First Person Plural

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**Title** **First Peron Plural: my life as a multiple**
Author	Cameron West
Cover artist	Rebecca Lown
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Nonfiction
Publisher	Hyperion
Released	1999
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	319 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-7868-6390-0 (first edition, hardback)
Preceded by	none
Followed by	none

First Person Plural: my life as a multiple is a Psychology-related book written by Cameron West, who experiences a disorder known as Dissociative identity disorder. The book is first-person, in which Cameron West relieves scenes of incest, which caused his mind to create separate personalities to hide the memories.

1 Summary
2 Analysis
3 See Also
4 References

[edit] Summary

First Person Plural is a first hand account of Cameron West, who lives with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The story begins normally, with Cam and his wife Rikki leading a normal, simply life with their young son Kyle. Then, in the midst of normal life (although complicated by Cam's constant allergy-sicknesses) “something bizarre happened” (pg. 20), as Cam first experiences a switch to another personality. The changes are subtle at first, as a personality called “Lief” takes over to hammer out the spoon-deal, until finally the changes are so severe that a Cam ends up taken over with the strange need to buy pants early in the morning, after which his therapist tells him he was experiencing disassociation. One time, a personality, "Switch" cuts into Cam's body, angry about being repressed for so long.

Throughout the story Cam has to deal with the diagnosis of DID, while trying to hide his disorder from his son, and not to lose Rikki. All the while Cam has to cope with powerful denial, and the conversation constantly buzzing through his head. Cam begins having flashbacks of several episode of incest, and in each a new personality (an alter) either comes out or is created to absorb the painful memories, including incestuous scene involving his mom, grandmother, and others. These alters begin to become a routine part of his life. He takes notes in his journal, the handwriting switching every few lines, and even creates “Comfort Room” somewhere in his mind in which all his various personalities can go and be comforted.

Eventually, Cam and Rikki move with their son to San Francisco, in a house situated with a mini front-yard, and a small enclosed backyard. There, Cam begins studying Psychology, although he realizes that it won't help him be any happier about his condition.

"Lief", one of twenty-four personalities, pushes Cam to study heavily, and Cam begins to push all of his alters inwards. This builds up frustration in them, eventually causing "Switch" to again physically harm to Cam's body. He is checked into a psychiatric ward twice, where he meets other multiples and some doctors. After leaving, Cam visits a therapist who claimed to have experience with his condition, but is startled and yells at the young boy, Clay, when he comes out.

Fortunately, throughout the long journey to acceptance, Cam meets several people who are there to help and support him, including Arly, Janna, Steve, and several people who share his condition. Cam's mini-epiphany begins when his therapist, Janna, suggests that Cam lets out his alters daily, and Cam says “I've been circling the drain... Well, no more.” (pg. 247)

At long last, in the last pages, Cam allows some of his alters to be captured on videotape. After viewing this tape, Cam, and some of his alters, begin to fully realize exactly the nature of his condition, and that they are all in the same body, whether they like it or not. Afterwards, he finally learns that his wife isn't going to leave him, he ascertains his PhD, and begins to accept who he really are.

[edit] Analysis

Cameron West writes First Person Plural using a first person omniscient style, in which he is typically the narrator, but the reader can still see scenes that don't involve him, including several scenes between his wife and Andy (pg 219), and the scene in which Rikki, his wife, is in a support group for the partners of multiples (pg 182). He writes this book from his own first-hand experiences with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Cameron had struggled with accepting DID for several years, beginning with the first “takeovers” of his body, until at last he accepts them in the end, saying “I've spent too long covering my ears and screaming, trying to drown out the ugly sound of Denial's Rake.” (pg. 314) Cam wrote the book for several reasons, which he outlines on page 318. Cam hopes that he can show doctors and psychologists the mysteries of DID, so that others can be correctly identified and be given proper care. Furthermore, as Cam states, he wishes to reach out to others like himself and show them that “they aren't alone, that there is hope.” (pg. 318)