Dissociative Identity Disorder was one of the earliest studied psychological disorders (Early History). The case of Jeanne Fery is believed to be the earliest historical case of D.I.D. which can be confidently diagnosed. Both she and her exorcists wrote detailed accounts of her “exorcism” (History). The symptoms/characteristics of the disorder as documented by Fery and her “exorcists” exactly match those that are used to define D.I.D. today (D.I.D. Research). Fery’s exorcists described her identity as “fragmented”. A history of childhood abuse was also documented. Fery’s alter identities included several internal “devils” who functioned as protectors. One “demon” controlled her disturbed eating. Another, called Sanguinaire (“Bloodthirsty”), would self-injure by cutting. A third “devil” called Garga (“Throat”), protected her from feeling the pain of child beatings but would also reenact the trauma using different forms of self-harm and suicide attempts. Her highly rational and helpful alter identity, or described in twentieth-century terms as an “internal self-helper”, appeared at moments of crisis.
