On July 20, Guillaume Pley received Alice Juggery in her program “Legend”. Broadcast on YouTube and Podcasts platforms, “Legend” offers long -term interviews where guests are freely expressed on their exceptional life experiences. It is in this context that Alice, a 22 -year -old young woman with a dissociative identity disorder (TDI) agreed to confide.
From the first minutes of the interview, the complexity of his pathology becomes palpable. “You are not talking to Alice from the start, you speak to Lilia,” she announced immediately. The young woman has revealed that several identities can take control of her body at any time.
A daily fragmented daily between 13 identities
Alice coexists with 12 other identities, each with its own characteristics, ages and personalities. Lilia, 26, presents herself as organized and introverted but sociable, presents 40 to 50 % of the time. Aurore, 5 years old, extroverted and playful, likes comforters and games: it represents around 10 % of the day. There is also Mika, 17-18 years old, “an electric battery” passionate about music, or Hayden, 8 years old, vegan and passionate about cows.
Each identity has its own food tastes and habits. “Alice will eat mango morning, noon and evening. She will eat chicken breasts, while I am a vegetarian,” explains Lilia. This diversity creates constant challenges: “If you ever switch just before, you no longer like what is prepared!” specifies the animator to his guest.
Everyday challenges with a TDI
“Switches” can occur at any time, often triggered by specific elements, called “triggers” in English. Some triggers are more visible: the “TorincLornitori” comforter of Aurore guarantees the arrival of the latter, while stress situations make Lya appear, the protective identity.
These unpredictable changes considerably complicate everyday life. Alice evokes “blackouts” which can last several days: “I wake up, I am dressing, I get into the car to go to high school, and there, I wake up in the evening, in my bed and I don’t know what happened all day”.
The consequences can be embarrassing, even dangerous. Aurore can spend 400 euros in comforter on Amazon if she has access to the bank card, or create delicate situations: “Aurore who arrives because in making love with my boyfriend, I touched the comforter who was next to the bed”.
A liberating diagnosis after years of wandering
For years, Alice believed that she became crazy. The first signs appeared around the age of 6 when she said to her mother: “I am not alone in my head”. His mother first attributed this to the creativity of the child but the concern grew up over the years.
The diagnosis of TDI only arrived after a first suicide attempt and a bad diagnosis of bipolarity. “It’s release for me,” says Alice. “All the brain MRIs that I passed by thinking that I had a brain tumor, well, no. There is something real.” Alice’s TDI has its origin in sexual violence suffered in childhood. In 2024, the fortuitous meeting with his attacker resurfaced with memories buried since the age of 5. “There are all my memories of him who violates me from 5 years old until I was 15,” she reveals courageously.
Faced with this traumatic revelation, his family supported him without questioning his testimony. However, Alice has not yet found the strength to file a complaint: “I’m too afraid. I’m afraid of what he can do to me”.
Dissociative disorders of identity: understand an unknown pathology
The dissociative disorder of identity, formerly called multiple personality disorder, is a serious psychiatric disorder characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities which alternately take control of the behavior and consciousness of an individual. It is often accompanied by significant memory losses and dissociative amnesia experiences.
Each “alter” (alternative identity) has its own psychological characteristics, memories and experiences. These identities can interact with each other more or less consciously, with sometimes “switches” which cause notable alterations of behavior, voice or posture.
TDI frequently has its origin in severe trauma, most often suffered in childhood (from 0 to 8 years old), like repeated physical, emotional or sexual abuses. Dissociation then appears as a defense mechanism in the face of mental suffering deemed insurmountable. As Alice explains: “When you undergo traumas in childhood, your brain may not be able to face these trauma. And therefore, it will set up a system to ensure the survival of our body”.
TDI is clearly distinguished from schizophrenia. Unlike schizophrenic patients who are not aware of their hallucinations, people with TDI keep lucidity on their condition. “A schizophrenic will tell you ‘God spoke to me this morning’, (…) He is not going to be aware of his delirium. While someone who has my disorder will realize and I will tell you ‘I am crazy. I lose the ball” told Alice to Guillaume Pley.
In 2023, 183 people received an official diagnosis of TDI in France according to health insurance, a figure much lower than the estimated reality.