Thursday, April 17, 2008

Herschel Walker and Dissociative Identity Disorder



US Football star, Herschel Walker, has written a book about his lifelong experience with Dissociative Identity Disorder .

Dissociative Identity Disorder - formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder - occurs in childhood. However, most cases aren't diagnosed until a person reaches adulthood. Be it abuse in the form of physical, emotional, sexual, or a combination therein, DID can develop to cope with trauma. There are no precise numbers on how many people experience DID. Many who have the disorder don't seek treatment for fear that they will not be believed. But Stanford University psychiatrist Dr. David Spiegel - who has been studying this disorder for over three decades - estimates that DID affects about 1 percent of the population.


In his book, Walker talks about coming to terms with his DID diagnosis, hopes to educate others about the disorder and address skepticism and stigma. Walker is a sports legend, holding many records, but feels that his greatest achievement will be "to tell the world about my truth".



Wow.



~ Trigger alert: Comments expressed offer differing opinions about DID ~