Where is the research?

Q: Why isn't there research proving the cause and existence of DID? - Anon

A: I think most experts agree that Dissociative Identity Disorder forms at a very early age (usually agreed to be around 4-6 or younger), and many of these children would have a difficult time verbalizing the abuse, much less the presence of dissociation, following the trauma. If you look at Piaget's Stages of Intellectual Development, it makes sense that DID could form in a child who is abused during the Preoperational Period because of how children try to make sense of their world under normal circumstances - symbolic, magical, creative, parts versus wholes. It's rare that you will ever find a group of 4 - 6 year olds who have lived a life without trauma and then go through a traumatic event together so you can see if DID develops (and it sure wouldn't be ethical to subject healthy children to trauma just to see if DID develops!). Most group-trauma events happen to older people, such as students in a school shooting or bus accident, and by that age Dissociative Identity Disorder isn't expected to develop as a coping technique.