Credit...Illustration by MoonassiSupported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTShare full article99By Maggie JonesMaggie Jones interviewed more than two dozen people who have been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder along with nearly 20 experts.Jan. 30, 2026From the time she was a child, Milissa Kaufman felt as if she had a gang of kids in her mind, each with their own thoughts and opinions. One was a girl who was curious and wanted to learn. Another was calm, wise and confident enough to speak in class. Though she was only a few years older than the rest, Kaufman thought of her as the nice lady. Then there was the angry boy who was tough and unafraid. And at the far back of her mind existed a very young girl. All alone behind a door and in a box, she cried and screamed. The curious girl, the nice lady and the angry boy avoided her, frightened by the pain and the secrets she held.Listen to this article, read by Gabra ZackmanUntil Kaufman was about 10 years old, these inside people seemed like her friends. But by middle school, the angry boy, who wanted to play, not study, argued with the others; he disliked them, declaring that some were dirty and weak. In Kaufmans mind, she saw them as stick figures, but sometimes they felt more three-dimensional, which scared her. She also began to realize that none of her friends had people in their heads. During adolescence, the boy got angrier and louder and more powerful. She decided she would make the inside people go away by her 14th birthd
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