Many people have undoubtedly heard about “split personality”. The correct name is “dissociative identity disorder.” It is a mental disorder in which a person perceives an alternation of different mental states with various features of manifestation (for example, character or thinking).
Defining split personality is not easy. A split personality test will help you do this yourself.
Dissociative disorder is often confused with schizophrenia or similar illnesses. With it, a person completely (or partially) loses his self-identification as an individual. Alcohol addiction is also often classified as one of these diseases: after all, in a state of intoxication, a person tends to change behavior, thinking, etc.
Take the split personality test and stay calm
Do you think that split personality is a rare phenomenon that does not threaten you? You are wrong!
This test should not be taken as a serious psychological examination. This is just an entertainment poll. However, if your results are alarming, you should seriously think about your mental health.
What quality do you consider to be the best in a person?
Describe your close friends.
I don't have any close friends at all. But those who exist are quite adequate and cheerful people.
How do you usually behave in the workplace?
How do you behave with a person you see for the first time in your life?
Continue the phrase: “When we open our soul to someone, we...”
Are there many people who really know you well?
Does it often happen to you that you forget some important event in your life, and with it all the details of this event?
Do your opinions often change under the influence of the opinions of your interlocutor?
Would you say that your opinion changes often, without any particular reason?
Are you prone to depression?
Do you think that your life is full of problems and troubles?
Have you ever had a situation when, under the influence of some kind of stress, you tried to commit suicide?
Do you like to dream so much that you don’t want to return to reality?
How do you feel in the company of strangers?
split personality test
You have clear signs of a split personality. You often talk to yourself - whether out loud or in your head. Moreover, you even have disputes and conflicts with yourself. You are often offended by yourself and may not speak for several days. You should see a psychologist. Most likely, you are stressed too often, which is why your psyche begins to get “naughty.” Split personality disorder that is diagnosed early is easier to treat.
You are completely alone and that's great! There are no other personalities living within you; you are a completely adequate person. You periodically experience attacks of panic, fear, and an influx of melancholy. However, you do not plunge headlong into these negative emotions, constantly maintaining your control over the situation. This is a very correct position. Continue in the same spirit, and you will definitely not face a split personality!
You are probably terribly tired. Moreover, not physically, but psychologically. Your psyche is currently so exhausted that it periodically “goes out of control.” You often suffer from insomnia or wake up in a cold sweat from nightmares, and you have periods of hopeless sadness. This is quite normal, you just need to spend a little more time on your mental health. Try to relax and enjoy life as much as possible!
Patient characteristics
A person with a split personality is very unbalanced ; he incorrectly perceives the surrounding reality and himself as part of it.
The patient experiences frequent attacks of aggression when there is no apparent reason for its occurrence.
In addition, the patient experiences sleep disturbances, severe migraines and hyperhidrosis often occur, which also has a negative impact on his quality of life. The person has a very changeable character , the disease is characterized by sudden changes in mood.
For example, just a few minutes ago the patient could experience euphoria, which abruptly gives way to tearfulness or apathy. At the same time, the person himself does not realize that he is sick.
It is important to remember that at the initial stage of development of the disease, a person does not pose any danger to others, however, over time and as the disease progresses, if the patient is not provided with the necessary assistance, he can become socially dangerous. In this case, his isolation from society will be required.
What is it like to live with a split personality? Find out in this video:
What is cognitive dissonance? You will find the definition on our website.
What harms the human psyche: main factors
There are three factors that significantly undermine our psyche!
Maintaining mental health is not easy. These are the factors that significantly undermine it.
The first signs of schizophrenia in women - when is it time to sound the alarm?
| Factors that undermine the psyche | Description |
| No daily routine | Our body is designed in such a way that it lives according to a program of circadian rhythms. This is a kind of biological clock that “tells” us when to sleep and stay awake. If a person ignores circadian rhythms, he automatically enters a stress phase. And if episodic stress does not cause significant harm to mental health, then chronic stress can disable a person’s psyche. |
| Social inactivity | Man is a social being. This means that communication is vital for all of us. The lack of communication slowly but surely puts pressure on the human psyche, driving it into depression. |
| Hypersensitivity | Each of us faces worries and concerns. But there is a category of people who perceive any trouble as a real disaster. It is incredibly difficult for such people to live and, most importantly, enjoy this life. |
Treatment options
How to treat it? Complex therapy, which includes taking certain medications, as well as the use of psychotherapy methods, will help eliminate the manifestations of the problem. The most commonly prescribed medications for patients are :
- neuroleptics;
- antidepressants;
- tranquilizers;
- nootropics;
- vitamin preparations containing vit. B and nicotinic acid.
It is important to remember that it is necessary to prescribe medications with great caution , since incorrectly selected drug therapy can only aggravate the patient’s condition.
Psychotherapeutic treatment is one of the important aspects of disease treatment.
In particular, they use such methods of psychotherapy as:
- Introspection . It only works if the patient himself is aware of his illness. And this happens very rarely.
- Abstraction . A person identifies only those thoughts and preferences that are characteristic of his real personality, while all other images must be blocked.
- Self-affirmation . A person tries to accept all the features of his character, his preferences.
- Family trainings under the guidance of an experienced specialist.
- Hypnosis is a trance state in which pseudo-images are blocked and the splitting of consciousness is eliminated.
Is your mental health okay?
So, you do not have any mental disorders. But does this mean that you are completely healthy? No. How can you find out about the state of your psyche? Here are the criteria that define a healthy psyche:
- The ability to change your life. A mentally healthy person is able to assess the quality of his own life and understand whether it suits him or not. If something is wrong, a mentally healthy person makes some adjustments.
- Self-esteem. Adequate self-esteem is one of the main signs of a healthy psyche. A morally healthy person respects himself and his feelings.
- Ability to solve problems. Every mentally healthy and mature person is able to independently make a decision and find a way out of the current situation.
- Feeling of own safety. If you are mentally healthy, you will feel safe if there are no obvious signs of danger. Moreover, this feeling of security will accompany you both in a group of people and completely alone. Panic attacks and causeless anxiety are signs of neurosis.
- Sense of responsibility. A mentally healthy and mature person realizes that he is responsible, at a minimum, for his own life. Not to mention the lives of loved ones.
- The ability to give and receive love. If you are mentally healthy, you will not have difficulty expressing love and gratitude to your loved ones. In addition, you will be completely comfortable accepting this love and kindness from other people.
- The ability to look at the world realistically. A morally mature person looks at the world realistically, without idealizing it. He dreams, but he does not need these dreams in order to escape from harsh reality.
- The ability to calmly endure problems. When faced with some kind of trouble, a person with a healthy psyche will not become depressed and will not think about suicide.
- Craving for various hobbies. A person always has a desire to learn new things. He loves to learn and gain experience. Such a person, as a rule, has several hobbies with the help of which he expresses himself and develops.
Please note: a clear sign of a healthy psyche is interest in life.
Tips to recognize split personality:
Schizophrenia and psychosis due to drug use
On October 1, 2021, a month of anti-drug events dedicated to the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking started in St. Petersburg.
Events traditionally held in April have been moved to October.
The goal is to expand the forms of public participation in the prevention of non-medical consumption and illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, as well as the formation of public opinion that motivates a healthy lifestyle and the resistance of adolescents and young people to the pressure of the drug environment.
As part of the month of anti-drug activities from October 1 to October 31 in St. Petersburg, the State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 1” has planned a set of anti-drug awareness-raising events that will be implemented in cooperation with the administration of the Vasileostrovsky district, subordinate institutions of education, healthcare, social protection and local government bodies .
The events will be held taking into account current restrictions related to the spread of the new coronavirus infection and in compliance with all safety standards.
Is it possible to develop schizophrenia as a result of drug addiction?
Drug addiction, like alcoholism, is one of the main social problems of society today. Any addiction is a disease, no matter what substance it is caused by, the most important thing is that people suffer, their environment, their families are in dysfunctional relationships. Children from these families do not receive proper education. This is a big scourge for Russia today.
Is it possible to develop schizophrenia “from drug addiction”? It is difficult to answer the question unambiguously; each case is considered by psychiatrists individually. The brain is a delicate structure; it is a balance of a large number of neurotransmitters. When you interfere with this structure, the consequences can be the most unpredictable.
Drugs, especially synthetic ones, have a very negative effect on the human nervous system. Such drugs can not only destroy brain cells, but also cause mental disorders. Schizophrenia and drug addiction have a complex relationship, so after taking narcotic substances it is possible to develop symptoms similar to manifestations of schizophrenia (perception disorders, hallucinatory states). At the same time, anyone who decides to “try” a drug must understand that even a single use can lead to dire consequences for the psyche. Is it worth experimenting with your psyche?
Drugs with a psychedelic effect (LSD, spice, amphetamine, etc.) can easily provoke the onset of schizophrenia in a healthy person if his genes already contain a predisposition to this disease. Scientists have proven that taking amphetamines against the background of schizophrenia leads to an exacerbation of the clinical picture and a significant deterioration in the patient’s condition. If the diagnosis has already been made, but the patient continues to use psychoactive substances, then the prognosis is extremely unfavorable. The processes of destruction of brain cells, as well as personality degradation under the influence of drugs, occur much faster. There is a high risk of psychosis, which is much more severe than without taking narcotic substances.
Many schizophrenics under the influence of drugs become socially dangerous. They are capable of killing or maiming others without experiencing any remorse (even after recovering from drug intoxication). Another danger is the possibility of suicide of a patient, who in such a state may imagine numerous dangers, enemies, or vice versa - instead of a balcony on the 15th floor, a person may see a green lawn and strive to get to it.
The development of schizophrenia can be triggered by strong psychoactive substances consumed in large quantities, which have a strong hallucinogenic effect. One study confirms the development of acute psychosis due to cannabis use.
Psychosis due to drug addiction.
Synthetic drugs cause mental disorders that are extremely difficult to treat. Long-term use of synthetic drugs causes severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression. The use of psychoactive substances causes irritability, sleep and appetite disorders, behavioral abnormalities and sexual disorders.
Drugs lead to affective disorders, which can “occur” under the guise of dysthymia, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Also among drug addicts there are many patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, which is observed in lovers of synthetic analogues of cocaine: amphetamine, pervitin, methamphetamine. Symptoms manifest themselves in the form of delusions, auditory, visual and tactile hallucinations. Patients with these disorders exhibit aggressive behavior and are often involved in criminal situations.
With regular use of the mixture that is in demand today, delusional ideas, disturbances in thinking are added to acute hallucinations, and gross personality changes are clearly visible. People addicted to spice usually end up in a psychiatric ward after a certain time, because they become dangerous to a healthy society. Then doctors may suspect the progression of schizophrenia, creeping up unnoticed under the influence of synthetic cannabinoids, which include the illegal drug.
In addition to the fact that it provokes a significant decrease in the cortical content of dopamine, while simultaneously increasing its content in the midbrain, the drug leads to the extremely rapid development of a harmful mental disorder. If a person is predisposed to developing a mental disorder, by indulging in drugs, he achieves that the hidden illness is transformed into schizophrenia with all the ensuing consequences. Progressing by leaps and bounds, it completely cuts off a person from normal life.
Treatment of mental disorders from drugs
. Treatment of psychoses caused by drug use is significantly complicated; synthetic psychoactive substances bind tightly to brain receptors and accumulate in the body tissues. Treatment of this condition is carried out primarily in a psychiatric hospital or psychoneurological dispensary by qualified specialists - narcologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist.
We still don't fully understand how to treat it. You need to select a medication regimen. Often this is a selection of drugs to restore the psyche a little bit. The process often takes several years (!!!). Treatment of drug addiction is a complex process that requires a lot of effort and takes a lot of time.
The best way to combat addiction may be long-term psychotherapy. In both healthy and sick people, the cause of craving for alcohol and drugs is most often an increased level of anxiety, which can be relieved by working with a competent psychotherapist who knows how to interact with mentally ill patients, knows the peculiarities of their thinking and ways of influencing specifically altered consciousness patient with schizophrenia.
Conclusion:
A prerequisite for successful therapy is compliance with the rehabilitation period, which can last from 6 months to several years. The most difficult thing is to find an incentive to continue living without drugs. In this case, the help of professional psychotherapists, psychologists and the support of relatives is required. Any pathological dependence in schizophrenia poses a danger to the patient and can aggravate the course of the disease. Unfortunately, science does not know a “magic pill” that can instantly save a patient from drug addiction. Long-term work with specialists, trust in the doctor and careful taking of prescribed medications will help the patient cope with both dangerous habits and the underlying disease in order to return to a normal (or almost normal) life in society.
St. Petersburg State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 1” social work specialist V.P. Vysotskaya
