Cybil Syndrome

[freud]

Many of you have probably seen the movie Cybil. In it the "star", Cybil is a young girl that was abused as a child. Supposedly as a result of this abuse she formed several personalities to deal with specific events that took place in her everyday life. She could be fine one second then all of a sudden she starts to act like a boy, a baby that can not talk and other such persons like a glamorous lady as well.

This movie brought awareness to the multiple personality disorder, however many experts now say that it does not exist and even goes as  far as to say its "debunked."

Any thoughts on its existence?

[ellion]

I cannot see how a whole disorder can just cease to exist, there where people who had this disorder and there where stories even films about them. I think more likely what happend is that psychiatry decided they did not like the label so they changed the label and said that there is no such thing as multiple personality disorder. "from henceforth MPD does not exist" however we still have the remnants of it in the form of people who suffered from it and their stories.

I know that is also happening with PTSD, there is a movement to stop giving diagnosis of ptsd and to say that there is no such a thing.

[cindylawson123]

I would agree with Ellion and can say that a disorder cannot just go off from your life. However, freud, I dont have any evidence of a Cybil Syndrome. it might be a case of Post traumatic stress disorder or (PTSD) as Ellion has put it...yet there is no evidence of its existence, as far as i know...

[watson]

There is no evidence such diseases even exist. You can find a few "victims" and have them say that they suffered from this and that. However, just because someone says something is so, it does not mean it is. Movies, films, stories, whatever does not scientifically validate anything.

[bdng09]

Um...Cybil had dissociativ :Pe personality disorder, which has nothing to do with schizophrenia or other psychoses...sorry common mistake, but totally wrong. This thread is null and void.

[Joni]

As far as Sybill goes, the ghostwriter said the doctor often had to think og of how to connect events that Sybill went through and change notes so it would be consistant. The implication being that events were sometimes fabricated.  Sybill undoubtedly did have traumatising events, regardless of how you label her, and the book did help pay for her medical bills.

The part about it not being a true diagnosis stems from all the people being diagnosed with it in the US seem to be seeing the same few doctors.

What I would like to see is what they have in Europe where the psychiatrist will say This person certainly needs help, and they will get it. A diagnosis is used in Europe, much as we have here, but it is not necessary to get the treatments paid for.

[HexHammer]

It's strange that I'v only heard about split personality in USA, never in Europe or the rest of the world for that matter. Guess it's a hysteric behaviour.

[Joni]

The diagnosis is falling into disfavor here, because the exact process of transformation hasn't been observed, and can't be discribed. It has even been suggested that a person was 'caught" taking baby talk or something, and was embarrassed by it, so denied knowledge of her behavior. She was diagnosed as having  a fughe (spelling?) and the diagnosis became official.