How much is realistic in the movies? Is it true that someone might have a full conversation with their alters while everyone else sees them talking to themselves? Do they actually see their alters standing in front of them?
As someone with my own mental health struggles I’d like to try and understand it.
In: 7
Oh man. Okay. Lemme try to clear up some of the misconceptions in the comments.
1. Schizophrenia has no connection to DID. They can come together but they aren’t a package deal.
2. Dissociation is a heavy spectrum. Ever zone out while driving or working on something? That’s dissociation too.
3. Memory gaps can and do happen
4. Childhood trauma is the normal source of DID. There *are* odd exceptions, but for the most part, trauma during formative years.
5. Some people do talk to their alters. From my knowledge, it’s mostly mental, but even if it’s out loud, they can and will acknowledge that it’s odd behavior, they aren’t unaware of their actions.
6. “Personalities” is an outdated term for it. Alters are really more like a split consciousness. Like, if your consciousness is your being, then did would be like cutting it into multiple pieces and letting them grow into different people with different aspects of the original ‘you’.
7. DID has two main treatment paths. Fusion, which is a therapy method of reintegrating alters into a whole, and functional plurality, which is treating the more problematic symptoms and making it just a unique way to live.
Source: multiple friends with DID (some diagnosed, some not.), And I’m going to be going into the field of mental health eventually.
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