“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” (post 8) by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Novel raises question of multiple personality and sexual orientation

Since this novel’s characters (1) have symptoms of multiple personality, such as voices in their heads; and past posts indicate that most novelists have “multiple personality trait”; and this novel’s characters acknowledge various sexual orientations, including bisexuality (1) I am left wondering what general effect, if any, multiple personality has on sexual orientation.

I don’t know that anyone has studied this question, beyond the fact that many persons with multiple personality do have both male and female alternate personalities, which does not necessarily mean that many persons with multiple personality are bisexual, etc., because not every alternate personality is sexually active.

My main clinical experience relevant to this issue was when a female patient, who had been diagnosed by her previous psychiatrist as bipolar, complained that she was worried about her sexual orientation. She was a divorced woman who had always considered herself heterosexual, but she wondered why she had joined a branch of Alcoholics Anonymous that catered to the gay community. She was particularly upset by recently finding literature from a lesbian dating service in her apartment, where she lived alone. She did not know how it could have gotten there.

My initial reaction was reassurance: If she were gay, that would be all right. But she insisted that she was not gay and could not be reassured. So I reconsidered her diagnosis.

Previously, I had noticed that she came dressed in markedly different clothing styles at some of her past monthly appointments for renewal of Lithium (which had been started by her previous psychiatrist to treat her presumed bipolar disorder). I had assumed that her clothing style changes reflected bipolar moodswings.

But in pursuing all these matters with her, I was shocked to be suddenly confronted by a recovering alcoholic lesbian alternate personality, who could explain everything.

However, that does not answer the general question of multiple personality and sexual orientation, which I have just started to think about.

1. Taylor Jenkins Reid. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. New York, Washington Square/Atria, 2017/2018.