*This article contains spoilers for Moon Knight Episode 1*
Marvel’s newest addition to their growing collection heroes is Moon Knight, a former U.S. Marine struggling with dissociative identity disorder (DID; also previously known as multiple personality disorder). Over the years, we have seen countless movies attempt to portray DID like in Psycho (1960), Fight Club (1999), Split (2016), etc. And more often than not, we see highly ‘dramatised’ versions of psychological conditions because the content is made for entertainment but we can still learn something from it & if nothing else, at least bust some myths.
First, what is dissociation? Simply put, when we dissociate, there is a disruption or disconnect in the normal flow of psychological functioning. There can be a discontinuity in consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control & behaviour. Normally, it is understood to occur in response to aftermath of a traumatic event, or in face of intolerable/unsolvable problems, or disturbed relationships; it is basically our mind attempting cope with these events. Hence, experiencing dissociation does not automatically mean we have a dissociative disorder, & it can also be a symptom of another condition, as is observed in individuals with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, Schizophrenia, etc or can even be a single isolated event.
Now, when do we start calling it a dissociative disorder? There can be many kinds of dissociative disorders like depersonalisation/derealisation, dissociative amnesia, etc. & each has its own criteria but since we are all here for Moon Knight, let’s discuss DID criteria with examples from the show.
According to DSM-5, DID is characterised by the following:
“Disruption of identity characterised by two or more distinct personality states, which may be described in some cultures as an experience of possession.“
Just primarily based on the information from Episode 1, we know the main lead (Oscar Isaac) seems to have at least 2 personality states, namely, Steven & Marc (though I think there are minimum 3 , who we might meet later as the show progress based on the imagery various points showing 3 versions of Steven).
“The disruption in identity involves marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behaviour, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning.“
We see throughout the episode, that Steven tends to lose memories & consciousness, when Marc is ‘awake’. Additionally, we can also see Marc’s personality is more assertive, more strong, he talks in a different accent, is better at problem solving & seems to be more in control of his environment than Steven seems. Steven is referred to as ‘worm’ & ‘parasite’ which could mean that he is in fact the ‘alter’ that came into being later, & Marc is the main personality.
“Recurrent gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information, and/or traumatic events that are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.“
At multiple points in the episode Steven loses memories or even days worth of information, like when he was supposed to go on a date & could not recall his last 2 days. Even prior to that, Steven cannot recollect asking Dylan (Saffron Hocking) out on a date. Presumably, it was Marc, who is probably not vegan like Steven, who may have picked a steak house instead.
“The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.“
Steven is struggling with friendships & relationships in general, like with asking out Dylan (which Marc or another alter did for him on his behalf), Layla (on call) suggests she hasn’t heard from Marc in months, & at this point we don’t even know if his mother actually exists as we don’t hear from her on the other end of the phone calls.
He is also constantly late to work & does not seem to have good relationships with those he works with, Donna seems to be more than harsh (we don’t know if it is a character trait or she was wronged by Steven at some point). Additionally, he is also heavily sleep deprived, which can lead to countless other issues for day-to-day functioning.
“The disturbance is not a normal part of a broadly accepted cultural or religious practice.“
This pertains to cultures or religious practices where “possession” type phenomena are normalised, for example, like in India, where one may be considered possessed by a deity or a spirit & therefore, within these cultural contexts, the diagnoses may vary.
Since we have limited information, let us assume there are 2 possible options here with regard to Steven’s cultural practises i.e. practices in the UK or in Egypt. At this point, to my knowledge, there are no culture-bound syndromes specific to the UK, & as for Egypt, which has a culture-bound syndrome known as “zār possession”, does not fit yet with Steven’s symptoms. Hence, we may also assume that the disturbances he is experiencing are not one that occurs within the cultural context.
“The symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition.“
Since we don’t have Steven’s history of drug/alcohol use or medical history, we can assume that these above mentioned symptoms are not due to them.
Based on this general understanding, it is safe to assume Steven may have DID & over the episodes we may uncover further details that may solidify our diagnosis like ..
- Exploring the traumatic event that may have triggered his dissociation?
- Is Steven the main personality or is it Marc? As of now, we are not even aware if Moon Knight is another alter or Marc has powers of Khonsu (Egyptian god of the moon)?
Addressing Misconceptions about DID:
It is important to note again, that the show is highly sensationalised for entertainment purposes, & the switch between personality states/alters may not look the same in real life, in fact DID can sometimes be very tough to diagnose as the shifts are often subtle & may also be out of the awareness of the individual.
It is also absolutely incorrect to assume that individuals struggling with DID will be violent. This is a false belief often perpetuated by inaccurate portrayal of the condition in horror movies & media in general. It only lends itself to stigmatisation & isolation of individuals seeking help.
In a lot of media, Schizophrenia is often used interchangeably with DID &/or assumed to be the same. However, it is important to understand that it a completely different category of disorders with a different symptoms compared to that of Dissociative Disorders. Furthermore, Hallucinations or alterations in perception as experienced by Steven are not usually a diagnostic symptom in DID, however, they are occur due to sleep deprivation or may be due to other co-occuring issues.
If you have more questions about DID or just want to discuss this episode of Moon Knight, please leave a comment below. Feel free to let us know if we missed something or if you’d like us to do more posts like this!
Laters, gators!
Note: This work is for educational purposes ONLY & is not comprehensive. It is not to be used as a mode of diagnosis for self or others. The diagnosis is made with minimal information which should NOT be done in any clinical/mental health setup. For any queries or concerns, please reach out to us or other qualified professionals.
