Adoptive Parenting, Child Parenting - Abused Adopted Child: Symptoms of Dissociative Disorders

10/02/07

Abused Adopted Child: Symptoms of Dissociative Disorders

Posted by : Faith Allen in Adoptive Parenting Blog at 05:53 am , 638 words, 205 views
Categories: Dissociative Disorders

On my post, Abused Adopted Child: Other Dissociative Disorders, a reader asked the following question:

Faith, Many of us parents of traumatized children, have reported that our kiddos, sometimes talk in different voices. I think the baby voice is probably the most common. Others might have a baby voice, robot voice, an age appropriate voice, and older child voice. Do you [think] this is related to DID?

The short answer to the question is yes, this could be a symptom of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or other form of dissociative disorder. The different voices could be symptoms of various alter parts.

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It is possible to have alter parts without having a diagnosis of DID. Personality fragments, which are basically one-dimensional versions of alter parts, can also cause a change in voice. A person can have numerous personality fragments, resulting in a diagnosis of Dissociative Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (DD-NOS) rather than DID.

Each alter part (whether an alter personality or a personality fragment) split off to protect the inner (or original) child. Each part feels separate from the host personality (the part that the child views as "me.")

Facial Changes

When an alter part emerges, many people report feeling like somebody else is "stepping into their faces." The person can feel a physical difference in facial features, such as higher cheekbones or features that are more angular. Some people report being able to see these physical changes when an alter part has emerged. One woman told me that her eye color actually changes, which has freaked out some of her coworkers.

Voice Changes

Some alter parts sound different. Many are young children (stuck in the age they were when the abuse causing them to split off occurred), so they talk like young children or babies. When alter parts write messages on message boards, they frequently talk like young children and misspell words so they are written phonetically. Other alter parts might talk like they are older because the child "created" an older, wiser, and loving personality to nurture the child and his young alter parts. Some terrified alter parts might only be able to whimper or scream.

Bodily Changes

When alter parts are present, some adults report "feeling shorter." If the alter part is one that was "scared silent," the person might feel paralyzed and unable to move when that alter part emerges.

Emotional Changes

The big clue that an alter part is present is emotional dumping with no context, particularly after a triggering event. One common occurrence is that a child or adult with alter parts is triggered (perhaps during an argument or when feeling cornered), causing the emergence of a self-destructive alter part. The person might suddenly flee the room and beginning cutting, banging his head, or doing something else self-destructive. Another common issue is the emergence of pure rage, terror, or grief. The person will suddenly become the embodiment of this one emotion and will act accordingly, such as destroying property that usually has sentimental value to the person.

If you suspect that your child has alter parts, remember that each part is a part of your child's soul. None of these parts is "bad," even though they can be destructive when emerging with no other context. Each part was created out of love for the inner child as a way to protect the core of the child from being destroyed by evil people. As the child learns to love and accept these parts of himself, the parts will integrate back into the core and become a more "normal" expression of these emotions.