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Originally Posted by AngelsRUs
I have an education in psychology myself. I am working on finishing my degree to become a psychiatrist ironically. So I am not just taking information from online or other people. I actually know that bipolar/DID/scitzophernia are often misdiagnosed one for the other. Also people with DID usually go about 7 yrs approx. before being properly diagnosed. I did finally get one doc to listen to my concerns and scitozphernia was ruled out but he was a temporary doc. So far none of the meds work...all that works is anxiety meds or finding other ways to reduce stress.
Even though there is no med to actually treat DID...they do usually give anti-anxiety meds to help with it and it works pretty good as C-PTSD and other anxiety problems usually go hand in hand. I can't wait to see the p doc today and am hopeful that he will listen to my concerns. Honestly, I just want to be on the right meds ones that work. I have been accused of not taking meds when I get "sick" when I took them faithfully. I have never had a problem taking the meds doesn't bother me in the least to take them.
I have a pattern that works like clockwork. Major stress usually a form of abuse...either past or present stuff...causes high anxiety making it difficult to fall asleep and within less than 12-24hrs I am "sick". Without an anxiety med in place I will continue to get sick whenever stress gets too high...worse is I can handle a lot so when I get "sick" it is a sign I need help in my life with abuse issues. So far I haven't had much luck in the mental health field. I am in a new state so I am hoping it will go better here.
The positives are my family doctor knows there is abuse going on she has almost called DFS on my husband a few times. There are also a few others that do know the truth and know me well enough to know I only want to take care of my health for myself and my family. I'm trying not to stress.
I am tired of being misunderstood. I am tired of people not understanding what I am going through during the so called "episodes". Although, it appears crazy on the outside. It makes perfect sense. My son helped me a lot cause he has had to deal with several personalities himself. He says I am nice no matter who I am but he did think it was funny was I became the teenager cause he is a teenager...though he felt for me it tickled his funny bone.
I have a tendency to accept whatever they tell me...part of my past abuse issues. It hasn't been until recently that I decided I am not going to get anywhere unless I speak up and tell them what I am going through. No one has really asked. As long as it is an educated answer that makes sense then I have no problem accepting the answer, whatever the answer is. But when 2+2=20 I have a problem with it.
Thank you so much for the feedback!
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I too am confused by the 4 episodes wording. DID doesnt have "episodes" its the same way from childhood on into adult hood and the same until you get treated. it doesnt have "episodes" and isnt like mania that has episodes and cycles. In fact one of the diagnostics for having the disorder is that you dont have symptoms and problems that can be contributed to other things. having clockwork like episodes happens with bipolar so that symptom will not be considered tyo be because of possibly having DID. its the not shared with other mental disorder problems like the psychiatrist talking with a certain kind of alternate personalities that get a person diagnosed with DID, not clockwork episodes of anxiety from triggers. clockwork episodes of anxiety because of being triggered will get you diagnosed with flashbacks and PTSD but not DID.
you also said it appears crazy on the outside. people with DID dont appear crazy. they look and behave the same way on the outside as any normal person does. in fact thats why the alters are there. so the child can go on with their life like a normal person does without having to remember and deal with the abuse they went through. so the abused person can go on living a completely normal life without other people knowing they have been abused and without other people knowing the alters are there. I know in movies and tv shows they depict a DID person as appearing to be crazy manic looking. but they do that for ratings and because they are showing on the outside what is inside the person hidden from everyone else.
people with DID dont look any differently than a normal person does.
the fact that you think you appear crazy on the outside clicked something with me. I have clients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder who believe mental disorders that dont show on the outside make a person appearance to be crazy abnormal. I checked your profile and it says you have Body Dysmorphic Disorder. this idea of DID making you appear crazy on the outside might be something you want to discuss at your upcoming psych eval appointment. he can help you understand DID people dont appear crazy on the outside and it may be your Body Dysmorphic Disorder causing you to believe you have problems you may not have like appearing crazy on the outside because you may have DID.
DID is no more crazy looking then those super models, your parents, your friends or anyone else you see out there that is normal looking. if you have DID you will not appear crazy on the outside.
if it turns out you have DID you will look perfectly fine and no one will be able to see you have DID. the only way anyone will know you have DID is if you tell them.
you are a psych major right. look up the disorder in your psych books they dont say a person with DID appears crazy on the outside.
also you might want to hold off on believing those statistics you find online about it taking 7 yrs to be diagnosed with DID. what you find online is grossly outdated from the 1990's census. the going rate now is much much earlier.
the recent seminar I attended said according to last summers census the average for being diagnosed with DID is a yr or less because for the past 10 yrs america has been educating those in college to become a mental health provider about dissociative disorders including DID because it was now a recognized mental disorder in the DSM IV TR. for the past 10 yrs Americans have been graduating mental health providers with knowledge about the dissociative disorders and with the new testing protocols for testing of all mental disorders instead of just suspected ones, there is hardly no difference of the rate of diagnosis of DID with the rate of diagnosis for any other mental disorder here in america.
Also something I thought you might want to be aware of, regarding your statement Even though there is no med to actually treat DID...they do usually give anti-anxiety meds to help with it ..)
here in america treatment providers dont give antidepressants, antianxiety meds to actually treat DID. having clockwork like anxiety because of being triggered is different than the symptoms that come with DID. the anxiety meds are for treating your anxiety not your DID, especially since you havent been diagnosed with that disorder yet.
something else you may not be aware of one way to rule out DID is give a prescription of a placebo or anxiety meds and tell the client it will help with their DID. when ruling in or out the DID, the meds dont work at all points to having the disorder not the other way around.