Living in harmony: Fort Mill woman aims to get along with alternative personalities

Alternate personalities are what helps Fort Mill resident Amelia Joubert function.

It may affect less than one percent of the population, but Joubert, 18, wants people to know what it really means to live with Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID.

DID, formally known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct, independent identities typically associated with the need to dissociate from childhood trauma, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Joubert, who was diagnosed with the disorder at 15 years old, has 12 main “alters” – short for alternate personalities. She said that when a person develops DID in childhood, they can continue to develop alters if the situation arises.

Ahina, 18, is the verbal protector of the system, the term Joubert uses to describe herself and her alters.

“She will stand up to anyone who is verbally being mean or aggressive towards us,” Joubert said.

Scarlet, 19, is the outgoing and energetic one and considered the co-host of Joubert’s system as she is out nearly the same amount of time as Joubert.

“She loves meeting new people and being the life of the party,” Joubert said.

Joubert’s youngest alter is four-year-old Tina. Then there is 14-year-old Rider, who likes to skateboard, and the rebellious one, May, 16.

Alters can function independently and vary in gender, age and other attributes. These are not alter egos, which can exist in people without dissociative symptoms, according to Trauma Dissociation, a website dedicated to sharing information about dissociative disorders and trauma.

Most of the time, Joubert experiences co-consciousness with her alters, where she knows what is going on and can communicate with the alter, though the alter is in control of her body.

A common misconception is that individuals with DID can switch between their personalities at will, but typically the switch is triggered by the situation, said Dr. Bilal Ghandour of Southeast Psychology, who has five years’ experience with the disorder.

“It doesn’t happen automatically,” he said.

DID is often inaccurately diagnosed as schizophrenia, Ghandour said.

People have long held a belief that the term schizophrenia is used to describe split personalities, but in reality the disease is due to a disconnect between the sides of a person’s mind, he said.

Schizophrenia is characterized by an imbalance in the chemical reactions in the brain, affecting how a person feels, thinks and acts, according to the National Institutes of Health. This can often result in delusions, hallucinations and cognitive symptoms.

“Schizophrenia is not a coping mechanism,” Ghandour said.

DID, on the other hand, forms when a person detaches themselves from a traumatic situation. That detachment can present itself as another part of their personality, Ghandour said. Some with the disorder may detach without switching to a completely different personality.

A ‘harmonious system’

Treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder often involves therapy targeted toward integration of the alternate personalities, Ghandour said. However, in Amelia’s and other cases, that step is not always considered a cure.

“They believe that if they integrate the different parts, they are losing part of themselves,” he said.

Instead, Ghandour, Joubert’s therapist, said he has focused on helping Amelia and her alters live in a harmonious system.

“It’s really working even though it might not be my original approach to this type of problem,” he said.

The hardest part of having the disorder is the stigma, said Jaime Pollack, a Florida resident who was diagnosed with DID in 2005. She founded An Infinite Mind, a nonprofit support group for survivors with dissociative disorders.

“We’re automatically judged to be crazy and unfit, but with DID we are actually the exact opposite,” she said. “The whole purpose of DID in a person is to keep them functioning.”

Pollack, who had 15 alters when she first started therapy, discovered her DID while working through her emotional challenges and has now dedicated her life to helping others living with the disorder.

Her organization offers resources, advice and information on dissociative disorders.

“People who have DID are very successful, high functioning, creative people,” Pollack said. “They aren’t what you think they are going to be.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2016 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Living in harmony: Fort Mill woman aims to get along with alternative personalities."