So it turns out I have dissociative identity disorder. That’s right: I have multiple personalities. Seems I’ve had this condition most of my life, possibly as early as 4 years old. Believe it or not, I didn’t know any of this until July 2025 at the age of 50, when life came crashing down in a manner that left me no choice but to start confronting my mental health.                                                                                                   

You might be wondering how I can have multiple personalities and not know it. Turns out it’s pretty easy and fairly common. This condition affects somewhere around one or two percent of the population and most of them are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

Prior to my diagnosis, it was like being an especially forgetful person with no consistent life narrative and no understanding of what it means to have a sense of self. I also had rather eclectic attitudes, behaviors, tastes, and styles. I sometimes had long gaps in my memory and ...