“Is it like split?”
This has to be one of the top questions I get in our TikTok livestreams, where we educate and chat about our lived experience with Dissociative Identity Disorder (Formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder).
“Dissociative Identity Disorder is a dissociative disorder resulting from severe, prolonged and ongoing childhood trauma prior to a crucial developmental age of roughly 8/9. It prevents the brain from forming connections between parts of the brain, and as a result, the brain remains fragmented and susceptible to ongoing fragmentation. These fragments are often called parts/alters, and they develop independently and separately from each other, some holding the horrific trauma memories and experiences, whilst others hold minimal or no trauma memories – allowing the child to go on with living the everyday life between trauma.”
DID is an umbrella term – it covers the five diagnostic criteria. However, underneath that umbrella is a whole range of individual experiences – no two systems are the same. A system refers to the collective parts or alters inside the brain. Although there may be common themes and similarities, the individuality and uniqueness of how each system operates and exists is as unique as each person. And that is important to remember, as no two systems will be the same.
Anyway, back to the Unbreakable Trilogy, a psychological horror and superhero thriller series. I had watched Split and Glass many years ago, but it had been before our diagnosis in 2021, and my memory of it was vague. So, I promised viewers I would sit down and watch the entire trilogy again and give my honest reflections on its accuracy as both someone with DID and a qualified therapist.
I watched all three movies in the trilogy; however, the first movie, Unbreakable, contained no reference to DID and will not be referred to. The character with DID in Split and Glass is supposedly roughly based on the story of Billy Milligan. However, the purpose of this piece is to reflect on the accuracy of DID portrayal, not the accuracy of the film in portraying Billy Milligan. As a qualified therapist myself – I also noticed the numerous ethical violations and inaccuracy of the therapist’s portrayal in Split, along with the treatment of the psychiatric facility in Glass – which is a whole other piece for another time!
The films, by definition, are thrillers and horror – designed to create an unrealistic fear in the viewer. Even if people know that it’s Hollywoodized and dramatised, often it’s their only reference point to the disorder, and implicit biases form subconsciously.
It makes sense to me that the most common question I get is ‘Is it like Split?’ followed by ‘Do you have an evil/bad/violent alter?’ when there is very little public awareness of such a misunderstood disorder, and the only representation is severely distorted and violence-filled movies.
However, research has said that those with DID are more likely to be violent toward themselves than others, which rings true to our system and many others I have spoken with. Also, those who have been through trauma, and those with DID always have, are more likely to be victims than perpetrators. Having DID doesn’t necessarily correlate with a higher level of violence. Indeed, one study showed that only 0.6% of people with DID were incarcerated.
The way it portrayed relationships was complete violence – and had very little accurate portrayal of what everyday relationships would look like. Almost every relationship in Split and Glass is based on fear and violence. The vast majority of systems, including ours, have relationships with others not based on violence, although there are often additional complexities. There is also no accuracy in the day-to-day life of what someone with DID might be.
Split portrayed that there were separate clothes for each alter, and each time an alter was triggered – they would change into their clothes. This can be true for some systems – the alter/part who is out will change into what makes them feel more comfortable. For our system, different alters have somewhat differing styles; however, for the most part, they cannot be bothered changing unless they’re uncomfortable or there is a particular reason, such as leaving the house.
The movie’s presentation of alters/parts and the switching (from one part to another) is quite overt and exaggerated. Although alters/parts may be quite different, some of the differences might be more subtle. Split portrays parts as fully formed with their own full personalities, however in many systems there are parts that may not be fully formed, also called fragments, or parts who hold specific jobs or tasks. Although some parts may be out more frequently, others rarely, if at all, end up out in the body.
Some switches may be more noticeable but are frequently more covert. This can be further complicated as some alters will mask as other alters, which is somewhat alluded to at the beginning of Split. There is some portrayal of rapid switching – this is when switches occur quickly one after the other, but it’s often not as overt or dramatic as portrayed.
The movie also depicts triggers, although in a very limited way. Triggers are often what cause switches in parts. They can be positive or negative and unique to each part or alter. Negative triggers are trauma triggers – whilst positive triggers are anything a part might have a strong positive emotional attachment to. Although Split and Glass do depict triggers – they are very limited. Although we do not discuss our specific triggers for safety reasons, there are many different triggers for parts. And sometimes triggers do work and other times they don’t. It’s not as clear-cut as Split portrays it to be!
There is also some representation of non-human alters; however, their representation is supernatural and inaccurate. Indeed, it makes a mockery of non-human alters. All parts are part of the fragmented brain – and many systems possess non-human alters. Ultimately, no matter how the alter or part looks or presents internally, it was a part that was formed to adapt to the trauma or situation they were going through.
Split portrays that parts cannot age – however, parts can begin to age, often with therapy and as they spend more time in the body. I know several systems that have had parts that have aged. Our system has also had parts that have aged as they’ve spent more time out in the body, gained more life experience and participated in therapy.
As a qualified therapist living with DID, I conclude that Split is a wildly inaccurate representation of DID. Although some minimal points might be accurate for some systems, for the most part, it was based on relationships of violence, fear and horror. It is a movie designed to instil fear and uses a highly misunderstood and stigmatised disorder. It portrayed it in a way that will directly, if not implicitly, instil fear into those who know nothing about DID. Although it has been a recognised diagnosis for over 40 years, many people and even medical professionals refuse to acknowledge its existence. It is already challenging to find therapists who are adequately trained in the highly specialised field of DID, and the added stigma and disbelief of society and some medical professionals makes seeking help extra challenging.
We need more accurate media representations of what it is like to live with DID from people who LIVE with DID. It’s why I share our story, write, and continue to put myself out there. I do live-streaming and answering questions to help people see an example of what it’s like. Although my experience is just one of many, if I can do my part, it will help others continue to learn, and those who experience DID feel less alone. The more positive associations I can give the world, the better it will be, even if it’s just one small change at a time.
Webermann, A.R., Brand, B.L. Mental illness and violent behavior: the role of dissociation. bord personal disord emot dysregul 4, 2 (2017).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-017-0053-9
KADIR, NAZIAH & Salleh, Hamdan. (2021). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER AND VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR. Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. 2. 10.55197/qjssh.v2i4.85.
https://www.sane.org/information-and-resources/facts-and-guides/dissociative-identity-disorder
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568768/