JODHPUR AIIMS SNO-2018
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

A rare condition in which separate personalities exist in the same person is called?

Appeared in: JODHPUR AIIMS SNO-2018

Explanation

  • Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states.
  • These different identities, sometimes called 'alters,' each have their own unique patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and themselves.
  • The condition was previously known as multiple personality disorder.
  • Individuals with DID often experience significant gaps in memory (amnesia) for personal information, daily events, or traumatic incidents.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: A delusion is a single, fixed false belief. It does not involve the existence of multiple, distinct personalities controlling a person's behavior.
  • Option C: Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder characterized by symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. It does not involve a split into separate, coherent personalities.
  • Option D: Somatoform disorder involves physical symptoms (like pain or paralysis) that have no identifiable medical cause. It is a manifestation of psychological distress in a physical form, not a fragmentation of identity.

Related Visual

A chart comparing the core symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder identity fragmentation, amnesia, Schizophrenia psychosis, disorganized thought, Delusional Disorder fi...
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Identification of psychiatric disorders based on defining symptoms as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • A nurse caring for a patient with DID must prioritize building trust and ensuring a safe, stable environment. It's crucial to treat each personality state with respect while maintaining consistent boundaries and treatment goals.
  • Documentation is key. Nurses must meticulously record observed behaviors, conversations, and any switches between personality states to help the multidisciplinary team understand the patient's condition and progress.
  • What if? If a patient reports 'losing time' and having memory gaps but does not present with distinct alternate personalities, the diagnosis might be dissociative amnesia rather than DID. The nurse's role would be to carefully document the nature and extent of the memory loss.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, identify the core concept in the question stem. The key phrase here is 'separate personalities exist in the same person.'
  • Next, systematically review each option and recall its definition.
  • Option A, 'Dissociative identity disorder,' directly matches the description of having multiple personalities.
  • Eliminate Option B, 'Delusion,' because it refers to a false belief, not a separate personality.
  • Eliminate Option C, 'Schizophrenia,' by remembering that it involves a split from reality (psychosis), not a split identity.
  • Eliminate Option D, 'Somatoform disorder,' as it deals with physical symptoms caused by psychological stress, not personality changes.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Identification of psychiatric disorders based on defining symptoms.
  • Stem keywords: rare condition, separate personalities, same person
  • Lead-in keywords: is called

Question ID

Q5N4rzKOUmFzru-QY2Reef

Reference Book

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 1412-1414

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 3840-3842

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