Multiple Personality Disorder and Criminal Responsibility: Critique of a Paper by Elyn Saks

This article critiques a recent essay that argues that patients who have multiple personality disorder (MPD) are not legally responsible for any crimes they commit: the simple finding that the accused has MPD is sufficient to exonerate him or her.

The present article makes the following points: first, the cause of MPD is unknown, despite claims to the contrary made by the disorder's proponents. Second, the central features of MPD are ill-defined: for example, the definition of the word “personality” is ambiguous and unsatisfactory. Third, this vagueness makes it impossible to differentiate MPD from numerous other psychiatric conditions; this inability is probably responsible for the epidemic of MPD cases currently seen in the United States. Such imprecision also makes it impossible to distinguish between true and false MPD cases, raising concern that accused individuals will malinger MPD in an effort to avoid criminal responsibility. Fourth, good evidence exists that MPD patients have control over at least some manifestations of the disorder, such as personality switching. The article concludes that adopting the position taken in the essay would have serious adverse consequences for both the law and psychiatry.