The woman with 20 personalities in one body: An anorexic teen and a boy who writes in Latin. They all take over Kim's mind in a case that's baffled experts
What Kim Noble couldn’t have known was that she was suffering from a rare condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) — more commonly known as ‘split personality disorder’ — and that her mind would regularly switch from one character to another without warning.
The most consistent of Kim’s personalities is called Patricia, which attempts to piece together Kim’s extraordinary, chaotic life.
### In fact, Kim Noble no longer really exists. She explains: ‘To most of the outside world I am Kim Noble, and I’ll answer to that name. But the truth is her mind shattered into fragments before she could even talk, leaving numerous alter egos to take over.’
Today, there are more than 20 alter egos who can appear at any given moment. Alongside he serious Patricia, there’s Abi, who’s single and looking for love, Bonny, a single mother, and Salome, a devout Roman Catholic. There’s a little boy called Diabalus who only writes in Latin, and a depressed Ken.
An alter ego called Patricia has been her dominant personality now for more than six years. Patricia runs the household, takes care of daughter Aimee, 14, and does her best to make sure mother and daughter live a normal family life
But even on a good day, two or three other personas will take over completely and do whatever they want while in control of Kim’s body.
When a switch happens, it’s literally as though someone else slides into Kim’s skin. Her face twitches as the eloquent, rational Patricia gives way to mischievous Judy, a self-conscious 15-year-old who often appears at mealtimes.
‘Sometimes, I can end up wearing five different outfits in one morning,’ explains Patricia.
### ‘Coming back after a personality switch is like waking up from a nap. It takes a few seconds of blinking and looking around to get my bearings, to work out who I’m with, where I am, and what I’m in the middle of doing,’ she says.
‘I could disappear from my sofa and wake up at a pub, or a supermarket, or even driving a car without a clue where I’m heading.’
What Kim Noble couldn’t have known was that she was suffering from a rare condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) — more commonly known as ‘split personality disorder’ — and that her mind would regularly switch from one character to another without warning.
The most consistent of Kim’s personalities is called Patricia, which attempts to piece together Kim’s extraordinary, chaotic life.
### In fact, Kim Noble no longer really exists. She explains: ‘To most of the outside world I am Kim Noble, and I’ll answer to that name. But the truth is her mind shattered into fragments before she could even talk, leaving numerous alter egos to take over.’
Today, there are more than 20 alter egos who can appear at any given moment. Alongside he serious Patricia, there’s Abi, who’s single and looking for love, Bonny, a single mother, and Salome, a devout Roman Catholic. There’s a little boy called Diabalus who only writes in Latin, and a depressed Ken.
An alter ego called Patricia has been her dominant personality now for more than six years. Patricia runs the household, takes care of daughter Aimee, 14, and does her best to make sure mother and daughter live a normal family life
But even on a good day, two or three other personas will take over completely and do whatever they want while in control of Kim’s body.
When a switch happens, it’s literally as though someone else slides into Kim’s skin. Her face twitches as the eloquent, rational Patricia gives way to mischievous Judy, a self-conscious 15-year-old who often appears at mealtimes.
‘Sometimes, I can end up wearing five different outfits in one morning,’ explains Patricia.
### ‘Coming back after a personality switch is like waking up from a nap. It takes a few seconds of blinking and looking around to get my bearings, to work out who I’m with, where I am, and what I’m in the middle of doing,’ she says.
‘I could disappear from my sofa and wake up at a pub, or a supermarket, or even driving a car without a clue where I’m heading.’
