First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple

Its hard to say this. But this book definitely tells it like it is. Multiplicity is something that is scary to outsiders, and even fascinating, but the underlying factor is the fact that there are children out there being abused everyday, to the point where they can't handle their lives, and split off a part of themselves in order to save what they have of their existence.I know. We have it. DID is something that isn't a game, it's not a fun stage show. There's no way to explain how you went to the grocery store and walk out with $50 worth of candy. Or how hard buying a simple DRESS is, since everyone has their favorite color, style, fabric, and dollar amount, and the marathon arguments that consume time and energy. Or what to eat. It is hard to get monominds (those who are not DID) to understand. They see us as having three heads or something. We think maybe writing here would help us because people just dont understand that it's REAL. It's not a game, it's not a joke, and the hardest thing to accept is that we have this because there are some people in the world who think its right to hurt a kid. And it's not. We know that now. The switching is hard to deal with. Imagine sitting in the store and suddenly, oh no "POOH BEAR! " shouts out of your mouth. Everyone turns. Looks. I smile and try to act like I heard it too and dont know where it comes from. That's one of the better less embrassing quirks of having this disorder. I hope there are therapists reading this because we have been turned down by several, saying that the insurance we have is not worth the trouble, and especially NOT the diagnosis. We thank Cam West very very much for writing this book, which is nothing like Sybil, or any of the others. We know other DIDers who agree that this book tells it like it really is. It's not debilitating, it's not a game, it's real. Its not something I'm embrassed to talk about either. We're people in here. Created for a reason. With a purpose. For a sick reason, but that makes us no less real. It's also not as RARE as they say it is. Sadly enough. It's not as rare, and we thank Cam West for the effort and strength to write this book. Both for those of us who know we have it, and those who are afraid to say it.

One of the most enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable read this year! First Person Plural serves as a beckon of hope for those living with Dissociative Identity Disorder. It provides insight into the inner workings of the dissociated self, while captivating the reader with the reality of day to life as a multiple. In reading this book, I'm reminded of the number of people I've encountered whose behavior, in retrospect, could have been attributed to DID. The homeless woman pushing her cart and engaged in full conversation with an invisible friend; the elder uncle who rambles constantly to an audience of himself. Chances are, at some point, these individuals had some contact with the mental health professionals; I can't help but wonder if they were equipped to recognize the symptoms of DID or did they simply medicate and dismiss without further investigation. Its my hope that by publishing his life experience, West will draw attention to a mental illness that is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. The fact that he is able to work through this condition, perservere to obtain a doctorate in psychology, and write a powerfully candid book is a testament to the strength of the human soul. When wrapped in the cloth of love and acceptance, the human soul is indeed unbreakable. My highest regards to Dr. West, may God bless and care for you and your guys.

As a survivor through MPD I strongly recomend that all that are interested in the subject read this account.MPD is looked on as a crazy female disorder, Dr. West dispels both of the myths. I am thrilled that he was on the Oprah show and let us know of this masterpeice.

In First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple, Cameron West, Ph.D., has created a gripping first hand account of the diagnosis and management of Dissociative Identity Disorder, previously referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder. His first literary foray is a compelling read, not only for its amazing story and powerful description, but because the author himself actually suffers from DID. Cameron West was not trained as a writer. Far from it. He spent several years as a musician before entering the business world. However, the seeds of his condition had long ago been planted by a series of abusive incidents in his childhood. The book describes West's abrupt psychological upheaval in his late thirties resulting from the emergence of 24 separate repressed alter personalities, all created in his mind as a coping mechanism against his abuse as a child, and takes us with him through his psychotherapeutic struggle to regain a sense of normalcy in his life.Although West scarcely mentions his abuse directly, the severity of these events is made obvious by the varied alter personalities that emerge and their own psychoemotional scars. He presents a startling portrait of Davy, a terrified 4-year old alter personality, who scratches West's face raw trying to remove the sensation of his abusive grandmother stroking him there. Later, other alters emerge, varying in character from angry, or driven and icy cold, to serene and paternal; from flip and congenial, to timid and unsure. All with the potential to "come out" at embarrassingly inappropriate times, or conversely, at the right time when West loses focus and needs them to take control in a situation. In this way, West carefully uses the description of his alter personalities and the decay of his previously normal life as his means of conveying the severity of his childhood abuse, choosing (wisely) to focus on his many smoking guns, rather than the actual bullet of abuse that would no doubt repulse many readers. From the first haunting aberrations in his behavior, e.g., changes in his speech patterns and the gradually intensifying sense of mental confusion, to the complete breakdown of stability that occurs with the full emergence of his alter personalities, I was hooked with West on his own path of self-discovery. The book takes the reader into uncharted waters, to experience first hand the shifting stage of Dissociation. As he progresses through therapy, a profound and tender love story emerges, between a distraught and often incompetent husband, fighting desperately toward normalcy while his own psyche unravels, and the wife he adores, as she grapples to hold the threads of their family life together. When she takes a job to help distract herself and develop her own support system, she is soon on the verge of an affair that would threaten their marriage and, indirectly, West's own chances at successful therapy. Ultimately, it is the support of his wife, along wit