Multiple personality disorder, also known as dissociative identity disorder, has been

depicted in a series of movies over the years. Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is described by

the existence of two or more separate identities or personality states that assume charge of an

individual's actions on a regular basis, as well as an inability to remember essential personal

details that is too comprehensive to be understood by regular memory loss. Due to its high

uniqueness, difficulty, and potential risk, this condition attracts interest in the entertainment

industry. Movies have depicted the condition in a variety of ways, some of which have been

criticized by psychologists, while others have accurately depicted its features.

Hollywood has been increasingly portraying mental illnesses on screen, particularly DID,

by producing movies that depict numerous prejudices and misconceptions associated with the

disease. In this case, is recent box-office film Split a cinematographic production that accurately

depicts this illness? If the movie is an accurate portrayal of DID, can it influence the public

opinion regarding this mental disease?

Split is a horror thriller in which James McAvoy's character Kevin, who struggles from

dissociative identity disorder (DID), abducts three young women. Kevin confines the girls to an

isolated basement, where they learn about his various identities. Kevin's ultimate persona,

revealed at the end of the film, is that of a savage beast who murders two of the kidnapped girls

and spares the other one’s life due to her body injuries that remind him of his childhood abuse.

Split is a horror movie, but not in the traditional sense. Alternatively, this production is viewed as

a terrifying representation that contributes to the stigma surrounding DID and misguided fears of

mental disorders.
 The film's director’s parents are both doctors and therefore he ensured to do some

research with them for his creation. For instance, Kevin's DID was also brought on by childhood

abuse, which is a common trait regarding this disease. Besides childhood trauma, Split got some

other things right about DID such as distinct personality states and persistent inconsistencies in

memory.

Individuals suffering from DID become psychologically vulnerable and start to seek

ways to protect themselves. One method they've discovered is to establish personality splits.

Instead of coping with the pain through a vulnerable host, a new persona is established to

preserve the previous. Individuals become physically vulnerable and want to seek ways to

protect themselves. One method they've discovered is to establish personality splits. Instead of

coping with the pain through a vulnerable host, a new persona is established to preserve the

previous. This new identity is normally somewhat distinct from the host identity, making it

stronger and more capable of protecting itself.

More personalities are produced to shield the host as more traumas occur. The viewer

gets a preview of this during a flashback in which Kevin's mother screams and threatens him.

Following this, some identities state that those who are "impure" ought to be eaten by The Beast.

The term "impure" refers in this case to those who have never struggled in their lives. This is

further evidence that Kevin suffered greatly as a child.

According to studies, serious physical and sexual assault during early childhood phases is

responsible for 90% of cases. As mentioned before, the main character was abused by his mother

at a young age. This trauma harmed his neurological growth as an infant when it started at his

preoperative and concrete operating stages.

 While the notion of violence being linked to mental illness is a fairly traditional

stereotype, the film is compassionate to Kevin and recognizes how he was a survivor of abuse.

Shyamalan generates empathy for Kevin, and helps to separate him from the negative stereotype

of mental disorder as an underlying source of abuse.

Jade, one of Kevin's personalities appears to have diabetes and needs insulin injections.

This is a particularly contentious issue in the field. Is it probable for the body's chemistry to

change so far with personality that it causes a biological medical condition? Or does the brain

simply think the person has diabetes and requires the insulin injection? This are the kinds of

issues that made DID so controversial in the psychiatric community. It all boils down to how

much influence the brain has on genetics, which is beyond the reach of this film.

Consequently, Kevin’s psychiatrist assumes a much more recognizable part in rising DID

understanding. Dr. Fletcher engages with DID in a way that is beyond needed for a horror film to

be enthralling or profitable, despite playing the clichéd part of a tool in the serial killer's plan.

This contribution to the film draws attention to the lack of general awareness of DID and its

diagnostic reliability.

Another pleasant surprise is the film's implicit acknowledgment of the stigma that people

with DID experience. Dr. Fletcher's friend, for instance, refers to her patients as "those people,"

because she doesn't see how Dr. Fletcher would deal with them. Dr. Fletcher's optimistic reaction

was to the mean comment by mentioning the alters' attributes and other legitimate characteristics.

It is also admirable that she does not believe her patient’s “system” (of personalities) is complicit

in the abduction and disappearance of the three local adolescent girls. She would not associate

such an event with the actions of someone suffering from DID.

 Split dehumanizes an already oppressed group of people. Individuals with DID are

unlikely to be aggressive against others, even more, they are much more likely to become

victims than to hurt others. The traumatic events that led to DID in childhood were so awful that

the children's sole coping mechanism was to "evade" in their minds. By depicting Kevin as a

monster, this film amplifies the negative emotions and hardships these people bear, making it

even more difficult to deal with and recover from DID.

Split's fiction starts with a discussion of The Beast. It is true that certain physical traits

will change as a result of changing personalities, but The Beast brings that to a whole different

dimension. With each character, an individual's eye color, cognitive ability, or voice can alter,

but The Beast, on the other hand, physically expands Kevin's muscles, becomes immune to

gunshots and other weapons, and develops the strength to climb walls.

The Beast is often described as an angry and aggressive being that hunts out and kills

“immoral” humans. DID, on the other hand, emerges in people in the real world as a coping

mechanism, not as a murderous device. Individuals with DID may be vicious, but in most

situations, these people use their attitudes to deal with the traumas they suffered as children.

They are potentially more likely to injure themselves rather than the others.

Hedwig, the nine-year-old child, is the one persona that seems to help Kevin deal with his

mental anguish. This personality serves as the film's comedic relief, and it happens to be the

personality that shows up when Kevin tries to alleviate tension and feel like a child again.

More than 20,000 people signed a petition to boycott the movie, saying it reinforced

harmful perceptions and made false associations between mental disorders and aggression. The

media's repeated misinterpretation and mockery of DID have sparked controversy and opposition
to the film. Many protesters of this movie argue that the confusion of this condition is followed

by a lack of recognition of DID in both the social and medical fields, leading to inadequate

training and study.

Split validates DID while still acknowledging the scandal surrounding it. Validation of

the condition is important since a standardized diagnosis allows for support for detection and

care of the disorder, as well as for evaluation. In a research undertaken regarding the care of DID

patients, it was discovered that the difficulty of dealing with both social and psychiatric non-

legitimization of their diagnosis and symptoms is worse than the condition itself. The

acknowledgment of DID provides a feeling of authenticity for not just their present experience

but also their past trauma for the 1% of the global population who suffers from this disease.

Individuals who are suffering from the disease but are ignorant of their diagnosis are encouraged

to seek care for what would otherwise be ignored.

Despite the exaggerated depiction of aggressiveness regarding DID, Split managed to

accurately portray this mental illness. Why? It included correct DID theories as well as a section

of hypotheses that are still being uncovered. It is unreasonable to say that the harmful stigmas

that the film may promote are insignificant as compared to its value in spreading awareness for

DID. Split should be kept to the general expectation of not harming DID patients, despite the fact

that it is a horror film, a thriller intended to impress rather than document. Some DID patients

could and believe they are represented incorrectly as a result of the harmful portrayal of Kevin's

identity. However, as informed audiences, it is critical to be able to assess both the benefits and

flaws of a piece of work.