Newly Diagnosed

Hello,

I have just recently been diagnosed with DID. I'm not sure if I have it, but I have read "The Haunted Self" up until the treatment portion, and it was very informative. I've read other books as well, but don't feel like I'm getting any new information there. Are there any other people with DID out there? I'd like to connect...

Thanks,
Alisha

Hi Alisha,

Welcome to PC. I'm relatively new to this board, too, and in the process of a DID diagnosis after decades of dissociation and a handful of other diagnoses over the years. May I ask how you were diagnosed with DID? Was it a process of elimination?

FearLess47

Hi and welcome! I read some of that book, it was a heavy read! I was formally diagnosed in 2017 but previous therapists had suspected it. My psychologist did most of my screening tests (some questionnaires to fill out and her observations over time) and then I had a formal 2 hour diagnostic interview thing with my psychiatrist. I received a copy of the full written report from the psychiatrist later, it was pretty harrowing reading seeing it all there together!

Since then I've been working with a trauma therapist and I feel like we've made a lot of progress... definitely more progress than I've made with any other therapist now that we are doing the right things to help with the real issues.
Welcome to the forum.

Welcome Alisha.

welcome!. I hope being here helps you and your alters get support and connect with others

Welcome I too am newly diagnosed although I’ve been sure of it for about 20 years. I’m still learning more about how our system works and have been having trouble with one alter in particular but therapy is a godsend for us I hope your journey is a smooth one and good luck

I am being diagnosed with DID because I am seeing a new therapist. My old therapist didn't think it was DID, she thought it was DDNOS. My new therapist has made up her mind that it's DID because I have multiple ANPs and multiple EPs. My issue is that, while I lose time and have been aware of younger parts for years, I have zero communication or memory of what happens when these EPs are out, or even when other ANP's are out. Does that answer your question?

Hi Alisha,
Thank you so much for responding. I am at a similar point in this journey. Newly diagnosed with DID and am learning that it doesn't always "present" as we expect it to or may have read about. I'm going to send you a private message...looks like we are both in Colorado.

FearLess47

congrats on being diagnosed. I was diagnosed recently and for me it stopped my denial about what I have and the trauma I hold. It was a turning point for me especially in terms of finding help for what's really wrong with me. From what I've read from others, being officially diagnosed will change your life. I hope it all works out for you.

I don't know if congrats is a word I would use in connection with the diagnosis of DID. It's an awful diagnosis, disrespected in much of the mental health treatment world, and you often have to fight to get some clinicians to take you seriously. Psychiatrists in particular are DID skeptics. There are mental health professionals that will describe you as Borderline Personality Disorder on steroids. The stigma associated with the diagnosis is tremendous. There are also over eager therapists who don't know what they are doing and can do tremendous damage in their zeal to treat an "exotic" disorder without any skills.

Having said the ugly truth, those of us who have or have had DID and integrated desperately need competent, experienced therapists and psychiatrists. They do exist. Certified trauma therapists tend to be the most competent group to work with DID. They are most likely to have good boundaries and not get romantic about the disorder (meaning they don't see themselves as your savior or your knight in shining armor sent to rescue you). Also they tend to refer to psychiatrists who while they may be skeptical about the diagnosis are willing to be open minded one patient at a time. If you can find a good treatment team, your chances of making real progress are huge.

When I was first diagnosed in 1990 DID was very fashionable. My therapist was convinced she was going to write a book about me and make a name for herself. She adopted me into her family. Took me on vacations. Invited me to extended family events, holidays, get-to-gathers, and weekend meals. She also decimated my system trying to make friends with each part ultimately creating internal competition for her affection and time. We lost cohesion. I became completely unable to function and had to be hospitalized for almost an entire year. I lost custody of my then 3 year old daughter. Slowly, over the decades I was able to recreate a functioning system again. It took a very strict trauma therapist to do it. It also took a psychiatrist who was willing to suspend his skepticism, take a look at my documented trauma history, my documented family history, and his own observations over a considerable period of time. He became my lifeline. I'm integrated now, but I lost decades of my life because of incompetent treatment.

If my life's experience living with and being treated for DID teaches anything it's that your treatment team is crucial to recovery. Incompetent treatment can ruin you. Good treatment can heal. Be picky. If something in the treatment relationship doesn't feel right, don't just accept it.