DESCRIPTION

Dr. Scott Mendelson, MD, examines the ever increasing numbers of individuals diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder. He points out that since the diagnosis became its own diagnostic category in the DSM-III, the sheer numbers have been increasing more in a decade than in a century. He points out that “…the numbers of cases of MPD are far higher in North America than in any other part of the world. Many suspect that this surplus of MPD cases is the product of American culture and over-indulgent psychiatrists and psychotherapists.” He further discusses the proliferation of websites and reports on the increase in personalities (or “alters”) as well therapists reporting patients who claim “alters identified as lobsters, chickens, gorillas, unicorns, rabbits, robots, Mr. Spock, aliens, and God.”

SOURCE:

Huffington Post, January 31, 2011, Scott Mendelson, M.D.

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-mendelson-md/the-primary-causes-of-mul_b_812919.html

(shortened URL)    http://tinyurl.com/ksztsrx

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is Multiple Personality Disorder?

•What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed?

*Is the increased prevalence due to an actual increase in the disorder, better diagnostics, or a type of “hysteria” that sweeps through the media?

•According to the article, how does a particular disorder suddenly gain in popularity? (This can be discussed in terms of other disorders such as ADD, ADHD, OCD, and so on)