That "distinction is often made" only by people who choose to believe that DID is a belief. The diagnosis does not say "this person believes they have mutliple personalities." The diagnostic criteria for DID, as listed in the DSM-IV say: "(A) The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self." This does not say the BELIEF in the the presence of...

The goal is not to make a place for those with DID to "isolate." It's not like there would be a password for only those with DID to be able to enter the forum. Do those of us who post in self-injury "isolate" there in order to avoid opposing beliefs? How about the PTSD forum? Depression? This is a diagnosis recognized by the APA, whether you choose to "believe" in it or not.

The reason I think a forum for DID would be good is because it would provide a place specifically for posting about DID. Over and over again, we see people posting in the "survivors of abuse" forum, saying they have DID and would like to talk about it, but there is no forum that seems to fit, so they are posting here. A LOT of logistical issues go along with having DID, and it would be a GREAT benefit to some of those suffering from DID to be able to discuss it. Because of the nature of this disorder, those issues kind of come in a category all their own. Although DID shares certain characteristics with other dissociative disorders, there are a lot of things that people with DID face that you and I do not. Such as having to share a body with other people, and therefore not having access to controlling your body all the time. Also, losing time while another alter is in control of the body. These and more issues can be very frustrating and difficult for people with DID, and a forum where they could discuss it is something I have seen many people indicate that they could get some use out of.

Your opinions are welcome here, of course. And so are mine, countering them. I do not see how creating a forum for DID would be any different than having a forum for depression, for eating disorders, for PTSD, for survivors of abuse, for self-injurers, etc.


-comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable-
<div class="foot">(Edited by SweetCrusader on 08/02/04 09:39 AM.)</div>