Multiple Personality: Medication, Alcohol, and Substances have effects by changing the balance of power among the various alternate personalities

There is no medication that causes or cures multiple personality. Yet some patients who have multiple personality, often undiagnosed multiple personality, may improve when medication is prescribed. Why is that?

One possibility is that the medication is treating a comorbid condition, such as depression. It is common for people to have both multiple personality and depression. And if the depression is truly a separate condition, then the person may benefit from continuing antidepressant medication even after the multiple personality is cured by merger of all the personalities (which is possible if the multiple personality is no longer serving any useful function in the person’s life and all the alternate personalities agree to it).

Another possibility is that the medication is altering the balance of power among the alternate personalities. Any substance (medication, alcohol, drugs, whatever) may effect different personalities differently. And if, let’s say, the substance sedates a disruptive or anxious personality, or energizes a helpful personality, the patient’s behavior will improve, and the doctor will think the diagnosis that goes with that medication is confirmed, or the person will think that the substance they used is just what they need.

A large minority of people with clinical multiple personality use substances, such as alcohol, to alter the balance of power among their alternate personalities. In the short run, they may benefit from alcohol if it sedates anxious personalities or empowers drinking personalities who know or do useful things, but alcohol’s toxicity to the brain, etc., will often outweigh any benefit. Some writers have fallen into this trap.

Most successful writers do not abuse substances, because their alternate personalities have achieved a good balance of power and have learned to cooperate with each other.