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Dec 08, 2008, 07:30 PM
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Member Since: Dec 2008
Location: somewhere warm in the u.s.
Posts: 112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Orange_Blossom
This might be helpful as well.
Diagnostic Criteria for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000a) defines the following diagnostic criteria for Dissociative Identity Disorder (300.14):
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).
B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior.
C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures). Note: In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.
It is outside the scope of these Guidelines to provide a comprehensive discussion of current theories concerning the development of the alternate identities in DID (see Loewenstein & Putnam, 2004; and Putnam, 1997 for a more complete discussion).
Briefly, however, many believe that alternate identities result from the inability of many traumatized children to develop a unified sense of self that is maintained across various behavioral states, particularly if the traumas occur before the age of five.
DID develops during the course of childhood and rarely, if ever, derives from adult-onset trauma (unless it is superimposed on pre-existing childhood trauma).
Traumatic experiences, particularly severe, repetitive trauma, produce extreme states of experiences in the child.
Simultaneously, development of discrete, personified “behavioral states” in the child are thought to encapsulate intolerable traumatic memories and affects to mitigate their effects on overall development.
http://www.isst-d.org/education/Adul...D-JTD-2005.pdf
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Thank you for your very informative posts. i will check out the links you've provided.
Assuming i experienced a childhood trauma, these "personalities" did not manifest until this past year. During this past year, i met two wonderful friends who tried to get me to open up about certain aspects of my life. i could not communicate verbally about emotional stuff - i can when writing - but being "little" helped me communicate verbally. but it's not just "acting" in a "little" way. my "little" self does seem to have her own opinions and perceptions - whether they are really different opinions and perceptions i have...i don't know.
one of the "personalities" or "alters" was purposefully created! when i become really negative, i become severally emotionally abuse toward myself. my friend suggested thinking of this as a separate part of myself. so we gave her a name.
this may sound like we were "playing" psychologist...but really it wasn't like that. now when i get really abusive verbally/emotionally with myself, i can tell that part of myself to shut up. i can understand that those thoughts are not real. i'm not really what those thoughts tell me i am. they are coming from a hateful source who is trying to hurt me.
to be honest, i don't care if we were playing psychologist...NO therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist ever came up with a better suggestion!!  "don't think like that" was about as good as it got!
Regarding the official diagnostic...
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).
i think this is true in my case
B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person’s behavior.
"take control" i'm not sure this is the case? sometimes i let them have the reigns because there is something i don't want to deal with. but i know what's going on. i know i'm letting them take over.
so they aren't really "taking" control - rather i "give" them control....
C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
this isn't the case for me. only one time did i ever write something to a friend and i really really could not recall writing it. it was a response to an email she had written. i thought she was reading part of what she wrote...but i asked, who wrote that and she said "you did." other than that, i have never have trouble recalling personal information.
D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures). Note: In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.
nope. i don't drink or do drugs. no medical conditions. don't have an imaginary friend! lol
thanks for listening to me ramble...anyone who knows of any books, websites, etc. pls feel free to post. i'll look them up!
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