Introduction
Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is one of the most contentious and controversial pathologies in the field of mental health. With less than 3% of the population having Dissociative Identity Disorder, as well as a high comorbidity with other mental disorders, Dissociative Identity Disorder is very difficult to diagnose and to treat. Even within the psychological and medical communities, there is some dissension between scholars as to the validity of the disease, due to the nature of mental illness and DID in particular. Due to the stigma surrounding DID, it is surprising that there was a show aired in television that focused on a woman suffering from an acute case of Dissociative …show more content…
Particularly in the first season, Charmaine acts as the voice of societal stigma. During the first episode of the first season, Charmaine is talking to Max and asks, “Why can’t she just stop? It’s not like it’s a real disease” (Cody, 2009-11). This echoes a popular thought process among people who do not believe that DID is a real disorder. Charmaine also makes statements such as, “It’s not a disorder, it’s a weakness. She does it to herself” (Cody, 2009-11) and, upon Tara explaining some difficulties with Kate and Marshall, “Maybe they are reacting to the trauma of dealing with your schizophrenia” (Cody, 2009-11). In this, Charmaine yet again demonstrates the belief that DID is not real. In the second quotation, Charmaine highlights the confusion between schizophrenia and DID that is common in society. This presents a major issue. Since lack of knowledge and understanding is a root problem of the existence of stigma, and calling DID schizophrenia perpetuates that …show more content…
I loved how the show was about Tara dealing with DID, but it was also about a lot more than that. It was a story about love, family, and life in general. I loved that at the end of the series, when Tara made the decision to seek treatment, it was not portrayed as a fix-all. I love that the show highlighted the characters’ growth. The last few minutes of the last episode, in which Tara said goodbye to her kids as she left for treatment in Boston, was so touching. Kate, who used to be sullen, was sweet, responsible, and empathetic. Marshall, who had some really hard stuff go on separate from what was going on with Tara, said exactly the right thing, even though he was in the process of becoming jaded by life. The show ended in the best way possible, and I really loved
Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is one of the most contentious and controversial pathologies in the field of mental health. With less than 3% of the population having Dissociative Identity Disorder, as well as a high comorbidity with other mental disorders, Dissociative Identity Disorder is very difficult to diagnose and to treat. Even within the psychological and medical communities, there is some dissension between scholars as to the validity of the disease, due to the nature of mental illness and DID in particular. Due to the stigma surrounding DID, it is surprising that there was a show aired in television that focused on a woman suffering from an acute case of Dissociative …show more content…
Particularly in the first season, Charmaine acts as the voice of societal stigma. During the first episode of the first season, Charmaine is talking to Max and asks, “Why can’t she just stop? It’s not like it’s a real disease” (Cody, 2009-11). This echoes a popular thought process among people who do not believe that DID is a real disorder. Charmaine also makes statements such as, “It’s not a disorder, it’s a weakness. She does it to herself” (Cody, 2009-11) and, upon Tara explaining some difficulties with Kate and Marshall, “Maybe they are reacting to the trauma of dealing with your schizophrenia” (Cody, 2009-11). In this, Charmaine yet again demonstrates the belief that DID is not real. In the second quotation, Charmaine highlights the confusion between schizophrenia and DID that is common in society. This presents a major issue. Since lack of knowledge and understanding is a root problem of the existence of stigma, and calling DID schizophrenia perpetuates that …show more content…
I loved how the show was about Tara dealing with DID, but it was also about a lot more than that. It was a story about love, family, and life in general. I loved that at the end of the series, when Tara made the decision to seek treatment, it was not portrayed as a fix-all. I love that the show highlighted the characters’ growth. The last few minutes of the last episode, in which Tara said goodbye to her kids as she left for treatment in Boston, was so touching. Kate, who used to be sullen, was sweet, responsible, and empathetic. Marshall, who had some really hard stuff go on separate from what was going on with Tara, said exactly the right thing, even though he was in the process of becoming jaded by life. The show ended in the best way possible, and I really loved