Difference between Multiple Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

In the tunnel of psychology, there are many disorders to discuss which psychologists want to mention in their studies mainly. Among this tunnel, multiple personality disorder is one which is discussed by many other psychologists. And schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are also discussed more by psychologists. These three disorders are mainly confused by many other people because for them, they are almost the same. But in reality, these three are distinctive terms or tendencies upon which it’s easy to ponder about. This post will reveal the difference between Multiple Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder. In order to know the difference, let’s discuss all of three terms separately.

What is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?

Formerly it was called multiple personality disorder (MPD). It is characterized by the presence of multiple, distinct personalities that recurrently control the individual’s behavior, accompanied by the individual’s failure to recall important personal information. A person with dissociative identity disorder will act as more than one personality.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness characterized by psychosis (abnormal thinking) and disintegration of abilities to think logically and maintain normal social behaviour. Common people say it madness. It is common between 15 to 35 years of age. There is a 10 percent prevalence in first-degree biologic relatives.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental disorder that causes a person to have considerable changes in their emotions, thinking, mood, behaviour, sleep, and energy levels. These changes occur from extreme lows to extreme highs. They happen over several days or weeks. Bipolar disorder is divided into two categories:

• Bipolar disorder l
• Bipolar disorder ll

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Multiple personality Disorder vs Schizophrenia vs Bipolar Disorder:

Overall difference:

Schizophrenia is a disorder that a person may gain at the time of birth, sometimes, psychologists say that it may be inherited or may be acquired at the time of birth. As far as the symptoms are concerned, they don’t actually develop at a very early age but it starts reaching a person after a long period of time.

Bipolar disorder is divided into two types:

Bipolar disorder l – It is characterized by a history of manic (mania is a state of abnormal mood that is predominantly euphoric and irritable. There may be rapid shifts to anger or even to short-lived spells of depression, with tearfulness, suicide threats, and other depressive symptoms) or mixed episodes (both manic and depressive) during the course of the disorder.

Bipolar disorder ll – It is characterized by major depressive episodes and at least one hypomanic episode (hypomania is a clinical state that is similar to mania but less severe) but no manic episode.

At what age it attacks both genders (men and women)?

As far as the males are concerned, schizophrenia attacks men in the age of adolescents in the early 20’s. On the other, when it comes to the women, symptoms knock the door of women in the span of 20s and 30s. According to psychologists, symptoms do attack a being during childhood but it one of the rarest cases to be seen in past years.

Multiple Personality Disorder equally affects males and females. It is most common between the ages of 5 and 6 years old.

Bipolar disorder affects men early than women. It occurs mostly between the ages of 15 to 19 years. The second most common ages are from 20 to 24 years.

Symptoms of all of three:

Experience of the victim with schizophrenia: The victim of this disorder has several problems to encounter. Among them, the foremost one is hallucination and delusions we can say that in dreams, he sees those things which are not aware of but he will end up in believing those things, for example, he may encounter the spirits flying and talking to him, some demons sitting with him on the dining table, forcing him to do something. He may confront some powers to be called the son of the god but everyone knows that it’s not true. A person with this condition also suffers from disordered thinking, decreased attention span, and problems with focusing. Typically, those with this disorder withdraw socially. It is mainly common for those with this sate to appear without feelings and emotions and eventually lose their ability to initiate or start too carried out the plans.

Experience of victim with Multiple Personality Disorder: Following are the symptoms of people with dissociative personality disorder:

Depression

Suicidal thoughts

Memory problems

Mood swings

Insomnia

Sleepwalking

Depersonalisation (a condition in which a person experiences detachment from his own self)

Post-traumatic hallucination

Somatoform symptoms (are characterized by somatic (body) symptoms suggestive of physical illness but without demonstrable organic pathology or known physiologic basis. It means physical symptoms are due to psychological factors)

Derealisation (a condition in which a person experiences detachment from the entire world)

Auditory verbal hallucinations (hearing voices in absence of spokesmen)

Following are the symptoms of people with bipolar disorder which are divided into two:

• Depressive symptoms:

Sad mood

Fatigue

Loss of interest

Decrease or increase sleep

Decrease or increase appetite

Decrease libido

Low self-esteem

Hopelessness

Helplessness

Suicidal ideation

• Manic symptoms:

Elated, irritable or euphoric mood

Fast and pressured speech

Overactivity

Disinhibited behaviour (over drinking, over spending and increases sexual activity)

Impaired memory

Insomnia

Decrease appetite

Weight loss

Auditory verbal hallucinations.

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Internal and external state of the victim:

The victim of schizophrenia will believe in the voices which he will hear in the state of hallucination. At times, he will be scared but with a belief that no one will harm him. Sometimes, he may look like a stagnant force sitting for long hours without giving him a move.

However, people with multiple personality disorder looks like a normal human being but when they talk or behave other people came to know their actuality. This chaos is also marked by awkward, ungraceful movement and an inability to care for oneself or work or job.

Whereas people with bipolar disorder also looks like a normal human being. Most people with bipolar disorder have families and jobs and live normal lives.

What is the major difference between the three?

The major difference between them is that the victims of schizophrenia are not the people born with it. This mental condition is further conditioned by what has happened in life before. It is mainly related to the trauma that a person got at any stage of life. People misunderstand schizophrenia with dissociative identity disorder. Schizophrenia is a kind of psychosis whereas dissociative identity disorder is like a person having personalities more than one so they behave like two persons or more. And people with bipolar disorder have mood swings. Their treatments are also bit different:

Treatment of schizophrenia – Antipsychotic medications such as Chlorpromazine, haloperidol, risperidone, clozapine are commonly used.

Treatment of dissociative identity disorder – Psychotherapy.

Treatment of bipolar disorder – Lithium with antidepressants. And antipsychotics if there is psychosis.

Conclusion:

Concluding the whole, now you can tell the difference between schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, and bipolar disorder. Next time when you see such symptoms in a person you can tell what they are going through and contact the doctor as soon as possible.