AnnaLynne McCord, the actress who rose to fame in Noughties teen favourite 90210, has revealed that she has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. DID, as it is better known, was previously commonly described as multiple personality disorder.
AnnaLynne, who played Mean Girl-turned-fan favourite Naomi Clark throughout the programme's five year run, has made the brave announcement via a recorded conversation with Dr. Daniel Amen, in which she explained that she was 'uninterested in shame.'
Now 33, AnnaLynne has enjoyed success in shows like The Night Shift and Dallas. 'There is nothing about my journey that I invite shame into anymore,' she says. 'And that’s how we get to the point where we can articulate the nature of these pervasive traumas and stuff, as horrible as they are.'
She adds that her performances actually enabled her to realise that she was struggling to separate herself from the characters she was playing - especially when filming a film named Excision alongside her regular role in 90210 - which eventually led to a diagnosis.
'All of my roles were splits, but I didn’t even realise I was doing it at all until I did a project, 90210. I played a very cerebral, disturbed, strange little girl [in Excision] that was very close to who I feel I am on the inside. It was very exposing, very confronting, probably a bit re-traumatising without realising it. The crazy thing about it was that I wrapped that film at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday and had to be happy, crazy Beverly Hills blonde bombshell on Wednesday at noon. I couldn’t find her, she was not accessible. I was dark, I was very deep into this character Pauline and I couldn’t get [out]. She was a balls to the wall, middle fingers to the sky, anarchist from hell who will stab you with the spike ring that she wears, and you’ll like it. Then she’ll make you lick the blood from it. She was a nasty little creature, but I have so much gratitude to her because she got me out of the hell that I was in.'
What is dissociative identity disorder?
According to the NHS, 'someone diagnosed with DID may feel uncertain about their identity and who they are. They may feel the presence of other identities, each with their own names, voices, personal histories and mannerisms.' The key symptoms are gaps in memory and possessing 'several distinct identities.'
Kudos to AnnaLynne for speaking out, raising awareness, and helping other sufferers to feel less alone.
Mental health charity Mind offers further resources on DID and can help you if you, or someone you know, might be struggling.
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