Quote:
Originally Posted by coldwut
I live in the United States and I want to start getting treatment for my dissociation problems. However, I don't know who to bring it up to. I have a psychiatrist, but I'm not sure if he is the right person to talk to about it, or even how to bring it up. I'm not sure if he believes in things like dissociative identity disorder (which I don't think I have but still. I don't want to be dismissed based on a misunderstanding).
There's also the fact that I'm constantly worried that I could be faking it, so I would just be wasting the doctor's time. I'm not sure if that feeling will ever go away.
EDIT: I should mention that I don't know if I have alters or if they are just fragments. Since I don't have amnesia then I shouldn't have DID, but I know that you can still have alters without DID. They aren't really me because each has their own name, age (some are older and some are younger), and they look different from me. How do I bring that up? They could just be imaginary friends that I just think take control of my body. This is all very confusing. I just keep wanting to deny them but I don't think that is helping me at all.
What are some tips to use when bringing this up? Should I print out things, write things down?
|
your psychiatrist is the one to tell. here in america the people you talk to about whether you have a mental disorder, which one and get treated for it are your psychiatrist, your therapist and your medical doctor. the Medical doctors job is to refer you out to a psychiatrist or therapist, a psychiatrists job is to talk with you, set you up for testing and diagnosing you and treating you, sometimes that treatment is medications depending upon what and why your alters/ fragments are there and a psychiatrist does the prescribing. a therapists job is to talk with you, and help you to learn how to take care of yourself and your problems. therapists cant do the work for you, they help you to do the work for yourself.
that said you stated you didnt know if your alters are alters or fragments, here in the USA the term fragments is rarely used in reference to alternate personalities. there are other definitions and such that is used depending upon whats now called other accompanying symptoms.
most times if a person is switching into reacting from what used to be called "fragment" its called reacting to a repressed memory or repressed emotion, having a flashback.
example one of what was called a fragment alter in me before the new change over in 2013 was Green (not actual alters name just picking one due to the profanity filter will edit out the actual name) this alter was not an alter that did many things, she was just a dissociated emotion and dissociated trauma event, thats all she held and what her sense of agency was. to react in fear because of this one traumatic event. nothing more nothing less. same thing every single time she was in control, I would be reacting in fear.
After 2013 when the american psychiatric association made changes to the american mental health system this fragment was no longer called a fragment, it was now called my having a flashback to a dissociated traumatic event and reacting with fear.
Treatment for this altered state of mind has also changed. instead of placing addressing this part of me last or in prioritized order, this altered state of mind was actually worked on rather quickly and successfully.
altered states of mind where a person has what used to be called fragments, well they are different than other alters with a whole bunch of problems. they hold just a snippet, or as some people call it one emotion or one dissociated event, unlike others who have many emotions, events and problems to deal with. think of it like cleaning your room, its easier to open your shirt drawer and fold those shirts, get the shirt drawer in order, then it is to open the closet full of boxes and bags and hangers and shelves full of a whole mixture of things.
helping me to deal with Green (one emotion and one trauma event ) was easier, and very successful where as helping me to deal with Thelma who had many trauma memories, many emotions and many things to do and deal with as she handled my intimacy issues.
why did they relabel this kind of alter and treatment system for this...... because the system of prioritizing alters has changed, now alters with DID are all on equal ground regardless of whether they do one job or many, whether they take control many times or once in a while, whether their creation was from the host dissociating or an alter dissociating, they are now all equally important, none are seen as just an unimportant fragment.