DID Does anyone that dissociates, "see" other alters

[Swift]

@lostforgottensoul I'm totally not a professional and this isn't advice....
There's this thing called OSDD-1 (Other Specified Dissociative Disorder type 1), which is almost,very nearly DID, but missing one clinical feature from the DID description.

I dunno if it would help you to have a label, sometimes I find them useful and sometimes they're a pain in the neck.

My general perspective is I like to know what I'm dealing with so I can treat it properly. Of course that's just me.

I thought I had DDNOS (Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified), but yeah turns out the professionals think I have DID which is fairly accurate.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

My general perspective is I like to know what I'm dealing with so I can treat it properly. Of course that's just me

Hopefully this doesnt go off topic too much and my therapist and I spoke about having a diagnosis or not for it and personally Im ok with "almost DID but not quite DID" (though backfilling the info in my first post each time is a pain when just saying "have DID" would be easier) but my therapist says the treatment is the same and not having a dignosis for it doesnt really bother me too much.

 

[ahershey]

I disassociate a lot. There is only me, though. I usually feel very calm. Too calm. I also feel numb regarding empathy towards those around me. Usually, I am sensitive to people's feelings. I know I am disassociating when I lack my normal feelings towards or around people. Sometimes, if I am very stressed, I will experience noise distortion. People and noises will either be too loud and painful or like the sounds are very far away.

 

[joeylittle]

"almost DID but not quite DID" (though backfilling the info in my first post each time is a pain when just saying "have DID" would be easier)

Calling it OSDD is simpler and more accurate than saying you have almost DID but not quite. Conceptually, OSDD exists for precisely that purpose.

For the OP:

She would "always be there in front of her, she couldn't see her, but she carried out a full conversation with her, or could hear the friend's voice. Again, it sounds dissociative, but she says she "sees the bubble people, they are actually in bubbles, and the constantly are monitoring her actions.

what kind of psychosis goes "away" during private time consistently?

Whatever your friend's diagnosis is, it sounds like something that actual psych professionals might debate among themselves. To me, that's a good indicator that armchair diagnosis from non-practitioners can't even come close. If I were you, I wouldn't spend a bit of time wondering which one it might be. But it might be helpful for you to reach out to your friend's therapist and offer to disclose any pertinent info (first hand-experiences) you might have, regarding your friend's behaviors. Or, you could write a letter.

Psychosis itself is challenging to diagnose properly - so are both schizophrenic and dissociative disorders. The odds are good that you're not asking your friend the kinds of follow-up questions a psych professional would, and so you've probably not got even close to the full picture. My father (schizophrenic) used to describe some of the creatures he saw as being 'away', meaning, hiding. He'd use the same word - 'away' - for times when his medication was working and he didn't see them.

If you'll forgive me sticking on my science hat for a moment - there are several marked and persistent differences, clinically speaking, between schizophrenia and DID. Neither one is better or worse to have than the other - the reason we separate diagnoses is that they respond to different treatment, and alleviating the symptoms, ie treatment, is generally the aim.

Couldn't agree more!

It's easy enough for even a layperson to grasp the basics of what differentiates schizophrenia from DID, and psychosis (in all it's forms) from dissociation (in all it's forms). But the basics don't really capture what it's like to try and get these diagnoses right, when at least 50% of any mental health diagnosis depends on self-disclosure. A person who experiences reality differently doesn't always have the ability to differentiate between objective reality and their own perception. The more complicated the diagnosis, the more talented and experienced the diagnostician needs to be.

Either way, the goal is the same - making life safer, more livable - better - for the person who is suffering.

 

[Swift]

This thread has been stuck in my head all week.

I may be wrong and I may be way outta line but....
Just wanted to say if this is one of those "my friend who's actually me" things....
We're here.

If that's the case, this site is a brilliant place for talking to, and meeting other people who may be struggling with the same thing. We have a few specific rules re: DID - basically, you can't post as an alter, for the reason that this is a PTSD forum and we need to stay accountable to each other, and two, this is a PTSD forum as its main purpose. I'm sure the site rules explain that way better than me...

I joined as a PTSD member and have been working through my shit in my diary, including a recent DID diagnosis, and everyone here is super cool.

I may have got the wrong end of the stick or something, I don't necessarily think that it's true, just wanted to float the possibility and be welcoming if that is the case

 

[Powder]

One reason I don't want to do therapy is that I don't want people seeing me switch. Too vulnerable for me. I hated having friends around during blackouts, switching, and any behavior that"I" can't begin to explain to myself much less anyone else.

In therapy, when it happened, My defense system will simply hijack therapy and shut me up. I felt confounded. I'm only now beginning to accept it myself.

I know I have it but I'm not ready to get labeled yet. Not denial. Just can't emotionally process it all?

 

[crackinthequandary]

This thread has been stuck in my head all week.

I may be wrong and I may be way outta line but....
Just wanted to say if this is one of those "my friend who's actually me" things....
We're here.

If that's the case, this site is a brilliant place for talking to, and meeting other people who may be struggling with the same thing. We have a few specific rules re: DID - basically, you can't post as an alter, for the reason that this is a PTSD forum and we need to stay accountable to each other, and two, this is a PTSD forum as its main purpose. I'm sure the site rules explain that way better than me...

I joined as a PTSD member and have been working through my shit in my diary, including a recent DID diagnosis, and everyone here is super cool.

I may have got the wrong end of the stick or something, I don't necessarily think that it's true, just wanted to float the possibility and be welcoming if that is the case

Good point, but no, it's not an alter thing; it's a real situation