DID About DID for a short story.

[Anaïs]

I got ideas for a short story today where the main character has DID, but their DID is not the main focus of the story, and they only get to learn of their condition after their trial. The ideas just kept coming. The problem is, this character killed somebody (although the alter who did it did so to "protect" the child in question because they believe only in death does true safety lie), and I imagine the DID community has already had enough of homicidal portrayals. The story blends supernatural stuff in it too. If I could get the help of people who actually have this to offer information and/or vet my ideas so I can avoid horrendously offending and potentially cause harm with even worse ones people could get from reading poor work, I would immensely appreciate it . I don't have to go through with writing the story at the end of the day. It's just something I was wondering about and thought I might challenge myself to write. Thank you and have a lovely day.

 

[Sideways]

I imagine the DID community has already had enough of homicidal portrayals.

Yep. We have.

When I was first diagnosed, the only knowledge I had about DID was what I’d seen in the media. So the diagnosis was devastating.

It took a long time to get past that. And that’s a completely unnecessary hurdle to recover created by exactly this type of fiction.

I can avoid horrendously offending and potentially cause harm

Easy to avoid - just don’t.

It’s great that you’ve asked the question. So here’s the deal. The stigma created against specific mental illness like this type of rubbish has real and devastating consequences for some of the most vulnerable people in the community. Common, researched direct consequences include:

• Avoidance of help-seeking behaviour by people who need treatment
• Lack of support (and often worse) by the person’s support network
• Self-stigma, which leads to a whole host of problems all by itself
• Poorer prognosis (that is, recovery from the illness is directly and negatively effected - people stay more disabled for longer periods of time).

Your idea is outdated, misinformed and harmful to people who are trying to heal from chronic, serious abuse during their childhood. They deserve better.

 

[RainbowSearchParty]

I support everything that @Sideways said.

I also think it is just good practice in general to not use mental health as a literary trope -- avoiding using terms like "bipolar" or "schizophrenic" as adjectives or to say that something "gave one PTSD" to describe aversion to an experience.

Let's all adopt an attitude of uplift instead of vilifying for all.

 

[thanks]

Yep. We have.

When I was first diagnosed, the only knowledge I had about DID was what I’d seen in the media. So the diagnosis was devastating.

It took a long time to get past that. And that’s a completely unnecessary hurdle to recover created by exactly this type of fiction.

Easy to avoid - just don’t.

It’s great that you’ve asked the question. So here’s the deal. The stigma created against specific mental illness like this type of rubbish has real and devastating consequences for some of the most vulnerable people in the community. Common, researched direct consequences include:

• Avoidance of help-seeking behaviour by people who need treatment
• Lack of support (and often worse) by the person’s support network
• Self-stigma, which leads to a whole host of problems all by itself
• Poorer prognosis (that is, recovery from the illness is directly and negatively effected - people stay more disabled for longer periods of time).

Your idea is outdated, misinformed and harmful to people who are trying to heal from chronic, serious abuse during their childhood. They deserve better.

Thanks for an honest reply . I hope things go well for you. Have a good day .

 

[PlainJane]

@Anaïs please login to post

 

[thanks]

I support everything that @Sideways said.

I also think it is just good practice in general to not use mental health as a literary trope -- avoiding using terms like "bipolar" or "schizophrenic" as adjectives or to say that something "gave one PTSD" to describe aversion to an experience.

Let's all adopt an attitude of uplift instead of vilifying for all.

Thank you for your response I appreciate it. What I had in mind was definitely more than using such terms as adjectives or wrong labels for simple things, but from the response I can see above, it's clear it's not even worth it. I'm not trying to cause anyone unnecessary pain or undo anyone's progress with ignorance. Thank you for your kind response .

 

[Anaïs]

@Anaïs please login to post

Oh I'm sorry. I'm logged in now did my replies show wrong?

 

[Anaïs]

Yep. We have.

When I was first diagnosed, the only knowledge I had about DID was what I’d seen in the media. So the diagnosis was devastating.

It took a long time to get past that. And that’s a completely unnecessary hurdle to recover created by exactly this type of fiction.

Easy to avoid - just don’t.

It’s great that you’ve asked the question. So here’s the deal. The stigma created against specific mental illness like this type of rubbish has real and devastating consequences for some of the most vulnerable people in the community. Common, researched direct consequences include:

• Avoidance of help-seeking behaviour by people who need treatment
• Lack of support (and often worse) by the person’s support network
• Self-stigma, which leads to a whole host of problems all by itself
• Poorer prognosis (that is, recovery from the illness is directly and negatively effected - people stay more disabled for longer periods of time).

Your idea is outdated, misinformed and harmful to people who are trying to heal from chronic, serious abuse during their childhood. They deserve better.

Thanks for your honest response I'll just drop it. I don't mean to hurt anyone. Hope things go well for you. Have a good day .

 

[Anaïs]

I support everything that @Sideways said.

I also think it is just good practice in general to not use mental health as a literary trope -- avoiding using terms like "bipolar" or "schizophrenic" as adjectives or to say that something "gave one PTSD" to describe aversion to an experience.

Let's all adopt an attitude of uplift instead of vilifying for all.

Thank you for your kind response . I'll just drop the idea. I definitely had more planned for it than using terms for conditions as adjectives to describe simpler things, but that's by the way. I'm not trying to hurt anyone, undo somebody's hard won progress or cause people more damage, so I'll just move on from this one . I hope things go well for you. Have a great day.

 

[Muttly]

I also felt the same as @Sideways and @RainbowSearchParty I really appreciate your post and responses to them. I wish more people were as thoughtful.

 

[Teamwork]

Long and the short of it is that some who have DID actually witnessed death, hostile environments and horrific things rather than being the perpetrators of such heinous acts. It’s always been a backwards portrayal leading us to want to stay hidden to society rather than admit we function as a system.

 

[Dark.Green.Feathers]

interestingly (adding this for any curious bystanders), i hadn’t ever seen media portraying DID but when the first part of this system to become self-aware took front on his own for the first time, he was very anxious of being thought of as an “evil” alter, or seen as a foreign body “possessing” someone, and therefore unwelcome and threatening and needing to be neutralised.
he was very distressed and confused and had self-harmed quite dramatically at the time, and hid that fact when asked because of fear of those perceptions. it took a long time to feel belonging.


obviously having DID doesn’t mean you can’t kill somebody, or be an unpleasant person like anyone else can, but there’s a big difference between portraying someone who commits a crime “because they have xyz” and “who also has xyz”.

the “killer who doesn’t remember” etc. tropes are pretty tired and normally lean into Jekyll and Hyde esque interpretations. (i am not saying J&H is portraying DID, i don’t think that’s what it's doing, and actually quite like the original and a couple of adaptions. but the theming shouldn’t be resourced for DID stories.)

i write and have a couple of characters who are systems, and more who are otherwise traumatised and/or mentally ill. some are very flawed, not decent versions of themselves, or have made big mistakes. often not in insolation from their illnesses but never because of them. it takes nuance and i write what i know because this is one of my outlets, but that’s my 2 cents; not illegal to write disordered characters doing bad things / being bad people but sure is a matter of tact, care and nuance that determines what message the story is sending to readers and havers alike.

and taking into consideration the realities of what we’re writing is pretty paramount. as Teamwork said. DID is very traumagenic.