ELI5
when someone has multiple personalities, how does the doctor know they’re not just faking it?
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I am not an expert here, so this is a laymen’s explanation:
Number one reason in my mind would be the social stigma against people with multiple personality disorders. I think it would be very very rare for someone to want to fool a doctor into thinking they have it. Also, most anti-psychotic meds have nasty side effects, especially if you don’t have the condition they’re meant to treat. If someone were to do this, it would probably be because of Münchausen syndrome, which is itself very rare.
Secondly, it would be hard to convincingly fake. Cases of Münchausen syndrome would usually have other signs present, like a history of extensive medical diagnoses or of lying about medical issues. Good psychologists and psychiatrists pick up on that sort of thing, and would think about all the other possibilities before diagnosing a multiple personality disorder.
There is a book called the DSM-5 which is the current diagnostic manual used by professional to diagnose mental illnesses (I’ve read parts of it, so I know what it is like). It has lists of diagnostic criteria, and to diagnose an illness, a patient must meet a certain number of them.
Additionally, these disorders cause a lot of problems and damage in people’s lives. To lie convincingly, a person would most likely have to damage things like their professional reputation, personal relationships, etc. That sort of thing isn’t done without a motivation, and I think that’s the main piece missing here.
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