Woman, 23, who has dissociative identity disorder claims she ‘shares’ her body with 25 personalities – including a ‘loud’ 13-year-old boy and ‘fiery’ middle-aged woman
- Bo Hooper, 23, from Plymouth, Devon, has dissociative identity disorder
- Claims ‘shares’ body with 25 personalities – including angry middle-aged woman
- Five-year-old Layla, 13-year-old Toast, flirty teen Tracey are among alter egos
A 23-year-old woman has claimed she ‘shares’ her body with 25 different personalities – including a teenage boy and an angry middle-aged woman.
Bo Hooper, from Plymouth, Devon, has dissociative identity disorder, a mental disorder characterised by at least two distinct personality states, and which is usually triggered by trauma.
Bo has 25 alter egos altogether including five-year-old Layla, 13-year-old Toast, flirty teen Tracey and middle aged woman Texas.
She says any of her personalities can emerge at any time and will stick around for as long as they like, meaning that partner Casey, 22, has to wait until Bo re-emerges.
Bo Hooper (pictured), 23, from Plymouth, Devon, claims to ‘share’ her body with 25 different personalities – including a teenage boy and an angry middle-aged woman
Bo has dissociative identity disorder, a mental disorder characterised of at least two distinct personality states. Pictured, as five-year-old Leyla
Bo’s disorder is usually triggered by trauma and means that she can spend days living as a 13-year-old boy or an angry middle-aged woman. Pictured, as middle-aged woman, Texas
Speaking of one of the personalities Rosie (pictured), Bo said: ‘Rosie never lets me get angry, if Bo tries to get angry, Rosie will come and take the anger away’
Bo, who doesn’t work due to her condition says: ‘They are very different to me and it’s taken a long time for me to get to know them all.
‘One is a boy called Toast who’s just turned 13 and he’s very loud. He likes to play games and he has a very brotherly relationship with Casey.
‘Sometimes Casey walks in the room, ask me if I want a cup of tea, calls me darling and a 13-year-old boy replies and calls him dude or bro.
‘There’s another called Tracey and she’s very different to me because I’m very shy and she’s really confident. She gets drinks from guys in clubs and she once kissed a man for a cigarette, and I don’t even smoke.
Bo told how Tracey (pictured) is very different to her because she’s really confident, gets drinks from guys in clubs and once kissed a man for a cigarette
Thirteen-year-old boy Toast (pictured) likes really baggy clothes, while Layla is really into pink, girly stuff
‘Layla is a child and she refuses to be seen as a woman and she’s really childish.
‘Then there’s Rosie who never lets me get angry, if Bo tries to get angry, Rosie will come and take the anger away.
What is dissociative identity disorder?
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is the most complex dissociative disorder and is also known as multiple personality disorder (MPD).
Some people see it as a personality disorder, although it is not. The defining feature is severe change in identity.
People who have DID can experience the shifts of identity as separate personalities.
Each identity may be in control of their behaviour and thoughts at different times and each has a distinctive pattern of thinking and relating to the world.
Dissociation can affect a person’s perception, thinking, feeling, behaviour, body and memory.
The impact of dissociation varies from person to person and may change over time. How well a person appears to be coping is not a good way of telling how severely affected they are.
A person’s sense of reality and who they are depends on their feelings, thoughts, sensations, perceptions and memories.
If these become disconnected from each other, an individual’s sense of identity, their memories and they way they perceive themselves in the world will change – and this is what happens to sufferers of Dissociative identity disorder.
SOURCE: Mind
‘They can even come forward just for a few minutes. One might come forward and tell me to have a shower or they can stay around for days and the people around me just have to wait until Bo comes back.
‘Sometimes Casey asks to see Bo and they tell him he has to wait.’
Each personality has different tastes in food, clothing and even partners.
‘Toast likes really baggy clothes and Layla is really into pink, girly stuff while I like really earthy tones and comfortable clothes,’ explained Toast.
‘They all like different foods, one of them ordered fish in a restaurant once and I don’t like fish.’
Bo started noticing her personalities when she was in her teens after fiery middle-aged Texas started being hostile towards her friends.
Other symptoms of the disorder including zoning out where Bo will be unresponsive for a long period of time and have no recollection of what she’s been doing.
Bo said: ‘Texas came out when I was around 14 and she really hated my friends.
‘Sometimes my friends would be upset with me and I didn’t know why.
‘Then one of my friends confronted Texas and she confessed that she shouldn’t be in my body.
‘It was really scary and I felt like Jekyll and Hyde.
‘But there is more to the condition, it isn’t just the personalities, it’s the zoning out.
‘Like when you get in the car and drive somewhere and when you get there, realise you can’t remember the journey.
‘I sometimes zone out and can’t get out of that dissociative state and that’s a big symptom.
‘I was once at a fairground on a ride that really spins you around and I zoned out through all of it and couldn’t remember any of it.
‘I just remember being dizzy after. I think it was the adrenaline, it was my instinct because I felt like I might be in danger.’
Rosie Weatherley, spokesperson at mental health charity, Mind, said: ‘If you have Dissociative Identity Disorder you will experience severe changes in your identity.
‘Different aspects or states of your identity may be in control of your behaviour and thoughts at different times. This can happen in various ways.
Bo claimed that each personality has different tastes in food, clothing and even partners. Pictured, as ‘Darcey’
Bo explained that five-year-old Layla (pictured) is a child and refuses to be seen as a woman – adding that she’s really childish
The 23-year-old explained that she doesn’t work due to her condition. Pictured, as five-year-old Layla
Bo explained that each of the personalities are very different – adding it’s long time for her to get to know them all. Pictured, as 13-year-old Toast
‘Each of your identity states may have different patterns of thinking and relating to the world, your identity states may come across as different ages and genders, you may feel you have one ‘main’ part of your identity that feels most like “you” – some people call this a host identity.
‘The different parts of your identity may have memories or experiences that conflict with each other, some people refer to these different parts of your identity as alters or parts.
‘You might not have control over when different parts of your identity take over and you may experience amnesia, which means you don’t remember what happens when another part of your identity is in control.
She continued: ‘If you have Dissociative Identity Disorder, looking after yourself can be difficult, but there are some practical things that can help
‘You can keep a journal which can help improve connections and awareness between different parts of your identity, think about practical strategies, for example wearing a watch, keeping a list of friends and family with their contact details, or writing notes to yourself in your house.
‘Look after yourself physically, including getting enough sleep, eating well, and taking exercise.’
Bo started noticing her personalities when she was in her teens after fiery middle-aged Texas (pictured) started being hostile towards her friends
Bo explained that the personalities can come forward just for a few minutes. Pictured, as Rosie
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