession and recurrent episodes of amnesia Cause a clinically significant distress in the patient’s social, occupational, or other areas of functioning Belief the symptoms are a disturbance not accepted as part of their culture or religious group. Symptoms cannot be contributed to substance use or any other medical condition Amnesic Dissociation: is the inability to recall autobiographical information. Amnesic can manifest by having gaps in memory of personal events, leaps in dependable memory, and finding they do not recollect doing everyday activities Theories Treatments Posttraumatic Verse Socio-cognitive: one argues DID is a coping mechanism due to complex trauma while the other argues DID is based off influence of society. They often have aspects of each other. Cognitive: brake down in memory encoding and retrieval between alters. Memory and a sense of self collapse as these alters are essentially originated from the memories for them. Neurobiology: Identifying neurobiological pathways; aspects of brain functioning and growth are considered as cause and or effect The patient should be seen as a whole person and be responsible as a whole person for behaviors during any time. Treatment should include identities when they appear but not take away from the whole person. Herman Model: three stages to work with trauma; use with other therapeutic models; therapeutic relationship Cognitive Behavior Therapy: modifying dysfunctional emotions, behaviors, and thoughts Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): intended to change the way that the memory is stored in the brain Dialectical Behavior Therapy: change patterns of behavior that are not helpful, such as self-harm, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse References See reference list