"First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple" by Cameron West

I’ve always been fascinated with the intricacies of the human mind. After completing a book about a patient with schizophrenia I picked up for a change, this book about Disassociative Identity Disorder. I’ve to tell you, in sharp contrast to the effort it took me to comprehension the symptoms of schizophrenia, DID required challenging- no, scratch that- almost mind-bending attempt on my behalf to comprehend how the brain could invent mechanism to cope with abuse.

The story spans over the course of several months. Examining in detail tribulation after tribulation, Dr. West constructs a painful and chaotic existence, beginning with the emergence of several male and female identities and ending with his treatment. Readers are spared the details of the child abuses. And who would want to read about the worst kind of sin? Of course, it must have taken a superhuman effort on the part of the author to complete this book. How could one retain control of his own fragile self when so many identities constantly struggle to burst out in the open and get control of his body? Truthfully, it’s beyond my imagination.

Despite attempts to keep a certain level of sanity within the story, readers must be prepared for a quite confusing narrative. As identities came out across the page, one is forced to struggle to understand the intricate emotions of each personality. Of course, at times I wanted to stop reading, my interest wavered during the dialogues. At other times I was fully captured in the story (especially towards the end when the author finally accepts the reality of his disorder).

For someone who wasn’t very familiar with this type of psychological disorder, I found the book very informative. For those interested in learning about how the disorder manifests itself in the beginning, what impact it has on a patient, and how the person learns to cope with it, pick up a copy of the book.

By Simon Cleveland