I first became aware of alters when I was in couples counseling and the t thought there might be some deeper stuff going on. He opened the door and the first one rushed in. It still took several years for me to be diagnosed with DID. That was in 2011. I still have times where I don't think I really have DID. This despite being in therapy the whole time, at one point 5 sessions per week, now down to "only" 3 most weeks.

For me, accepting the diagnosis was not as important as learning about the parts and what situations they usually handled. There definitely is a continuum; most people can identify with having an inner child. Or will say that their heart wants one thing while their head wants another or things like that.

It is confusing. And for me, knowing the different parts and hearing their differing opinions on things is very anxiety producing. There is no way to keep them all happy! And I want to take care of them all.