Dissociative Identity Disorder

You are probably looking at the title and thinking "hmm, I've never heard of that", yet in truth you have. It was once reffered to as multiple personalities, up until the early 90s. This disorder, DID for short, is a disorder caused by early childhood trauma, ranging from physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, and the list goes on. This disorder allows the child to become detached from any trauma that is occurring. DID in short is when someone has multiple people in one body, all distinct in their own way. Do remember, most who have a history of abuse may not have this disorder or even know they have it. There are fewer than 200,000 cases in the US per year alone, not including those who aren't fully diagnosed.

Terminology

DID has a wide variety of terms, from alters to the roles they perform within a system. Let's start with the term system, which describes the entirety of all individuals in the body. Alters are those individuals, who can come out at will or handle trauma and harmful situations. Fronting is when an alter takes full control of the host body. Whoever is fronting usually takes care of certain tasks, keeps the body and system safe from harm, or was triggered out in a good or bad way.

Let's not clutter too much in one place, so on to the different titles for alters. Each one usually has a specific role they play within the system. We will start with the host, which is the face everyone sees daily and who takes care of most daily tasks. Keep in mind the host can change for any reason, but you may never know unless they tell you. Gatekeepers keep watch for any threats, handle memories, send out alters during difficult times, and they are much like a leader or CEO. They also make sure the system members are doing well and if they need anything.

Now to the protectors, who can be physical or even sexual protection. These alters are the ones who will come out and take the brunt of the trauma that is happening, or even remove the body from a harmful situation. Most have their own traumas and can be very protective over the entire system. Persecutors, or as I call them spicy protectors, are a bit rougher and tend to be more judgemental and are highly traumatized parts. These alters are hurt, and take it out on the body and other members, having a difficult time properly expressing their pains. They deserve help and care as well, and should not be excluded.

Now to the littles, which are children aged 2 to 6 in the system. These are legit children, and if they happen to front must be treated like any child. They may have a pretty good vocabulary and thoughts, but they still are children and must be kept safe. Littles can be highly traumatized, or have no trauma at all. The caretaker is an alter who cares for the littles, and will even come out to take care of the body if the host is unable. These are usually motherly type figures and have very calm and caring demeanors. Now there are much more titles but that would be an entire list on its own, but those above are the main ones systems have.

Treatments of the System

Yes, there are treatments for this disorder, mainly trauma-focused therapy. DID cannot be cured, though systems can learn to live as a collective, or even fuse as one. Both are very valid ways to heal, and no one should ever judge a system for their choice.

Another treatment is the more in-person way, how you should treat someone who has opened up to you that they have DID. Due to Hollywood pretty much using it as a horror scope, people have a very negative look at this disorder. Those with DID are not violent, aren't dangerous, and are much less likely to be abusers due to past pain. If someone opens up about their struggle, it means they trust you and honestly hope you don't see them any differently or are quick to judge. Treat them with respect, ask questions, and even do your own research on actual mental health sites.

If an alter happens to front, greet them, ask their name, and treat them like any other person. Be sure to respect any boundaries, do not ask any alter about traumas, and do not tell other alters about trauma. There are amnesia barriers between alters for a reason.

Stigmas and Fake-Claming

As stated above, DID has a lot of stigmas and disbelief thanks to the media. Many people, including mental health professionals, still don't believe this disorder exists and can be written off as Schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder, or even just PTSD. Yes, DID can overlap with other mental disorders, and usually, systems have severe PTSD, CPTSD, ADHD, depression, and anxiety, and are much more prone to suicidal tendencies.

Fake-claiming anyone with any medical issues, mental or physical, does not make you the best person. It does not help at all, and causes more harm than good, causing that person to start doubting everything and possibly get into some deeper depression. There is enough hate in this world, just treat people nicely, you never know what someone is going through.

There are forums where awful humans post about how people fake disorders just for attention and make fun of them. One thing with DID is that an alter can be based on a fictional source, as a way of comfort. These are what the forums tend to target, cause to them it's not possible an alter can be a Disney princess or something. An alter can be anything the child's mind comes up with at the time, the sky's the limit.

OSDD; What is this?

Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder, OSDD for short, is often used to describe a form of a plurality that is similar to DID but does not have distinct parts, or fit the criteria for amnesia. There can also be a lack of switching between the parts, no amnesia between alters, and don't experience blackouts during times of a switch.

So, let's recap this, DID is a trauma-formed disorder and involves a lot of amnesia to block the trauma. DID systems are NOT violent or abusive and should be listened to and treated with respect. Never listen to anything from any media, most of the time they are wrong and you should never take it to heart. Dissociative disorders are very difficult to live with and can take a toll on the person, so be there to help and offer a shoulder to lean on. There is much more to this disorder, but I don't wish to overwhelm you with all the details, so feel free to search for much more information if this caught your eye.

There you have it, I hope this helped you understand DID/OSDD a bit better, and I hope you take this all to heart and be more accepting of those who are different.