Based on a true story, this astounding story reveals the shattered world of Billy Milligan's mind, a man with multiple personalities. 24 individuals, different in intellect and aspirations: adults and children, men and women, persons with criminal inclinations and sensitive artistic natures, are fighting for possession of his body, not allowing him to control his actions.

From early childhood, Milligan often "lost time", he rarely paid attention to hours or dates, and at times was puzzled by the fact that he did not know what day or month it was.

Milligan personality.

1. William Stanley Milligan (Billy), 26 "original source" or "core"; the individual, hereinafter referred to as "undecayed Billy", or "Billy-N". Dropped out of school. Height 183 cm, weight 86 kg. Blue eyes, brown hair.

2. Artur, 22 years old. Englishman. Reasonable, balanced, speaks with British accent. He independently learned physics and chemistry, studies medical literature. Fluent in reading and writing Arabic. A firm conservative, considers himself a capitalist, nevertheless openly expresses atheistic views. The first to discover the existence of all other personalities. In without dangerous situations dominates, deciding which of the "family" to appear in each case and own the consciousness of Milligan. Wear glasses.

3. Reigen Vadaskovinich, 23 years old. Keeper of Hate. The name is composed of two words (Ragen = rage + again - rage again). Yugoslav, speaks English with a noticeable Slavic accent. Reads, writes and speaks Serbo-Croatian. A weapon-wielding, karate-specialist, he possesses exceptional strength, restrained by his ability to control his adrenaline rush. Communist, atheist. He considers it his calling to be the protector of the "family" and in general of all women and children. Takes possession of consciousness in dangerous situations. Communicated with criminals and drug addicts, he is characterized by criminal, and sometimes sadistically cruel behavior. Weight 95 kg. Very large strong hands, long black hair, hanging mustache. He draws black and white drawings because he suffers from color blindness.

Reigen holding Christine.

4. Allen, 18 years old. Rogue. Being a manipulator, he is the one who most often deals with strangers. Agnostic, his motto is: "Take the best of life." He plays the drum, draws portraits, and is the only person who smokes cigarettes. Is in good relations with Billy's mother. The height is the same as that of Billy, although the weight is less (75 kg). She wears her hair in the middle (right). The only one of them all is right-handed.

5. Tommy, 16 years old. Escape Master. He is often confused with Allen. As a rule, aggressive and unsociable. Plays the saxophone, paints landscapes. Electronics specialist. Light brown hair, dark amber eyes.

6. Danny, 14 years old. The one who is scared. Fear of people, especially men. Once he was forced to dig his own grave and buried alive. Since then, he has been painting only still lifes. Shoulder-length blond hair Blue eyes, short and skinny.

7. David, age 8 Pain Keeper; the one who sympathizes. Takes on the pain and suffering of all individuals. Very sensitive and receptive, but distracted. Most of the time he is confused. Dark reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, small stature.

8. Kristin, 3 years old. "Child for the corner". So named because it was she who stood in the corner at school. Smart little English girl, can read and write block letters but suffers from a speech impediment. He likes to draw and color pictures with flowers and butterflies. Shoulder-length blond hair, blue eyes.

"Christine". Pencil drawing by Allen.

9. Christopher, age 13 Brother Christine. Speaks with a British accent. Obedient but restless. Plays harmonica. The hair is light brown, like Christine's, but the bangs are shorter.

10. Adalana, 19 years old. lesbian Shy and self-absorbed, she writes poetry, cooks food and does housework for everyone else. Adalana has long straight black hair. Because her Brown eyes sometimes involuntarily moving from side to side due to nystagmus, she is said to have "dancing eyes".

"Adalana" (oil portrait by Allen).

"unwanted" individuals.

These personalities are repressed by Arthur because they have undesirable traits.

They were first identified by Dr. David Kohl of the Athens Mental Health Center, Ohio.

11. Philip, 20 years old. Thug. New Yorker, has a strong Brooklyn accent, speaks in jargon. The mention of the name "Phil" gave the police and the press reason to believe that there were others in addition to the ten already known personalities. Committed several petty crimes. Curly brown hair, brown eyes, hooked nose.

12. Kevin, 20 years old. Scheduler. Petty criminal, planned to rob a pharmacy. Likes to write. Blond with green eyes.

13. Walter, 22 years old. Australian. Imagines himself as a big game hunter. Has an excellent flair, often used as a gunner. Suppresses emotions. Eccentric. Wears a mustache.

14. April, 19 years old. Bitch. Boston accent. He hatches plans for diabolical revenge on Billy's stepfather. Others say she is insane. Knows how to sew, helps with the housework. Black hair, brown eyes.

"Bitch (portrait of April)." Allen's portrait.

15. Samuel, 18 years old. "Eternal Jew". An Orthodox Jew, the only one of all individuals who believes in God. Sculptor, wood carver. Black curly hair, beard, brown eyes.

16. Mark, 16 years old. Workhorse. Initiativeless. Does something only if someone forces. Prefers monotonous work. If there is nothing to do, he just sits, staring at the wall. Sometimes referred to as a "zombie".

17. Steve, 21 years old. A hardened deceiver. Laughs at people, parodying them. Selfish, egocentric. The only one who disagrees with the diagnosis of multiple personality. His mocking imitations often bring trouble to others.

18. Lee, 20 years old. Comedian. A prankster, a clown, a wit, his pranks annoy others, forcing them to fight, as a result of which they end up in a punishment cell in prison. He does not value life, he does not think about the consequences of his actions. Dark brown hair, hazel eyes.

19. Jason, age 13 "Pressure valve". With his hysterical reactions and outbursts of irritation, which often end in punishment, he seems to “let off steam”. blocks bad memories causing amnesia in others. Brown hair, brown eyes.

20. Robert (Bobby), 17 years old. Dreamer. Constantly dreams of travel and adventure. Dreams of making the world a better place, but has no ambition or any intellectual interests.

21. Sean, age 4 Deaf. Unable to concentrate, he is often considered mentally retarded. Makes buzzing sounds to feel the vibrations in the head.

22. Martin, 19 years old. Snob. New Yorker, loves to show off. Bouncer, assumes importance. Wants to have a lot, but does not want to work. Blond, gray eyes.

23. Timothy (Timmy), 15 years old. He worked in a flower shop, where he met a homosexual who frightened him with his attention. He went into himself, closed himself.

Teacher.

24. Teacher, 26 years old. The sum of all twenty-three personalities combined into one. Taught others what they know. Brilliant mind, receptive, possessing subtle feeling humor. He says "I'm Billy, all in one" and treats others like androids he created. The teacher remembers almost everything.

"Slob Ann, doll Christine." Ragen's drawing made in prison.

preliminary history.

“Milligan suffers from a personality disorder to the extent that it is difficult to define the boundaries of his self. He experiences a schizophrenic inability to judge distance and is almost unable to separate himself from his surroundings. “...” He hears voices that order him to perform certain actions and shout at him in case of refusal. Milligan expresses confidence that these are the voices of people who came out of the underworld to torment him. He also talks about good people that periodically enter his body to fight bad people. «…».

During testing, Dorothy Turner found significant variations in the coefficient intellectual development(IQ) in different personalities:

Kristin was too small to be tested, Adalana didn't want to come out, and Arthur refused to be tested, saying it was beneath him.

Turner found that Denny's reactions to the Rorschach showed thinly concealed hostility and a need for external support to compensate for feelings of inferiority and inadequacy.

Tommy showed more maturity than Danny and best ability act. He also demonstrated maximum schizoid characteristics and minimal concern for others.

Reigen has the greatest potential for temper, cruelty.

Arthur is very intellectually developed and uses this to maintain a dominant position among others.

Maintains a sense of superiority in relation to the whole world, but feels a sense of awkwardness and fear in situations of strong emotional tension. AT emotionally the most unflappable personality is Allen.

Among the many documents that I studied before writing this book, I found two amazing records of the electroencephalograms (EEG) of the brain of Billy Milligan. They were taken in May 1978, two weeks apart, by different doctors, while he was undergoing a court-ordered examination at the Harding Clinic. Latest Research shed New World on the meaning of these encephalograms.

Dr. Frank W. Putnam, psychiatrist from National Institute mental health, found that individual personalities in people diagnosed with "multiple personality" have physiological characteristics, which differ from similar indicators of other personalities and the core personality. These parameters include galvanic skin reactions and patterns of brain wave activity.

In a recent telephone conversation, I discussed with Dr. Putnam the results of EEG recordings of brain waves, which he presented in May 1982 at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto. He made a series of control measurements in ten patients who had previously been diagnosed with multiple personality. In each case, the core personality and two or three other personalities were tested. As controls, he took ten patients of the same sex and age, who were asked to come up with the presence of other personalities, with detailed stories their lives, with characteristic features, and practice switching to those personalities.

The tests were repeated at random for each "core" and its other personality, in five different days– only 15-20 tests for each patient. While control patients and their fictional identities showed no significant difference in brain wave patterns, different personalities patients with a diagnosis of "multiple personality" showed a significant difference both from their core and from each other.

According to Science News, May 29, 1982, Dr. Putnam's findings were confirmed in research at the Life Institute in Hartford, Connecticut, where psychologist Collin Pitblado reported similar results testing one patient with four personalities.

When I learned about this new study, I went back to my notes and reviewed Milligan's EEGs taken four years before Putnam's results were presented.

On May 9, 1978, Dr. P. R. Hyman reported that the recording made that day was "an abnormal electroencephalogram." Due to the activity of theta and delta waves (slow waves not normally seen in the awake adult brain but seen in children) in the right posterior hemisphere, Dr. Hyman thought that this anomaly was probably caused by a technical problem. He emphasized: "However, the technologists could not prove this, although they changed the electrode." He suggested repeating the EEG.

Dr. James Parker, MD, wrote on May 22, 1978, that a localized area of ​​abnormality in the first EEG was not detected in the second EEG. The second entry revealed background intermittent alpha activity. Parker described this EEG as "abnormal two-way theta and delta waves [and] two-way temporary spikes."

Sharp waves, he writes, could be epileptiform.

Dr. Frank Putnam told me that 10-15% of the EEGs of multiple personalities he tested showed abnormal brain waves and that these patients had a history of epileptics. Similar reports of abnormal EEGs and multiple personality have been made at Harvard.

When I showed the descriptions of two of Milligan's EEGs to the EEG operator, he assured me that these were EEGs of two different people. I believe that this is consistent with the results of studies conducted in this area, and indicates that the EEGs taken at the Harding Clinic actually belong to different personalities - probably children.

Speaking about the importance of the new research, Dr. Putnam said: “The study of multiple personalities will give all of us something important - in the sense of controlling the body and mind. It seems to me that multiple personalities are one of nature's experiments that can tell us a lot about ourselves."

Oil painting by Tommy.

Some excerpts from the book at various points in Billy Milligan's treatment.

Dr. George Harding's statement to the court said: "The patient reports ... that he was personally subjected to sadistic and sexual abuse, including anal intercourse performed by Mr. Milligan. According to the patient, this happened when he was eight or nine years old and continued for a year, usually on a farm where he was alone with his stepfather. According to him, he was afraid that his stepfather would kill him, as he threatened to bury the boy in the barn and tell his mother that he had run away.
…And at that moment, his mind, feelings and soul shattered into twenty-four parts.

Arthur explained to the younger ones how to get out real world.
What does this stain look like? What do you really see?
- It's big White spot light on the floor. Everyone is standing around or lying on their beds in the dark: who is watching, who is sleeping or doing their own thing. But the one who stands on this spot takes possession of consciousness.

“Imagine,” he said, “that all of us—many people, including some you've never seen—are in a dark room. In the center of this room, on the floor, is a bright spot of light. Whoever stands on this spot, who is illuminated by this light, enters the real world and takes possession of consciousness. This person is seen by other people, they hear him and react to him. The rest of us can go about our business at this time, study or sleep, play or talk. But one who goes out into the world must be very careful not to talk about the existence of others. It's a family secret.

Sean appeared and began to look at the silent pictures on the TV screen. Everyone present also watched. He went to the TV, put his face close to the screen and felt the vibrations. Chella pushed him away so he wouldn't interfere with watching. Sean went to his room and sat on the bed. He discovered that if you slowly let the air out of your mouth, while clenching your teeth, you will get the same funny vibrations in your head - something like z-z-z-z-z-z ... He did this for a long time, sitting alone in his room. Z-z-z-z-z-z…

Why are you buzzing at night? Jimbo asked him once when they were in their room. The two of them slept together in an old wooden double bed, and Jimbo was woken up by the buzzing several times.
Embarrassed that Jimbo had also mentioned the buzz, which Billy had no idea about, he quickly realized:
- I came up with this game.
- What game?
It's called "Bee". I'll show you.
He slipped his hands under the blanket and began to make circles with them.
- Z-z-z-z-z ... You see, there is a swarm of bees.
Jimbo had the feeling that the sound was really coming from under the covers. Billy pulled his hand out from under the covers and cupped it. Now the buzzing seemed to come from his hand. Then, with his fingers, he depicted as if the bee was walking back and forth on the pillow. Billy did this several times with different bees. And suddenly Jimbo felt someone stung him on the arm.

“In many cases, Bill could not remember where he was, where his things were, could not go without outside help. At such moments, his pupils were the size of a pinhead. Bill was shown to a doctor who diagnosed him with psychic trances.

Jason originated when Billy was eight years old. He was ready to explode from the emotions that choked him, but he was never allowed to "go out." If he did go out, then Billy was punished.
After learning that Jason was locked up every time he "exploded", Arthur decided to take action. It didn't matter if it was a home or a hospital, it was not allowed to show one's anger and annoyance. If someone violated the ban, they were all punished. Therefore, Arthur defined Jason as "undesirable" and deprived him of the right to master consciousness. From now on, he will stand in the shadows, outside the spot.

“David and Danny are part of me that can empathize,” Teacher explained to the writer. They feel where the pain is coming from. When someone leaves or gets upset, it's like a beacon appears where they are, and Danny or David just points in the right direction.

Ragen knew that his last name was Vadaskovinic, that his homeland was called Yugoslavia, and that his reason for being was to be able to survive in any conditions and use any means to protect others. He was aware of his strength and ability to sense danger as a spider senses an annoying presence. uninvited guest on your web. Ragen was able to absorb the fear of others and transform it into action.

"Grace Kathleen".
An oil painting painted by Allen and Denny in a Lebanese prison, in Billy's cell. (Originally signed by Billy, but later Allen and Denny put their names in the lower right corner.)

Rules of conduct developed by Arthur.

1. Never lie. Throughout their lives they have been accused of being - pathological liars. It was unfair, just one did not know what the other was doing. Deliberately lying in such a situation became a complete disaster.

2. Behave well with women and children. This means: do not swear, observe proper etiquette - for example, when entering a room, let women and children go ahead. Children should sit straight at the table, do not stoop, napkins should lie on their knees. Women and children should always be protected. If either of them sees a man abusing a woman or a child, he or she must immediately release the stain so that Reigen can deal with the situation. (If someone from the "family" is in danger, it will not be necessary to free the spot - Reigen will take the place himself.)

3. Be celibate. Men should never be put in a position where they can be accused of rape.

4. Devote all your time to self-improvement. No one should waste time reading comics or watching TV. Everyone should study in the field that interests him or her.

5. Respect the personal property of each family member. This rule must be especially strictly observed in relation to the sale of drawings. Anyone can sell a drawing unsigned or signed "Billy" or "Milligan". But drawings made and signed by Tommy, Denny or Allen are considered their personal property and no one is allowed to sell anything that does not belong to him or her.

Anyone who violates these rules is forever deprived of the right to occupy the spot and will be sent to the shadows along with other "undesirables".

This is how it looked from the inside and outside, when the personalities alternately occupied the circle of light:

Arthur heard Dr. Wilbur say that psychotic drugs are bad for multiple personalities and cause more "splits".
Philip cursed and threw himself on the floor. David felt pain. Christine was crying on the mattress. Adalana felt tears streaming down her face. Christopher sat down and began to play with his boots. Tommy began to examine the door, but Arthur yanked him off the spot. Allen began to call his lawyer. April, longing for revenge, saw the place in flames. Kevin scolded. Steve mimicked him. Lee laughed. Bobby imagined he could fly out the window. Jason had a temper tantrum. Mark, Walter, Martin and Timothy were running around the room like animals. Sean buzzed. Arthur no longer controlled the "undesirables".
Through the observation window, the young orderlies of the fifth department watched as Milligan threw himself at the walls, twirled around, muttered something different voices and with different accents, laughed, cried, fell to the floor, jumped up again.

Transition from one person to another:

Milligan's body seemed to hide in its own shell. His face turned pale, his eyes glassy, ​​as if turned inward. His lips moved as if he were talking to himself.

Drawing by Christine.

“We all answer to Billy's name to keep the secret from being revealed. But Billy is sleeping now. He has been sleeping for a long time. We have kept this secret all our lives.
Can I speak to Billy? Judy asked.
- No no. They make him sleep. If he gets out, he will kill himself.
- Why?
He still doesn't understand why he's being treated like that. He knows nothing about us, he only knows that he is wasting time.
What does "losing time" mean? Judy asked.
“It happens to all of us. You are somewhere, doing something. And suddenly - you are already in another place. Probably some time has passed, but you don't know what happened in that time.

"You see, Billy doesn't know anything about us," Ragen said. “He has—what do you call it?” - amnesia. Probably so. Once, while still at school, having “lost” a lot of time, he climbed onto the roof. I wanted to jump down. I held it and removed it from the spot. Since then, he has been sleeping all the time. Arthur and I put him to sleep to protect him.

“Actually, I control the spot, or Arthur, whatever. In prison, I control the exit - decide who gets out, who stays, because prison - dangerous place. As a protector, I have power and command. When there is no danger, but you need to use your brains, Arthur commands.

“So you talked to Ragen,” Judy entered the conversation. - How does this happen? Do you talk to each other out loud or mentally? Is it speech or thought?
- Differently. Sometimes the conversation takes place inside, and, in all likelihood, no one around knows about it. But when we are alone, we talk out loud. I believe that a casual witness to such a conversation, if he were nearby, would certainly take us for madmen.

“Allen, the next time you master consciousness, I ask you to think carefully and tell me about everything that is happening around you.
Allen agreed and on his next "exit" told Arthur everything he had seen. Arthur tried to mentally see it. It turned out to be difficult: the picture did not focus in any way, until, by a huge effort of will, Arthur forced himself to look through Allen's eyes. However, it only worked when he deliberately focused on the subject and was awake, even though he shouldn't have been in Billy's mind. Undoubtedly, that was the victory of his mind over inert matter.

Then he sat down in a rocking chair and rocked all night, trying to figure everything out. He was amazed that there were others that he didn't know about.
The next day, Arthur told him about Kevin and Philip.
“I believe they are the product of your mind,” said Arthur.
– What do you mean by that?
“First of all, let us consider the logical side of this phenomenon,” said Arthur. – As the one in charge of hatred, you know that you are endowed with destructive force. Hatred is strong, but uncontrollable. If a person wants to master the energy of hatred, while trying to get rid of its dark side, it will still leave its mark, anyway the person will be a bearer of evil. Our minds wanted to control your cruelty so that your anger was selective and manageable. You got rid of evil, you can be strong by staying calm. But some amount of vice remained, it is inevitable - which led to the creation of Philip and Kevin.

Are you still Tommy?
- I am a combination, and in fact I no longer have a name. That worries me.

– I would like to discuss with you some vital important facts relating to different personalities.
“People, Dr. Kol. Not "personalities". Allen has already explained to Dr. Harding that by calling us individuals, you are denying the fact that we are real.

We will unite, we will all be together. Control will be complete, no more amnesia. And only one will be the main one.
- Who will it be?
- Teacher. The teacher keeps his name secret, but I know who it is. If you find out who Master is, you will definitely think we are crazy.
- Please explain.
- That's how I explain. You have already met separate parts Teachers, Dr. Kol. Main question How did we all know about the things we know? From the Teacher. He taught Tommy electronics and escape techniques. He taught Arthur biology, physics and chemistry. He taught me how to handle weapons and how to manage adrenaline to achieve maximum strength. He taught us all to draw and paint pictures. The teacher knows everything.
“Ragen, who is the Master?”
- The teacher is Billy, all in one. But Billy doesn't know about it. Billy was extraordinary gifted child. He was "we are all in one". Now he doesn't know about it.
“But you know you're just a figment of Billy's imagination.
Ragen leaned back and smiled.
“Yes, I was told, and I agreed that I was a figment of Billy's imagination.

Billy struggled to understand this. At first there was only Billy-core, the one who was born and had a birth certificate. Then it broke into many pieces, but all this time behind the separate parts there was someone nameless - someone whom Reigen called the Master. In a sense, the invisible, fragmentary, spirit-like entity called the Master had created all the others—children and monsters alike—and thus he alone was responsible for their crimes.
Billy closed his eyes and felt a strange warmth rising up from his legs, into his torso, into his arms, into his shoulders, into his head. He felt a vibration and a throb. He looked down and saw a blur, a bright patch of light blinding his eyes. Looking down, he realized that they must stand on the spot, all together, at once. Then they were on the spot, in the spot… went through the spot… falling… rushing through the inner space… all people are swimming together… sliding together… joining…

– What happens to other people in your head when you are only partially reunited? What does it look like?
“I think you could call it a replacement,” Billy said. “What they call “general consciousness.” It's like I'm entering consciousness with someone else. It seems to me that this happens gradually ... I don’t think that everyone has a common consciousness with everyone, but everything is somehow gradually revealed ... Often someone knows what is happening to someone, but I don’t know why and how.

There have been noticeable changes in the Teacher. His memory was no longer so accurate. He became as manipulative as Allen and as antisocial as Tommy, Kevin and Philip. He became the common denominator of all twenty four personalities, and this made him not a Robin Hood or Superman, but a completely ordinary, uncommunicative, impatient, manipulative, bright and talented young man. As Dr. George Harding suggested, the whole Billy Milligan is likely to be less than the sum of his parts.

I saw Milligan break up. Several times during my visits, he told me that he did not know who he was. With a partial merger, he became a man without a name. He reported that Ragen had lost the ability to speak English. The individuals stopped talking to each other. I suggested keeping daily records so that whoever occupied the spot could write messages, letters. It was like that for some time, but interest disappeared, and records were made less and less often.

Keese Daniel.

1. Billy Milligan, born in 1955, also had 23 personalities, each with its own character and individual characteristics- and one "superpersonality", which others called the Master. The teacher was for them something like a boss, because only he could "get into" the memories of Milligan's other personalities.

Trailer of the movie "Split" in Russian


2. Among the 23 personalities, there were two dominant ones, not counting Billy himself: the Englishman Arthur Smith, a refined intellectual, and the Yugoslav Rejen Vadaskovinich, a military man who owns contact martial arts and understands weapons. Among other personalities of Milligan was a mechanic who knows how to break locks, a parodist who loves to mock others, and the boy David, who felt like 8 years old and carried the pain of Milligan's other personalities. There are 10 “desirable” personalities that others “allowed” to control the body from time to time, and 13 undesirable ones. Among the latter are a religious Jew (the only believer among Milligan's personalities), as well as two thieving friends and a deaf boy.

Trailer of the movie "Split" in English


3. Billy Milligan was arrested twice, the second time for rape. Oddly enough, among the personalities of Milligan, a girl was responsible for the rape, her name was Adalana, and she was a lesbian. It was she who initiated the attacks because she needed love and affection, but did not receive them.



This is what Billy Milligan looked like, the man who had 23 personalities - and one more



4. Milligan's personalities were not formed immediately, but were a reaction to a difficult childhood. A deaf boy, Sean, a three-year-old Englishwoman, Christine, and a certain boy with no name. Each of these individuals performed certain function. For example, Christine could stand in the corner for a long time and not cry, without which it would be difficult to survive in the family of Dorothy Milligan and Johnny Morrison. Morrison committed suicide when Billy was gone four years. When Billy was 8 years old, his stepfather Chalmer Milligan tied him up and raped him. By at least, Billy himself later told there.

"Split". Dubbed TV spot


5. When Billy Milligan was twenty years old, he was imprisoned for an armed robbery of a pharmacy. It came out in 1977 and was soon followed by a prosecution for rape. It was then that a psychiatric examination was carried out, and Milligan turned from a young criminal into a medical phenomenon.


6. In Shyamalan's film, this is not very clear, but in reality, Milligan's personalities, in the main, felt themselves friendly family. To each of them, the rest had their own attitude, had their own groups - in particular, "desirable" and "undesirable" personalities, which we have already talked about. On most issues, the positions differed radically, but there was still something in common. Firstly, almost all personalities were creative natures, appreciating art, albeit different ones. Secondly, everyone tried in one way or another to take care of Milligan's body and other personalities, and only a crime against the common good was punishable by the transition to "unwanted", that is, deprivation of the right to own the body.

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Sequel to 'Split'


7. All personalities were tested for IQ, however, Arthur Smith (which is an intellectual) refused to take the test. However, it was already clear that his performance was high: for example, he studied Arabic language and Swahili. Using logic, he calculated the remaining personalities and deduced for everyone general rules which they had to obey. But it is noteworthy that not only the IQ of other individuals was different, but the data of electroencephalography, showing the activity of brain processes, also differed. Like strangers to each other.


8. Billy Milligan, after more than ten years of therapy, was cured, that is, he became just one person, Billy Milligan without Yugoslavs and three-year-old girls inside, and released. Data about his later life is inaccurate, but it is known that for some time he tried to engage in cinema, even created his own film studio called Stormy Life Productions, but went bankrupt. He died in 2014, he was 59 years old.





Among the creepiest scenes in Split are the ones where one Kevin's personality pretends to be another, though



9. For twenty years he has been working on a project dedicated to Billy Milligan. On the leading role other stars were also considered, but in 2015 Cameron approved Leonardo DiCaprio. The script is called "A Crowded Room". Further fate this project is not yet known, Cameron's published production plans for the film do not exist. But there are two books about Milligan written by Daniel Keyes: Multiple minds Billy Milligan and Milligan's Wars. The latter was not officially published in Russian.

"Split". Excerpts from the film in English


10. M. Night Shyamalan heavily altered Billy Milligan for his film. If the real Billy in almost all his personalities is more prone to self-destruction and suicide, then his on-screen counterpart, Kevin, is more likely to be ready for violence. It is no coincidence that Milligan has a superpersonality - the Teacher, who became the key to his recovery, and Kevin - someone with speaking name The beast. As they say, it’s not beautiful to lie - you can’t tell a story.

The prototype of the main character of the movie Split:

24 personalities in one body

Billy Milligan was born in 1955 and after some time got into all the textbooks of psychiatry. Inside Billy, 24 personalities gathered, the change of which others could observe and even distinguish personalities by voice and facial expressions!

Of the 24 personalities, 10 were the main ones, and the rest were suppressed for committing acts dangerous to the “collective” and were called “undesirable”.
At 23, Billy was arrested on suspicion of rape. His guilt was obvious until the psychologist noticed that at times he behaved very strangely. After careful study of the suspect, many incredible details of the life that boiled in his mind came to light.

Billy Milligan Personalities:

Billy Milligan's alter personalities appeared at the age of 3-4 years (an unnamed boy with whom he played, and Christine, who took care of her younger sister). The number of personalities increased at the age of 8-9 years, when little Billy was repeatedly raped and beaten by his stepfather. 10 personalities were considered basic (the description is given as of 1977-1978, during treatment).

Billy - the original William Stanley Milligan, is the main personality, suicidal.

13 other personalities were declared undesirable by Arthur and Reigen for certain misconduct ( antisocial behavior, breaking the rules, etc.)

The unifying personality was the Master, who first came to the fore during Billy's treatment at the Mental Health Center in Athens. It was he who helped Keyes tell the story of Billy Milligan, as he was able to recall those episodes that were not available to the rest of the "family".

Some of Billy Milligan's personalities were gifted artists and musicians, with each specializing in a separate direction in painting / graphics or a musical instrument. All 24 had different IQ and different EEG data.

7 most interesting facts about Billy:

1. Billy himself was not allowed to mind control, because every time he came to his senses, being in an unknown place or prison, he tried to commit suicide. Billy was shocked each time he woke up because he thought last try suicide successful and thought he had been dead for a long time.

2. On one of his birthdays, three-year-old Christine (one of the personalities) baked a cake for Billy. On this occasion, Arthur allowed Billy to be "awakened", but this led to another suicide attempt and Billy was "put to sleep" for several years.

3. Individuals had different abilities and characters. Two of them spoke with accents, one knew a language that Billy never learned, another knew how to get out of handcuffs and therefore played the role of a leader when he got into prison, the third drew magnificent pictures, and the young girl was a lesbian. Possessing "specialization", different personalities began to control consciousness just at the moment when it was most needed. So, when Billy was in pain, teenager David was included in the work, who took the pain upon himself. Billy himself never experienced mixed feelings: different personalities were responsible for everything.

4. In order for Billy to be able to stand trial and testify in the rape case, psychiatrists tried to "collect" all the personalities into one. The so-called integrated personality was formed over the years and with great difficulty. At first, it was possible to “glue together” the personalities closest to each other in terms of temperament. However, when Billy got too excited, the personalities fell apart again, and everything had to be started over again.

5. When connecting personalities general abilities turned out to be worse than the abilities of each individually, the resulting personality had problems with self-determination and was a kind of “average” option, unable to remember given name.

6. It turned out that the rapes were due to Adalana (a 19-year-old lesbian) while one of the other individuals was trying to rob women. Despite the fact that Adalana was forbidden to take possession of consciousness, she "illegally" turned on and committed crimes. None of the other personalities had any idea what had happened.

7. During interrogations, it was extremely difficult to talk to Billy. To do this, it took a long time to persuade Arthur to give permission to wake Billy. Permission was given in exchange for a promise to keep the suicidal Billy safe, above all from himself.

Full name is unique person William Stanley Milligan. He was born in 1955 and after a while got into all the textbooks of psychiatry. A split personality suggests that a person, as it were, is divided into two personalities inside one body and cannot agree with himself. To one degree or another, every person has this, but the most extreme cases, of course, are called complex psychiatric terms.
Billy Milligan does not even fall into extreme cases. Inside it gathered 24 personalities that were obvious to others. Usually people keep their internal disputes to themselves, many of us are not even aware of them, but with this Englishman, each individual person lived his own special life. It seemed that just a few separate souls settled in one body, like in a communal apartment.
Of the 24 personalities of Billy Milligan, 10 were the main ones, and the rest were severely suppressed for some reason. amoral behavior. Scientists were given the great honor to get acquainted with the inhabitants of the country "Billy Milligan".

The description is based on the book by Daniel Keyes "The Multiple Minds of Billy Milligan"
Billy Milligan's alter personalities appeared at the age of 3-4 years (an unnamed boy with whom he played, and Christine, who took care of her younger sister). The number of personalities increased at the age of 8-9 years, when little Billy was repeatedly raped and beaten by his stepfather. 10 personalities were considered basic (the description is given as of 1977-1978, during treatment).
Billy- the original William Stanley Milligan, is a suicidal core personality. At the age of 16, he tried to jump off the roof, but other personalities did not give him this and put him to sleep for 6 years, only occasionally allowing him to "come out into the light." Each such awakening was a shock to Billy, because he believed that he was dead;
Arthur- a very intelligent man, responsible for the order in relations between subpersonalities. Arthur is a sophisticated, educated Englishman. Expert in science and medicine, with a focus on hematology. With the help of logic and deduction, he found out that he was not alone in the body of Milligan, and identified other personalities. Along with Reigen, he took responsibility for the common body - with the exception of dangerous situations in which Reigen exercises control. Established rules of conduct for the rest of the "family members" - Milligan's personalities.
Reigen Vadaskovinich- Yugoslav, speaks with a Slavic accent, writes and speaks Serbo-Croatian. It is the "guardian of hatred". Communist, expert in weapons and ammunition, in charge of physical form. Possesses extreme strength, thanks to Arthur teaching him how to control his adrenaline rush. Weakness Reijena is women and children, he does not hesitate to help them if they are in trouble, even to the point of stealing food and things for them. He controls basic actions in dangerous situations and, along with Arthur, can classify individuals as "undesirable").
Allen- 18 years old, swindler, manipulator, has excellent eloquence. Most often communicates with outside world. Draws portraits, plays the drums. The only right-hander and the only one who smokes cigarettes.
Tommy- Guardian of salvation. By own words, he is often confused with Allen. Independently understood electricity, the principles of operation of electrical and mechanical devices, locks. I learned to control muscles and joints, to get rid of handcuffs. Plays the saxophone, paints landscapes.
Danny is a frightened 14 year old boy who is afraid of people, especially men. He paints only still lifes, because he is afraid of the earth in any form - Chalmer once forced him to dig a grave and buried him in it, leaving only a hole for breathing.
David- 8 years old, "guardian of pain". He occupies consciousness to take the pain of others.
Christine- A 3-year-old English girl, one of Billy's first personalities to emerge and the first to know of the existence of someone else. She stood in the corner at school and at home if "Billy" messed up, because, unlike other personalities, she did it calmly. She has dyslexia, but Arthur teaches her to read and write. Reigen has a special affection for her. Family favorite.
Christopher- brother Kristin, 13 years old, plays the harmonica.
Adalana- 19 year old lesbian. Has the ability to occupy the body own will. Cooks, puts things in order in the "family", writes poetry. 13 other personalities were declared undesirable by Arthur and Ragen for certain offenses (antisocial behavior, violation of the rules, etc.)
Phil- Brooklynian with a pronounced accent. A criminal element engaged in drug trafficking, participated in armed robberies of homosexual couples who were waiting for victims in parking lots near the highway.
Kevin- Phil's friend, developed a plan to rob a pharmacy, and then stole the loot from his comrades in the case.
Walter- Australian, hunting enthusiast. He was allowed to the body when his ability to find right direction. Arthur classified it as undesirable for "barbarism" - killing a crow in the forest.
April- black-haired, dark-eyed, slender girl with a Boston accent. She was obsessed with the idea of ​​killing Billy's stepfather. Declared unwanted after convincing Ragen to kill Chalmer. Arthur, having called Christine, was able to persuade Ragen not to commit murder.
Samuel- Religious Jew. Was deemed undesirable by Arthur for selling Allen's painting. The only religious person.
Mark- workhorse. He is often referred to as a zombie because he doesn't do anything unless told to and stares at the wall when everyone gets bored;
Lee- joker and wit. He first began to control the body in a Lebanese prison and at the same time was declared undesirable for the fact that his pranks went too far and threatened the "family". After that, he completely disappeared from consciousness.
Steve- a parodist, called in prison after Lee's expulsion, because he knew how to make people laugh. Infuriated Ragen by parodying his accent and Arthur by speaking Cockney. Was caught mimicking the warden, resulting in Milligan being placed in isolation.
Jason- "pressure valve". Used as a child to release tension, but it constantly led to difficult situations.
Bobby- an inactive dreamer. He dreamed of adventure, saw himself as an actor, traveler, hero, but did not want to do anything specific for this. He went on a hunger strike, for which he was classified as "undesirable" - in prison conditions, a good physical condition was necessary.
Sean- a deaf boy with developmental delay. Occupied consciousness in childhood when Billy was punished and shouted at him. Because of his deafness, he often buzzed, listening to the sounds echo in his head. It was classified as undesirable, since in adulthood it was not necessary.
Martin- a snob and a braggart from New York. Arthur classified it as undesirable due to the lack of desire for self-improvement.
Timothy- (worked in a flower shop until he ran into a homosexual who flirted with him. After that, he entered his own world).

The unifying personality was the Master, who first came to the fore during Billy's treatment at the Mental Health Center in Athens. It was he who helped Case tell the story of Billy Milligan, as he was able to recall those episodes that were not available to the rest of the "family".
In 1975, Milligan was imprisoned - the Lebanese Correctional Institution in Ohio for rapists and armed robbers. He was released on parole in early 1977. In October 1977, Milligan was arrested for raping three women on the Ohio State University campus. He was identified by one of his victims from a photograph and fingerprints he left on another victim's car.

Since Milligan used a weapon that was found during a search of his residence, he lost his parole. He was convicted of "...three counts of kidnapping, three counts of robbery, and four counts of assault."

In the course of preparing his defense, he underwent a psychological examination by Dr. Willis K. Driscoll, who diagnosed Milligan's condition as acute schizophrenia. He was then researched by psychologist Dorothy Turner southwestern center mental health Communities in Columbus, Ohio. During this examination, Turner concluded that Milligan suffered from multiple personality disorder. Milligan's public defenders, Gary Schweikart and Judy Stevenson, pleaded with the defense to "refrain from insanity", and then he was transferred to a psychiatric clinic "until sanity returns to him."

Milligan was sent to one of the state psychiatric hospitals, Athens Lunatic Asylum, where, according to his report, he received very little help. While he was in this hospital, Milligan reported having ten various personalities. These ten were the only ones famous psychologists. Later, psychiatrist David Cola discovered 14 more individuals labeled as "undesirable". Among the first ten was Arthur, a prim and haughty Englishman; Allen, a con artist and manipulator; Reigen Vadaskovinich, a Yugoslav communist who demanded that Milligan commit robberies in the spirit of Robin Hood; and Adalana, a 19-year-old lesbian who craved intimacy and allegedly pushed Billy into rapes.

In 1991, after 10 years of intensive treatment in various medical institutions Ohio State, Billy Milligan was declared "whole" and released. He now lives in California and, by his own admission, remains a split personality. Owns Stormy Life Productions and makes films. Engaged in programming, physics and mathematics. In 1999 he wrote the program artificial intelligence Harsesis with advanced communication features has created about a dozen websites.

Works in the council for the protection of the rights of the child, negotiates the claims of injured children with insurance companies. Counsels illiterate prisoners and helps them get an education. Tests dogs for violent tendencies. He is fond of drawing. According to his lawyer, Bruce Tabit, “Some of the walls of the rooms of his house are beautifully murals, others are covered with mathematical formulas. It's beyond human ability to know everything about Billy Milligan."

- a person suffering from multiple personality disorder. 24 independent personalities coexisted in his body, and the main one, belonging to William himself, was usually in a dormant state. Some of the "tenants" had criminal tendencies, and they served as the reason that in 1975 Billy first went to prison.

The story of William Stanley Milligan is of interest from several points of view at once. Firstly, this is the first case when the mental disorder of the accused was the reason for the court to deliver a verdict of acquittal, albeit with the proviso of the need for compulsory treatment. Secondly, Daniel Keyes' documentary novel, describing his story, not only aroused interest in this personality disorder on the part of specialists, but also served as the basis for a number of works of fiction.

The father of William Stanley Milligan, born February 14, 1955, was Johnny Morrison, his mother was Dorothy Milligan. Despite the fact that the boy lost his father at a fairly young age, it is generally accepted that it was he, or rather, his repeated suicide attempts, that affected the mental disorder of the child and later served as one of the causes of personality splitting. This is indicated by the fact that the youngest person in Billy's body was 3-4 years old.

But the first splitting happened later, when the boy was 8 years old. The reason was the severe psychological trauma. new husband mother brought the child into the barn, tied and raped. It was not the first and last case when the stepfather, Chalmer Milligan, bullied the boy. He received punishment for his crimes when Billy was already an adult: information about the sadism of his adoptive father surfaced during treatment, and Chalmer was brought to justice.

Milligan's personalities

In total, Billy's consciousness was represented by 24 personalities, although he knew about the existence of only 10 of them. The rest were identified by experts during the forced treatment, which he was subjected to by a court decision.

According to the stories of these individuals, William's consciousness can be represented as a dark room with a single spot of light in the center. The one who currently controls the body enters this circle of light. Not everyone is allowed this: for certain offenses, 14 individuals, including the initial one, were among the banned.

The division was carried out by Arthur Smith and Reigen Vadaskovinich. They are the strongest and most independent of all, besides they understand the need to comply certain rules. including following social norms and concern for the preservation of the body. It was for the violation of the second paragraph that William himself was classified as undesirable, and his personality was immersed in sleep. The reason for the decision was repeated suicide attempts.

Key personalities

Only they can control Billy's body, as they do not violate certain norms.

1 Arthur Smith, 22 year old Englishman. Controls the body and mind in ordinary life. Calm, educated, refined. Well versed in medicine and science in general. Has great linguistic abilities. He revealed the existence of other individuals, established interaction with them, developed a system of rules, for the violation of which a person can be considered undesirable. Smokes a pipe, adheres to an atheistic worldview.

2 Reigen Vadaskovinic, 23-year-old Yugoslav. Takes control of critical situations, as it can significantly expand the boundaries of physical abilities by controlling the release of adrenaline. Maybe, like Arthur, punish the offender internal rules, forbidding him to take control of the body. In general, it controls emotions, but cannot pass by children and women in need of help. For their sake, he is able to go even to a petty crime like theft. Forte- Extensive knowledge of everything related to weapons. Looking after the good physical condition body. He suffers from a violation of color perception - color blindness. In his worldview, he adheres to communist views.

3 Allen, age 18 . Due to outstanding communication skills takes control in case of contact with others. Therefore, it is not classified as undesirable, although Arthur classified him as a fraudster. Creative skills- portrait painter and drummer. Adheres to agnosticism, smokes cigarettes. Unlike the others, right-handed.

4 Tommy, age 16 . It is also allowed to control in some critical situations. Has extensive knowledge in electronics and mechanics. Manages his own body well - can get rid of handcuffs or a straitjacket. Creative abilities - saxophonist, landscape painter.

5 Christopher, 13 year old Englishman. Creativity - playing the harmonica.

6 Danny, age 14 . The bullying of his stepfather led to the fact that he experiences a pronounced fear of men and the earth: the adoptive father buried him alive, leaving a hole so that the child would not suffocate.

7 David, age 8 . Its function is to take control in situations of pain.

8 Kristin - Christopher's sister, 3 years old. She appeared one of the first, and before others she learned that she was not the only person. Enjoys the rest of the special love. In William's childhood, it was she who controlled the mind when the boy was put in a corner: this punishment did not cause negative emotions in her.

9 Until the second arrest, Adalana was allowed to control the body, although only Kristin and Arthur knew about her existence. She is 19 years old, knows how to cook, write poetry. lesbian The reason for classifying as unwanted personalities was that, while under the influence of drugs, she committed several rapes, for which Billy was put on trial a second time.

10, being the original personality, was also deemed undesirable over time. The decision was made after a suicide attempt at the age of 16.

Unwanted Personalities

For various violations, predisposition to crime and aggression, a threat to the life and freedom of William Milligan removed from mind control:

11 Phil has a predisposition to commit crimes. On his conscience armed robberies of homosexuals. For their commission, he was waiting for the object of attack in roadside parking lots.

12 His friend Kevin was behind the other crime that led to Billy's first arrest, the drugstore attack. However, Kevin's rights were restored after a riot in a psychiatric clinic, caused by periodic beatings of patients by orderlies.

13 Walter wasn't originally unwanted either. His hunting skills, which allowed him to find the right direction, were highly valued by the rest. However, after Walter killed a crow in the forest, Arthur changed his attitude towards him and forbade him to “go out into the light”.

14 April - she was most worried about her stepfather's bullying of Billy and persuaded Ragen to kill him. The crime was prevented by Christine and Arthur, but April was on the unwanted list.

15 Samuel . Sold paintings by Tommy and Allen. A Jew who is distinguished from other personalities by religiosity.

16 Mark . Inactive, devoid of sociability, for which the rest call him a zombie.

17 Lee . Banned shortly after his appearance when his jokes began to pose a threat to others. He did not reconcile himself and completely left consciousness.

18 Steve . Like Lee, a big prankster with a knack for parody. After Lee left consciousness, he was called upon to cheer up, although sometimes he went too far and brought leading personalities to fury. After his parody of the boss led to imprisonment in a punishment cell, Steve also got banned.

19 Jason . As a child, he came forward when it was necessary to get rid of the accumulated tension. Emotional outbursts lead to negative consequences, therefore, the person was recognized as undesirable.

20 Bobby. Dreamy and inactive idealist. His attempt to go on a hunger strike while in prison was seen as a health hazard.

21 Sean . He suffers from developmental delay and deafness. As a child, it was useful when they started yelling at Billy. Later, the need for it disappeared.

22 Martin . Boastful and self-satisfied. At the same time, he categorically does not want to develop, for which he was banned.

23 Timothy . He himself cut off contact with the outside world. The reason was increased attention to him from a homosexual who went into a flower shop where Timothy worked as a salesman.

24 Teacher . Personality appeared after the start of treatment. He had access to the memories of all the individuals and the subtleties of the relationship between them. The function of the Teacher was to communicate with psychologists.

Crimes and victims

If William spent his childhood almost constantly being a victim of his stepfather's illegal actions, he later became a criminal himself. The actions that led to the arrests, he committed under the influence of alternative personalities. The main one at that time had already been removed from control and immersed in a dormant state due to an attempt to commit suicide.

This led to an increase in the number of individuals, some of which were predisposed to commit crimes. Phil was involved in robberies, Kevin planned and carried out a raid on a pharmacy. Milligan was detained, and for the first time he found himself behind bars. This undesirable development of events led to the fact that Arthur and Ragen decided to completely take control of the "family" and began to decide for themselves which of its members has the right to control the body. They shared the general leadership among themselves. In prison, Reigen commanded, as a more stress-resistant and strong personality. Then power passed to Arthur.

The division into allowed and undesirable was not final: Walter, Billy, Lee and Steve could initially control the mind, but then they were deprived of their rights. With Kevin, the situation is reversed: as a criminal, he was banned, but after a riot in the clinic, he was reinstated. Individuals free from body control could communicate with each other or fall into a dormant state.

After the first conviction, Milligan was released in 1977, but was soon detained again. When he was under the influence of drugs, Adelana, an active lesbian, dominated. Quiet and calm in her usual state, during the drug intoxication, she became aggressive and raped several students. For this, Milligan went to jail, and Adelana - on the list of unwanted.

Arthur decided to allow the original personality to control the body, but Billy panicked and again tried to commit suicide by smashing his head against the wall. Such actions led to the appointment of a psychiatric examination. It was then that it was established that Milligan was suffering from a rare mental disorder. According to the results of the examination, he was acquitted and sent for compulsory treatment. This was the first time that a person with such a diagnosis had been acquitted.

The beginning of treatment provoked the appearance of another, last personality. The fact is that all members of the “family” possessed only a part of the memories. The teacher, who appeared already during his stay in the clinic, saw the whole picture and was more useful for communicating with psychiatrists. It was he who gave Daniel Keyes most of the information that he used in writing the novel The Many Worlds of Billy Milligan.

Causes of the disease

Most experts agree that the causes of the resulting mental disorder should be sought in childhood, when William was bullied by his adoptive father. At least one case of rape of a boy is known, but it is very likely that they were repeated later. It was this trauma that led to the emergence of the first alternate personality.

In addition, some psychiatrists point to the age of one of the early individuals. Christine was about 4 years old, and it was at this age that Billy's father made several suicide attempts, one of which led to his death.

April was the most negative towards her stepfather. She even planned to kill him, which is why she was banned. She even managed to win over to her side one of the dominants, the determined and tough Reigen. But Arthur and Christine convinced him, and Chalmer survived.

When Milligan began undergoing court-ordered treatment, psychiatrists found out about Chalmer's behavior with foster children. They gave information law enforcement and were able to get charges filed. Billy Milligan's stepfather was convicted for illegal actions.

Personal life

The tastes, habits and abilities of the members of the “family” varied. Their preferences in choosing the object of love were also different. Psychiatrists, in particular, became aware of the personal lives of Tommy and Allen. However, according to the rules adopted by dominant personalities, sexual relations were excluded. Arthur feared that too close a relationship could reveal to others the secret of the heterogeneity of Milligan's consciousness. Only Adalana did not comply with this prohibition. She could enter into a relationship with those with whom her “relatives” were in love.

It was her actions that sent Milligan to jail for the second time. Drug intoxication led to the fact that Adelana pulled forward during Milligan's communication with students and raped them. Daniel Keyes emphasizes in his novel the role of drugs that made this personality aggressive.

Treatment and life on the loose

The period of William's stay in a psychiatric clinic falls on the end of the 70s - the beginning of the 80s of the last century. At that time, medicine did not have successful experience treatment of such disorders. Even making a diagnosis was fraught with certain difficulties, since multiple personality disorder was mistaken for schizophrenia by many psychiatrists. In such cases, the positive effect of medical care did not occur, since diseases require absolutely different approach in treatment.

This led to the fact that the process of Milligan's stay in the clinic stretched for more than 10 years. It took quite a long time to establish the type of disorder and its causes. It was also necessary to develop methods of treatment, which at that time were in their infancy. Now this case is considered by most of the manuals devoted to the issue of split personality.

William left the clinic in 1988. Doctors gave a conclusion about his healing. But some facts cast doubt on this. In particular, people who visited his house say that the walls are partly covered with formulas, partly painted. Perhaps the personalities that made up his consciousness simply preferred to lie low so that the body would be free.

Not much is known about his life in the wild. He tried to establish a business related to the film industry, but failed. After that, Milligan finally went into the shadows, and only shortly before his death it became known that he was in a nursing home. Billy Milligan died of cancer in 2014. In a few months he was to turn 60 years old.

Reflection in art

Daniel Keyes, who spoke directly with William during his stay in the clinic, wrote down his story and created a documentary novel based on it. The book "The Multiple Minds of Billy Milligan" is interesting in that its author is not only a recognized writer, but also has a bachelor's degree in psychology.

In 2016, the movie “Split” was released, the main character of which suffers from a similar mental disorder. Though it has nothing to do with life real person, but in creating the image of the hero, the author largely relied on the story of Milligan. The film caused a fairly large response, but in general was received quite favorably.

In the same year, the premiere of the play “Billy Milligan” took place on the stage of the St. Petersburg “Such a Theater”. In creating the script for this production, data about the real life of this person were used. Daniel Keyes' book has also inspired Eastern film makers. Based on her, the series “Kill Me, Heal Me” was filmed.

In spite of wide popularity history, it still seems doubtful to many. And with some thought, they are quite understandable. All those facts that Daniel Keyes cites in his book, as confirming the independence and isolation of individual elements of William's personality, are essentially unfounded. There are no materials of tapes with audio recordings of playing musical instruments and speeches of various personalities. Pictures and videos are missing. Nothing that can confirm or disprove the truth of the words.

As confirmation of the conclusions of the psychiatrist, conversations are given, and those who communicated with the patient could not assess the technique of drawing, the features of speech, or the perfection of language skills. In fact, the level was assessed by those who do not understand these languages ​​​​at all. There is no mention of contacting relevant specialists.

Even in those documentaries that tell about the life of this amazing person and the time he spent in the clinic, there are offensively few videos with him. And those tie-ins that exist show a fairly ordinary person. Judging by them about his condition is not possible. Standard gestures, appearance, speech. No significant abnormalities or manifestations of his disease.

In no way should this be regarded as an attempt to call the book of Daniel Keyes a lie, or to doubt the accuracy of the diagnosis made by psychiatrists. There is also no evidence of falsification, as well as confirmation of the truth of the materials. It’s just that the novel should not be treated with excessive gullibility, since far from everything that is described in it has at least some confirmation. To believe only one source, even if its author is a specialist, is rather frivolous. The problem is that the desire to delve deeper into the history of Billy Milligan faces an insurmountable obstacle: the materials for such a study in open access right now it just doesn't exist.