Doom Patrol (2019-2023) is one of my favorite reps of DID of all time, and the one I find most relatable. It's readily apparent that the writers spoke (in depth) to people with DID and put significant effort into getting it right.
Thoughts on s1 (spoilers):
- Normalizes DID acceptance. The main characters readily accept that Jane is more than one person. She is also never portrayed as being dangerous or violent because of her DID. While some alters are aggressive (like Hammerhead), it's in defense of Jane (or "the girl," Kay). She's never seen as a villain.
- Explains what causes DID by depicting trauma in a realistic and respectful way. The series hints at trauma in Jane's past multiple times, and there's an episode dedicated to her origin story. Without any shock value or graphic details, it's revealed that Jane was a victim of child sexual abuse by her father.
Also depicts trauma causing amnesia, and the dissociative barriers between alters. Jane and most of her system are aware that they had trauma, but it's "Kay's trauma," and they don't know the details. It's not until Jane braves the worst places in her own mind that she gains better awareness of her trauma.
- Jane's system having 64 alters gives representation for larger systems. Most media depicts DID as either the Jekyll/Hyde trope, with the main character having only one other (evil) alter (Psycho, Fight Club), or as a typical small system generally having around 5-20 alters. It's rare to see larger or polyfragmented systems represented (note, Jane isn't necessarily polyfragmented).
- Acknowledges that the host is an alter, and that alters are their own people. Jane (as current host) makes a point of saying that the other alters aren't hers to control. They're real people.
Also shows that a host doesn't have to share an identity with their child self, legal identity, etc., and that a system can change hosts. Jane was born as Kay Challis, and before Jane, the host was Miranda.
- Portrays the act of switching as covert; it's mostly instantaneous, without dissociation, and other people frequently miss it unless/until they notice a change in Jane's behavior. Switches are marked by a ripple around Jane's face, and some alters can be identified by an immediate change in appearance, but this is specifically one of the effects of Jane's powers. The switching itself isn't dramatized.
However, Jane's DID, overall, is highly overt. Her alters have highly differentiated personalities and very noticeable changes in behavior.
The series also shows episodes of rapid switching and fighting for control.
And that there are alters who rarely or never front (Driver 8, Pretty Polly), but are still relevant to how the system functions internally.
- Shows that multiple alters can be conscious at the same time and that alters can and do share memory. Many of the other alters can see what's happening on the surface (in the outside world), and generally have awareness of the events in Jane's life.
- Depicts both internal and external communication between alters, and it's realistic. A significant amount of media depicts interactions between alters as a hallucination, which is possible, but not what most people with DID experience. Instead, Jane and her alters communicate by talking out loud or directly in headspace.
Also shows conflict between alters, over issues that are common for people with DID to deal with, like making life decisions, how to handle problems, and who should be the host.
- Depicts alters with clear roles--and other alters with undefined roles. Jane and Miranda are hosts, Kay would have been the first host who is also a trauma holder, Hammerhead is clearly a protector, Driver 8 and Secretary are gatekeepers, and Karen is a persecutor. I would argue that Penny Farthing is also a type of protector whose job it is to avoid danger, rather than defend.
However, many alters don't have a known or specific role that's mentioned in the series. They just exist, and it's an important point to make about roles.
Also shows that roles aren't firm and that alters can ride a fine line between protector and persecutor. Some of the alters can be destructive both to Jane's relationships and literally/physically in their attempt to keep the system safe; part of this manifests as pushing safe people away and not accepting help.
- Includes child(ish) alters. There are only a couple of "littles" portrayed in the series, Kay and Baby Doll, and Baby Doll is the only one who fronts. Still, she's met with acceptance and kindness regardless of being a childlike alter in adult Jane's body--while still not being talked down to.
- Includes non-human alters and introjects. Or, alters that are at least not entirely human. Sun Daddy is, well, the sun as an objecthead. The Weird Sisters are technically one alter with three heads with the ability to tell fortunes. Jane's father, her abuser, is an introject ("Daddy") who doesn't leave headspace (portrayed as an entity living in the well). This inclusion is important because introjects of abusers are a real phenomenon that's often disregarded. Pretty Polly is a character in an old English folk song. The sources of Jane's introject alters are eclectic, likely coming from things she would've been exposed to as a child.
- Alters don't just have names like Jane and John, there are plenty with unusual and unique names. Scarlet Harlot, the Hangman's Daughter, Flit, Flaming Katy, Mama Pentecost, and Driller Bill, to name a few. This is something I love, because most real people with DID have alters with unusual names and it's something they get mocked or fake-claimed for. But the mind does whatever it wants (feel free to ask me about this one; we're happy to share some).
- Has a detailed depiction of Jane's headspace. An entire episode dedicated to it explores this, which Jane's system calls "The Underground." All of the alters live there while not fronting, and it's an expansive space. Much of The Underground is made of places in Jane's/the system's memories. There is a subway system that allows alters to travel to different parts of their headspace, including to the surface to front. There's a prison where alters are sometimes kept to punish them or prevent them from being able to front. There's the well.
Also shows how alters often tend to have different internal appearances and voices--while some still resemble their body.
And that trauma can be stored in an internal place like a vault (the well), because becoming aware of trauma or remembering the details of it can be destabilizing, especially if someone isn't ready. The reason Miranda destroyed herself and "died" was that she visited the well and couldn't face Daddy (the awareness and memories of abuse).
- Discusses the issue of system accountability. Rita expects an apology from Jane for Karen's behavior because she sees Karen as part of Jane; Jane refuses to apologize on Karen's behalf because she sees Karen as a completely different person.
- Separates the DID from having superpowers. It's established that Jane had DID before she gained superpowers. DID isn't supernatural; her alters having powers is incidental. In this way the DID itself isn't portrayed as anything "special;" the disorder still operates in a realistic way at its base level.
