When all the alters communicate with each other and work together. Most people have ‘aspects’ of their personality that they only show sometimes, and we call it ‘code switching’. It also happens when speaking different languages, people’s personalities change, but we think that’s normal. In therapy, for most people it’s called ‘parts work’ where you recognize that a part of you feels a certain way, but not all of you, and it’s OK to hold both of those feelings at the same time.
DID is usually caused by trauma that causes rifts between those aspects/personalities/alters and doesn’t let them communicate with each other. That’s when you start dealing with lost time, and waking up in strange places, so the real problem comes with the lack of intercommunication, aka dissociating.
It’s like a road trip with friends. If you’re all communicating and you say ‘Hey, I’m getting tired, can someone else drive?’ that’s fine. You might wake up somewhere new, but you can immediately ask ‘Where are we’ and get caught up. But if you don’t know that there are other people in the car, and think you’re doing the road trip by yourself, lose days of time and suddenly wake up somewhere that may or may not be the destination you were expecting, that’s a problem.
We all have parts. People with DID had their parts forcibly separated.
That’s true. I was hoping to convey that the disorder comes from the dissociation aspect of it. We aren’t born with our personalities already intact, they develop and unify around the age of 5-6, and DID is a response to trauma from before that age. So, we all have ‘multiple personalities’, but don’t consider them to be ‘separate’ because we can still communicate with them. Instead, we just consider them ‘aspects’ of a single personality, but it’s a gray area.
We aren’t born with our personalities already intact, they develop and unify around the age of 5-6, and DID is a response to trauma from before that age.
That’s the current prominent theory, but testing it empirically would be disastrously unethical.
Just because someone’s brain is weird in this certain way doesn’t mean they’re disordered. Disorder implies there’s something wrong that should be fixed, but many people with conditions will disagree that there is anything in need of “fixing”.
That seems quite harsh. You’re basically telling systems that they’re either faking it or it’s a problem, but why are you the arbiter of that? It feels similar to transphobes or homophobes saying being trans/gay is either fake or something you should “fix”. You’re getting very close to using the medical system to enforce social standards on people who don’t conform to them under the guise of “disorder” where the patient is actually fine.
Sorry, there is an unspoken ‘in my option’ in what I said. I am not a medical professional, so no one should think that is the case. In fact probably no one in this discussion is qualified to express an opinion by that measure.
What do you mean by ‘telling systems’?
I have a friend with DID, but I’m not an expert. The media also portrays DID inaccurately most of the time, so it’s hard to explain when there’s disinformation from multiple angles. I’d recommend doing some independent research or talking to your therapist about parts works as a way to understand more.
I think you are right. I seem to have too restricted a definition in my mind and ended up talking at cross angles to others. This is a topic I need to do some reading about.
When all the alters communicate with each other and work together. Most people have ‘aspects’ of their personality that they only show sometimes, and we call it ‘code switching’. It also happens when speaking different languages, people’s personalities change, but we think that’s normal. In therapy, for most people it’s called ‘parts work’ where you recognize that a part of you feels a certain way, but not all of you, and it’s OK to hold both of those feelings at the same time.
DID is usually caused by trauma that causes rifts between those aspects/personalities/alters and doesn’t let them communicate with each other. That’s when you start dealing with lost time, and waking up in strange places, so the real problem comes with the lack of intercommunication, aka dissociating.
It’s like a road trip with friends. If you’re all communicating and you say ‘Hey, I’m getting tired, can someone else drive?’ that’s fine. You might wake up somewhere new, but you can immediately ask ‘Where are we’ and get caught up. But if you don’t know that there are other people in the car, and think you’re doing the road trip by yourself, lose days of time and suddenly wake up somewhere that may or may not be the destination you were expecting, that’s a problem.
We all have parts. People with DID had their parts forcibly separated.
This tracks with what I have read about it as well, especially the languages part for someone bilingual.
For most people you don’t realize you have different aspects because they work together and transition so smoothly.
I mean, when someone is able to manage a condition, it doesn’t mean that don’t have the condition.
That’s true. I was hoping to convey that the disorder comes from the dissociation aspect of it. We aren’t born with our personalities already intact, they develop and unify around the age of 5-6, and DID is a response to trauma from before that age. So, we all have ‘multiple personalities’, but don’t consider them to be ‘separate’ because we can still communicate with them. Instead, we just consider them ‘aspects’ of a single personality, but it’s a gray area.
That’s the current prominent theory, but testing it empirically would be disastrously unethical.
condition ≠ disorder
Just because someone’s brain is weird in this certain way doesn’t mean they’re disordered. Disorder implies there’s something wrong that should be fixed, but many people with conditions will disagree that there is anything in need of “fixing”.
I have to disagree with all this. What you describe either IS a disorder or not multiple personalities.
We’re plural. Our lived experience runs contrary to your opinion.
That seems quite harsh. You’re basically telling systems that they’re either faking it or it’s a problem, but why are you the arbiter of that? It feels similar to transphobes or homophobes saying being trans/gay is either fake or something you should “fix”. You’re getting very close to using the medical system to enforce social standards on people who don’t conform to them under the guise of “disorder” where the patient is actually fine.
Sorry, there is an unspoken ‘in my option’ in what I said. I am not a medical professional, so no one should think that is the case. In fact probably no one in this discussion is qualified to express an opinion by that measure.
What do you mean by ‘telling systems’?
“systems” is just the term for a group on one body.
And by “in my opinion” I think you mean “if I had it”? An opinion can still be harmful as outspoken bigots prove.
I have a friend with DID, but I’m not an expert. The media also portrays DID inaccurately most of the time, so it’s hard to explain when there’s disinformation from multiple angles. I’d recommend doing some independent research or talking to your therapist about parts works as a way to understand more.
I think a big problem with this thread is the framing, “being multiple people.” There is a lot of nuance here.
I think you are right. I seem to have too restricted a definition in my mind and ended up talking at cross angles to others. This is a topic I need to do some reading about.