Multiple personality disorder

Multiple personality disorder is a mental illness whereby a person has several different personalities. It is often considered to be a type of schizophrenia, or indeed to be a more correct way of describing schizophrenia; however others consider that the two conditions are separate or even that multiple personality disorder is imaginary.

People with multiple personality disorder have 2 or more personalities that take turns in taking over a person's conscious mind. Ordinarily their main persona will be dominant most of the time, although it is dangerous when the main persona becomes overpowered by other personas.

This is described readily in a variety of movies, and whilst some claim that it is real, others claim that it is imaginary and never really happens, offering a variety of alternative explanations for it.

Another, rarer condition, called pathological schizophrenia, exists which is similar to multiple personality disorder but is more closely related to depression in terms of its causes.