Helen is one of the few who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, a rare condition more commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. This causes her to have seven distinct personalities, each of which has their own unique personality and characteristics. These alter egos are: Alex, a five year old boy who loves shooting toy guns; William, a six year old boy who loves the Mr. Men; Adam, a lovable ten year old boy who is not allowed to play outside; Brenda, an outspoken, feisty 13 year old girl; Karl, a sixteen year old boy with an attitude and temper; Jamie; and Elizabeth.
At any given moment Helen can switch from her self personality to any of the alter personalities without her having any recollection of time spent in that other persona. It was only through extensive research into therapy that Ruth, Helen’s therapist discovered what may have caused these personalities to form – that Helen had been subject to immense abuse as a child and had created these alter egos as a way of distancing herself from the horror. Karl and Brenda were used as an avenue for physical pain by means of self-harm to block out the emotional trauma while the younger personalities allowed for escape back into her childhood days.
Since then she has taken great strides in overcoming her issues with alcoholism and drug use while being treated for her disorder. Her courage in facing this affliction is truly inspiring and heartwarming and should be celebrated worldwide!
If you are interested in learning more about Helen’s story then we highly recommend watching “Curtain Call: The Story of Helen” – an incredible documentary about Helen’s life living with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Through interviews with friends and family members we get an insight into what it was like for them to watch Helen face this disorder day after day. We also hear first-hand from Helen herself on her struggles throughout life living with DID and how she found strength in facing her fears everyday! So if you want to learn more about this incredible woman’s story then don’t forget to check it out!
