They Called it a Break

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my professional diagnosis that the patient Alex Matson has a severe psychological condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. This condition causes the patient to have multiple identities that can take control of Mr. Matson at any time, usually in conditions of extreme stress.

As of this moment, only two identities have been found, Mr. Matson himself, and another identity who calls himself Will. Mr. Matson and Will are aware of each other, and Will can talk to Mr. Matson even when Mr. Matson is in control of his body. The primary identity of Mr. Matson is depressed and quiet. He is very inward with his emotions which may have been one of the factors causing Will to come to life. The character of Will is aggressive although not known to be violent. He is manipulative of Mr. Matson and disproves of his non-confrontational attitude and general weakness.

There have been signs other identities may exist, but even under hypnosis I have not been able to draw them out. I believe the presence of Will is a direct result of Mr. Matson's childhood before he was placed into foster care and that he was created to deal with the abuse Mr. Matson experienced. There are signs that Will started as something close to an imaginary friend that helped Mr. Matson through his home life but later became manipulative when Mr. Matson was not able to cope with the abuse he experienced in his first foster home. I believe Will became his own person approximately seven years ago. He began taking control of Mr. Matson's body after Mr. Matson suffered a psychological break at the age of ten.

In my professional opinion, Mr. Matson needs to be placed in a home with a stable environment that would be willing to adopt him. I know the statistics of being adopted are stacked against him, but it should be the state's first priority to find a family willing to adopt a seventeen-year-old boy with psychological problems. If Mr. Matson has not been adopted by the time he becomes a legal adult he must be placed in some sort of half-way house where he will be watched after. As long as Will is a dominate factor in Mr. Matson's life he cannot live alone. If Will's aggressive behavior continues to progress as it has in the course of Mr. Matson's life, he could potentially become a danger to society.

Mr. Matson will need long-term psychotherapy, which will need to be reinforced by a stable home life. It is my experience with other DID patients that any progress made with a psychologist can quickly become reverted if the patient has to switch therapists. Mr. Matson will also require anti-depressants to help with his depression. His foster family and therapist should also be hyper-aware of any signs of suicide. Mr. Matson has a history of attempted suicides which are more than likely greatly influenced by Will's constant degrading of Mr. Matson in the back of his mind. To Mr. Matson, he himself will never be enough, an idea planted in him by his parents that he is constantly reminded of by Will. It should be kept in mind Will has the potential to make Mr. Matson dangerous to himself, and when Will is the identity in control, he could be a danger to those around him.

I hope you take my evaluation into account when finding Mr. Matson a new home and a therapist to look after him.

Sincerely,

Breanna Locke, MD