Psychobabble
Psychobabble
Hannah Spier, MD
80. Why So Many Young Women Suddenly Have "Alters"
20 minutes Posted Jul 13, 2026 at 8:03 pm.
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Dissociation is a real and measurable psychological phenomenon—but does that validate dissociative identity disorder as it is commonly portrayed online and diagnosed in clinical practice?

In this episode, psychiatrist Hannah Spier examines the evidence behind DID, the limitations of self-reported amnesia and diagnostic interviews, and the difficulty of distinguishing separate "identities" from shifting emotional states, trauma responses, borderline personality traits, and identity disturbance. Finally, Hannah looks at the history of multiple personality disorder—from mesmerism and hypnosis to *The Three Faces of Eve*, *Sybil*, *Split*, and TikTok—and offers advice for parents whose children return from therapy with a new DID diagnosis. 

Read Hannah's articles and join exclusive live discussions on Substack! https://substack.com/@psychobabblewithspier