“Darkness Visible, A Memoir of Madness” by novelist William Styron: His "Second Self,” and “Double”

“A phenomenon that a number of people have noted while in deep depression is the sense of being accompanied by a second self—a wraithlike observer who, not sharing the dementia of his double, is able to watch with dispassionate curiosity as his companion struggles against the oncoming disaster [suicide], or decides to embrace it” (1, p. 64).

Comment: Another novelist with multiple personality trait.

1.William Styron. Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness. New York, Vintage Books, 1992.

2. Wikipedia. William Styron. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Styron