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Dissociation is a coping mechanism that a person uses to disconnect from a stressful or traumatic situation, or to separate traumatic memories from normal awareness. By dissociating painful memories from everyday thought processes, a person can maintain a level of functioning, as though the trauma had not occurred.
Episodes of DID can be triggered by a variety of real and symbolic traumas, including mild events such as being involved in a minor traffic accident, illness, or stress. Reminders of past trauma can also trigger a dissociative episode.
The person with DID may or may not be aware of the other personality states and memories of the times when an alter is dominant.
People with DID typically also have dissociative amnesia, which is memory loss that is more severe than normal forgetfulness. An episode of amnesia usually occurs suddenly and may last minutes, hours, or rarely, months.