tnam found an 83% incidence ofsexual abuse, 75% incidence of physical abuse, 61% incidence of extremeneglect or abandonment and an overall 97% incidence of any type of trauma(Putnam 53). It wasnt until the 1900s that these events were linked to DID(Appelbaum 110). A fictional novel, presented as a documentary, The ThreeFaces of Eve (1956) described a woman who was believed to have threepersonalities. This was the first multiple personality book to catch theattention of the public. It was later made into a movie which various sourcesdate as being released in 1956 or 1957. The movie had a profound effect onthe public, convincing many that multiple personalities were both possibleand common. A second book, also presented as a documentary, described awoman who was believed to be possessed by 16 personalities. This was Sybil(1973), which also came out as a made for TV movie in 1976 (Schreiber 49).Those therapists who accept DID as a valid, common diagnosis believethat it is induced by extreme, repeated, physical, sexual, and/or emotionalabuse during early childhood. DID has been diagnosed for over a century,often amid great controversy, but it wasnt until 1980 that there was cleardefinition. According to the American Journal of Forensic PsychiatryDissociative Identity Disorder is defined as... A. The existence within the individual of two or more distinct personalities,each of which is dominant at a particular time. B. The personality that is dominant at any particular time determines theindividuals behavior. C. Each individual personality is complex and integrated with its uniquebehavior patterns and social relationships (Allison). Many DID specialists consider DID in the same class as schizophrenia,depression, and anxiety (Sidran). DID has been found to existpredominantly in females in a clinical population, but mainly in males in acriminal offender subpopulation (Allison). Although it is diagnosed almostentirely among women...
