SEASCAT's residents will have the diagnosis of PTSD or DID with child abuse as the primary cause. (They may have another personality disorder or mood disorder as a primary diagnosis. But, victims of child abuse will suffer many PTSD symptoms, therefore, PTSD is the relevant diagnosis.) The following explanation may be useful towards understanding when someone should be referred to us.

When experiences lead a child to feel that events are unpredictable and not under their control they have an increased likelihood of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This can happen in any unstable home, especially when there is domestic violence, or a parent who is mentally ill or involved in substance abuse.

Symptoms of this disorder often include extreme anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, and irritability. Treatment includes psychotherapy to face the past and work through the emotions involved. It includes replacing past perceptions with new, more objective perceptions that allow the person to interact more functionally and productively in the world in which they live. Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications may be prescribed to treat mood disorders that are frequently concurrent.

Dissociative identity disorder is more extreme in every way. It is a coping skill which is used to allow a very young child to survive unbelievable abuse. It was formerly known as multiple personality disorder, terminology more familiar to the layperson.

People who develop this coping skill will likely continue to use it whenever they encounter a traumatic event. They may experience sudden shifts in consciousness, identity, and memory. Their identity may appear fragmented. They may appear to have different personalities. They may lose time, as one identity takes control of the "host". Differing personalities may be at war and seriously cause harm to the "host" or other personalities. And the "alters" or "personalities" may be extremely protective of the "host". The term was changed to better express the belief that rather then the personality of the "host" having split into parts (i.e. "alters" or alternate personalities) , the personality of the "host" never developed at all. In other words the person with a dissociative identity disorder does not have more then one personality but has less then one, or an incomplete personality.

The first goal of therapy is to help them feel safe and unthreatened. It is essential that every part of the DID personality learn about the other parts. Before the person can integrate into a whole personality, the parts must communicate and cooperate. This is no easy task, and can be imagined by thinking about the nations of the world trying to work together for the benefit of the planet as a whole. The number of parts is indicative of the extent of the abuse.

Most people with DID can benefit given the right therapist. Many, if not most, will not survive and suicide is a constant concern. There is little help out there for people who suffer with DID and that is sad. They sometimes cannot be treated successfully, and it is easier to write them off, which is what most mental health systems in this country do.

People with PTSD and DID are disproportionately represented in the prison and homeless populations. Other mental illnesses, sometimes referred to as “brain diseases” are finally being recognized as acceptable illnesses that deserve treatment. But disorders caused by neglect and abuse are not, especially when there is no supportive family network to advocate.