DissociativeIdentityDisorder (DID), formerly known as MultiplePersonalityDisorder (MPD), is also referred to as dissociative personality disorder in some publications. It is a type of psychological disorder that is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as an Axis I dissociative disorder. Dissociative identity disorder is the result of an interaction of several factors: intense stress, dissociation of abilities (including unification of one’s memory, perception, and identity in consciousness), acquisition of defensive abilities during development, lack of empathy and comfort after childhood victimization, and lack of ability to protect oneself from future injurious stimuli. Identity unity is not innate, but depends on a variety of resources and experiences that develop later in life. In traumatized children, this development is blocked and many traits that should be combined in the same identity remain in isolation. Studies in North America show that 97% to 98% of adult patients with dissociative disorders report a history of childhood abuse, while a history of abuse can be verified in 85% of adult patients and 95% of patients with childhood, adolescent dissociative disorders, and other similar forms of dissociative disorders. Although these data suggest that a history of childhood abuse is an important factor in the onset of the disorder in North American patients (in some cultures, war and disaster play a more dominant role), this does not mean that all patients have a history of abuse or that the abusive experiences reported by patients actually occurred. Some descriptions of abuse experiences have been shown to be inaccurate. At the same time, some patients without a history of abuse suffered a major trauma (e.g., death of a parent), had a serious illness, or experienced a major stressful event in early childhood. As an example, a patient with dissociative disorder who had multiple hospitalizations and surgeries during childhood has a clear history of trauma, but no history of abuse. Individual development depends on the successful integration of a variety of complex information and experiences during childhood. As children gain a unified and complex understanding of themselves and those around them, they will successfully navigate through those different stages of perceptual and emotional dissociation. Each developmental period produces a different self, and not everyone who experiences childhood abuse and trauma develops multiple personalities. Multiple personality patients are susceptible to hypnosis, a trait that is closely associated with dissociative qualities and is thought to be a factor in the development of dissociative disorders. Of course, the vast majority of children with these qualities are still normally resilient and are able to be protected and comforted by adults without developing dissociative identity disorder.