Multiple Personality Disorder (MDP), more recently renamed Dissociative Identity Dissorder (DID) can be confused with illnesses such as Schizophrenia. They are not the same thing although sufferers of both may show similar symptoms such as extreme or unusual moods and behaviours, depression or depressive episodes.
Differences Between MPD and Schizophrenia
Considering these behavioural extremes, it is understandable that some people mistake this disorder for schizophrenia. However, in the case of multiple personality disorder, each personality is separate from, and independent of, the others. Some people do not realise that they have the condition and, in some "pesonalities", may be unaware of the existence of their other "personalities". This is different from schizophrenia because, usually, a schizophrenic who appears to be talking to themselves does not think that the voices are theirs and these voices occur alongside each other as part of an overall person, whereas sufferers of a multiple personality disorder will not appear to talk to themselves because their "personalities" will occur independently.
Characteristics of Multiple Personality Disorder
The case of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" may be appropriate material from which to make examples. Should this person have been real and understood in modern times, he might have been thought to have MPD. Having two extremes which act independently while, once the "normal" person (i.e. Dr. Jekyll) realised that he had another personality, tried to supress it. The "Hyde" character representing an embodiment of the illness. The character showed emotional as well as physical changes which can all be symptoms of MPD.
Anyone can suffer from MPD and it may take awhile to be recognised by a professional. It may appear to the outside world that the sufferer is simply in a bad mood but to those who know the sufferer and have even a little understanding of the disorder, there are some subtle and some obvious differences in the sufferer, including sometimes physical changes which may manifest as a change in the eyes (e.g. darkening or appearing empty or emotionless), and in the general persona where the sufferer may not seem at all "like themselves".
MPD in Childhood
Multiple Personality Disorder can occur at any time but is usually believed to begin in childhood. Children have "imaginary friends" but in MPD sufferers, these "imaginary friends" can become incarnations of the child. For example, when a child says that their imaginary friend did something wrong, while usually the child knows that it was they, and not the imaginary friend, who did it, a child with MPD may be convinced that they did not do anything wrong and this may be true in such a sense that a different personality committed the misdeed.
Symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder
It is thought that sufferers can have anything from just 2 personalities (dual personality disorder) to 100 personalities, although the accepted average is 10 to 15.
Other symptoms of MPD can include hallucinations, amnesia and an inability to concentrate. These being similar to some of the symptoms experienced by schizophrenics. The main difference between the two being the manifestation of personalities. Schizophrenics may have extreme episodes of behaviour or moods but they will be the same person and these will be extremes of the one personality, whereas the extremes of a sufferer of MPD will be completely different personas, appearing as though they are different people, as in the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde described above.
Sufferers may be reluctant to tell people, which may lead to friends and family thinking they had fallen out because an alternative personality may be unaware of the experiences and aqcuaintances of the "original" personality.
Sources:
www.medicinenet.com
www.mayoclinic.com
