Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Switching?Causes of Triggered SwitchingWhen to Talk to Your Healthcare ProviderSummary
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Switching?
Causes of Triggered Switching
When to Talk to Your Healthcare Provider
Summary
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)is a mental health condition that was formerly known as multiple personality disorder or split personality disorder. This condition causes a person to have multiple distinct identities. It typically develops from significant childhood abuse, traumatic events, or overwhelming experiences.
This article discusses triggers that can cause “switching” between identities, or alters, in people with DID.
Verywell / Jiaqi Zhou
Dissociative Identity Disorder StatsDissociative identity disorder is a rare condition, affecting about 2% of people worldwide.
Dissociative Identity Disorder Stats
Dissociative identity disorder is a rare condition, affecting about 2% of people worldwide.
People with dissociative identity disorder have at least two distinctly different identities, but some believe as many as 100 can emerge.Switching is the process of shifting from one identity state to another. This can occur slowly, with obvious signs, or very fast.
According to some research, switches can be consensual, forced or triggered.A consensual switch might be planned ahead of time. For example, an alter who is educated might plan to take over during a scheduled exam at school.
Triggered switches are not intentional. Rather, they occur when a situation forces a particular alter to come forward. There are a variety of triggers that can lead to switching.
Outward Signs of SwitchingA variety of physical signs can indicate that a person with dissociative identity disorder has switched from one alter to another. These can include:Muscle twitchingConfusionSlow, heavy blinkingMemory lossHeadacheClearing the throatChange in the pitch of their voiceChange in vocabularyDifferent temperamentDifferent functional abilities or skillsLack of eye contactChange in handwritingAppearing “spaced out"Adjusting clothingChange in posture
Outward Signs of Switching
A variety of physical signs can indicate that a person with dissociative identity disorder has switched from one alter to another. These can include:Muscle twitchingConfusionSlow, heavy blinkingMemory lossHeadacheClearing the throatChange in the pitch of their voiceChange in vocabularyDifferent temperamentDifferent functional abilities or skillsLack of eye contactChange in handwritingAppearing “spaced out"Adjusting clothingChange in posture
A variety of physical signs can indicate that a person with dissociative identity disorder has switched from one alter to another. These can include:
Stress
Memories and Strong Emotions
Memories can cause a person with dissociative identity disorder to switch from one alter to another. These memories can be either good or bad. An alter switch might occur while a person is looking at old pictures or other memorabilia.
Sudden changes in a person’s emotions, whether positive or negative, can also trigger an alter switch.
Senses
The result is alter switching—whether the alter appears as a frightened child, or an aggressive, dominant alter who is going to stand up for the abused child.
Many movies will depict characters with DID as having a “bad alter”—someone sinister or violent. It is important to note that these characters are not representative of a strong majority of people with DID.
Other Causes of Switching
Drinking alcohol and using drugs can be a trigger for switching.Changing of the seasons or special events such as holidays or birthdays can also be a trigger.
If you suspect that you or someone you know has dissociative identity disorder or is experiencing alter switching, talk to a healthcare provider, such as a mental health professional. DID is a serious condition that can significantly impact a person’s daily life, but treatments are available.
Inward Signs of SwitchingA person might not always be aware that they are switching between alters, but in many cases, there are some inward signs. These can include:Time-lapseMemory lossForgetting how to perform a skillAuditory or visual disturbancesHaving an “out of body” experienceBeing in a trance-like stateBeing out of touch with realityFlashbacks
Inward Signs of Switching
A person might not always be aware that they are switching between alters, but in many cases, there are some inward signs. These can include:Time-lapseMemory lossForgetting how to perform a skillAuditory or visual disturbancesHaving an “out of body” experienceBeing in a trance-like stateBeing out of touch with realityFlashbacks
A person might not always be aware that they are switching between alters, but in many cases, there are some inward signs. These can include:
Signs and Symptoms of Dissociative Disorders
There are a variety of triggers that can cause switching between alters, or identities, in people with dissociative identity disorder. These can include stress, memories, strong emotions, senses, alcohol andsubstance use, special events, or specific situations. In some cases, the triggers are not known.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Association.What are dissociative disorders?The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab.Dissociative identity disorder facts and statistics.Cleveland Clinic.Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder).Dissociative Identity Disorder Research.Switching and passive influence.Loewenstein RJ.Dissociation debates: Everything you know is wrong.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2018;20(3):229-242. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.3/rloewensteinDell. PF.A new model of dissociative identity disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2006;29(1):1-26. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2005.10.013
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychiatric Association.What are dissociative disorders?The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab.Dissociative identity disorder facts and statistics.Cleveland Clinic.Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder).Dissociative Identity Disorder Research.Switching and passive influence.Loewenstein RJ.Dissociation debates: Everything you know is wrong.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2018;20(3):229-242. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.3/rloewensteinDell. PF.A new model of dissociative identity disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2006;29(1):1-26. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2005.10.013
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Psychiatric Association.What are dissociative disorders?The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab.Dissociative identity disorder facts and statistics.Cleveland Clinic.Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder).Dissociative Identity Disorder Research.Switching and passive influence.Loewenstein RJ.Dissociation debates: Everything you know is wrong.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2018;20(3):229-242. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.3/rloewensteinDell. PF.A new model of dissociative identity disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2006;29(1):1-26. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2005.10.013
American Psychiatric Association.What are dissociative disorders?
The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab.Dissociative identity disorder facts and statistics.
Cleveland Clinic.Dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality disorder).
Dissociative Identity Disorder Research.Switching and passive influence.
Loewenstein RJ.Dissociation debates: Everything you know is wrong.Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2018;20(3):229-242. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2018.20.3/rloewenstein
Dell. PF.A new model of dissociative identity disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2006;29(1):1-26. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2005.10.013
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