Amandalouise,

Thanks for sharing everything that you did. I liked the way you used the two water glasses to make a point with your friend. That was pretty creative of you! Thanks also for reassuring me that I haven't suddenly changed ... I am still the same person I have always been. I just have a diagnosis now. I have not told people I have DID. Only my husband knows.

I probably will never tell a friend because I had an absolutely terrible experience opening up to a friend when I was struck with clinical depression. She offered to listen to me and try to help me. I told her too many personal details, and she got way too involved in my life. Eventually, when I didn't make the sort of personal changes she felt were necessary to resolve my depression, she got angry at me and basically ripped apart my whole sense of being a worthy or good person, and cut me totally out of her life.

Looking back, I think she may have begun to witness me switching from one part of myself to another part. She told me I was wishy-washy and exaggerated situations. At the time, I didn't know what she meant or why she said that. But now, I realize that I went back and forth between one part of me that viewed my depression and life circumstances one way, and another part of me that felt completely different about what was causing the depression and what I should do. I was being wishy-washy, and she got angry and frustrated at my inability to make up my mind and do something about it.

Sadly, she wasn't able to understand my actions as being a dissociative switching. She thought I was being intentionally wishy washy, deceptive, and dramatic. I was just starting to learn in therapy that I had different parts, and I tried to explain that to her, but I guess she didn't believe it. At the time, she was reading a book by M. Scott Peck called "People of the Lie." It wasn't until after she dumped me that I investigated the book and found out that he attributes some types of mental illness with evil or demonic spirits. Now, it makes even more sense to me why she decided I must be a bad person. We are both very religious and were in the same congregation. So just as I was learning that I was dissociative and had parts of myself, she was decided I was evil and dumped me as a friend.

It took me several years to get over the pain from what happened, and since then, I have not made any close friends other than one person that I regularly email.

So no, I don't believe I will ever be able to take a chance again on telling anybody my deep, dark secrets..especially about having DID.

I'm so glad for you that you have a friend who was able to learn and understand what you are going through, and who supports you. That is a wonderful thing.