Much has been made about Jodi Arias’ strange behavior. Prosecutors claim Arias brutally killed Travis Alexander on June 4, 2008. Many people claim she has multiple personality disorder, but there is another personality disorder that is less known and seems more appropriate in describing Jodi Arias: it’s called Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Dissociative Identity Disorder is a disorder where the victim’s persona has been shattered. It’s not multiple personalities, it’s a shattered personality as a result of severe trauma. Victims compartmentalize their experiences in a way that astounds others. They don’t actually have different personas. It makes them seem sociopathic or split or totally disconnected. Dissociative Identity Disorder is commonly mislabeled as multiple personality disorder. Her recent Tweets demonstrate this disconnect:
“I would have signed a plea years ago to avoid this disaster, but I was refused a plea as the State and the family refused to settle,”
“My only other option was suicide and, well …”
“N. DisGrace has set back the cause of all women who have survived domestic violence. Her circus makes a mockery of something very serious.”
Jodi Arias insists she was protecting herself from Alexander, who had abused her.
MPD has been reclassified by the American Psychiatric Association as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV, p. 487), characterizes it by:
A. The presence of two or more distinct personality states;
B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently
take control of the person’s behavior.
C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too
extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness;
D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a
substance or a general medical condition.
It involves the creation of personality “alters”: or alternative personalities. Jodi doesn’t appear to have different personalities–rather she appears to be severely compartmentalized which keeps her from accepting any responsibility or showing any remorse in the case.
She does also appear to have elements of Borderline Personality Disorder for example the hyper- sexualization and the severe narcissism. So she appears to be on the Axis 2 of the DSMIV for sure, but really possessing multiple personality disorders. In all likelihood Jodi was severely abused at around the age of 3 as is common in Borderline Personality. The trauma prevents the individual from developing as an adult. Although they appear to be adults and can often be quite successful and intelligent the part of their brain that deals with intimacy is undeveloped.
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