There is no real cure for Dissociative Identity Disorder but there are some ways to try and treat it. The main treatment for DID is psychotherapy in which the patient talks to the therapist and they help to work out their problems and underlying issues. The main goal of treatment is to integrate all the personalities into the original personality, but this may not always be possible. The next best thing for a patient with Dissociative Identity Disorder is to get the patient to lead as normal and functional life as possible with the disorder. In order for the treatment to be effective the therapist has to try and communicate with as many of the alters as possible. This is to fill in the missing parts of the patients' life as well as to understand the role that personality serves (Dissociative identity disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder), n.d.). This process can be very emotional and painful for the patient as it requires them to talk about some very disturbing events from their past. For psychotherapy to be the most effective patients are usually recommended to have sessions at least twice a week for at least six years.



There are also other techniques used to treat Dissociative Identity Disorder that are used along with psychotherapy. One of the main techniques used is hypnotherapy, or hypnosis. Hypnosis is effective because it allows the therapist to find out information that may be hidden in a persons' subconscious that they may not have discovered in regular psychotherapy. It also allows the therapist to be able to talk to the original personality more easily without the alters taking over (Kaplan, 1998). Another alternative treatment that is being used along with psychotherapy is that of art therapy. Art therapy is useful for someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder because it allows the patient to freely express their emotions and thoughts without the stress of having to talk about the past (Kaplan, 1998). While there is no medication to treat Dissociative Identity Disorder, it is sometimes used to treat some co-existing conditions, most often anxiety disorders.