Alcohol Blackout Postscript: During Heather’s “blackout,” did she fail to recognize her husband because of cognitive impairment or multiple personality?

One of the classic signs of multiple personality is when a person—one who obviously does not have advanced Alzheimer’s—does not recognize someone they know very well. If this happens when no alcohol or drugs are involved, the person may be called “absent-minded.” If it happens when the person is intoxicated, the failure to recognize someone they know may be attributed to a “blackout.” But it is a classic sign of multiple personality.

In multiple personality, some personalities are co-conscious and know each other’s business, but other personalities are not co-conscious and don’t know each other’s business. The latter situation is why multiples have memory gaps. If the drinking personality is not co-conscious with the regular “host” personality, then the drinking personality may not know that the person is married.

All kinds of out-of-character behavior seen during supposed alcohol blackouts may be due to multiple personality. For example, if the person’s actual age is 30, but the drinking personality has a much younger self-image—say that of a 13-year-old—behavior that might be obnoxious but understandable in an adolescent might seem outrageous and totally unacceptable for person who is 30.

In general, if a person you know is showing distinctly out-of-character behavior, you might ask the person “Who are you?” or, since an alternate personality is often reluctant, at first, to reveal its name, “How old are you?” Of course, to have any hope of getting a serious answer, you have to ask your question in a perfectly matter-of-fact way and without even the slightest trace of sarcasm.

If the person, speaking in all sincerity, gives you an age different from their true age—say 13 instead of 30—then you know you are speaking to an alternate personality. The same is true if they give either a completely different name or a nickname that they don’t always use.

In short, at least consider the possibility of multiple personality whenever a person, drinking or not, has out-of-character behavior.