</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
How's it possible for people to delete other's posts? This is an open forum to discuss whichever issue that affects us. You don't have to like or agree with what you read. I think it's really important to keep an objective view-point and respect others who are writing these posts. Sorry to hear yours were deleted.

I'm not very familiar with DID nor do I understand it's lingo. What's: dx, sx, t? I'm assuming t stands for therapist?

How do you typically know that you suffer from DID and not Schizophrenia or Bi-Polar or some other "label" that dwells upon us all? I'm interested in learning more about this topic and I hope I'm not offending anyone here for asking.

Thank you.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post"> Welcome INaBOX,

I started a new thread for your questions so we wouldn't derail kerria's thread.

An answer to your first question about deleted posts can be found here: Re: Why are posts disappearing?

dx= diagnosis
tx= therapy/treatment

Here is a link that is found up at the top of the fourm pages Dr. Grohol's Psych Central - DSM-IV Mental Disorders Index: where you can find out about DID.

As for how one knows they suffer from the disorder? Usually one is diagnosed by a medical professional.

I would recommend reading up on the information first and then starting new thread with any questions you may have. A lot of folks in this forum have dealt with major stigma and often are reluctant to answer questions.

A politely phrased question or PM (personal message) will probably help get you the answers you seek.

Welcome and tell us what brought you to the Dissociative Disorders forum?

[INaBOX]

Thanks again for the heads-up. I've been in other forums before and never have had any problems with people disrespecting each other. It's unfortunate that people were stigmitized here. If we can't discuss our issues here, then where can we?

What brought me here? A better understanding of myself. Mental disorders runs in my family and I have very little faith in doctors who tend to over-prescribe and diagnose. I've been on the other side of the fence and see how paraprofessionals assess. It's a joke and never given enough thought into the matter.

I come here to look at possibilities that will help me understand some of the choices that I make myself. Unfortunately, it's hard to organize these thoughts to get a professional opinion on it. So for now, I just ask and try to understand other's experiences. Maybe I can relate and maybe I won't. I'm not here to judge.

[kimmydawn]

welcome INaBOX. i'm glad you're showing an interest in understanding dissociative disorders. it's hard for any one of us to explain the entire dx and experience that we have in any one thread. i would suggest that you do read some of the good information online and read some more in this forum in past posts.

ppl with dissociative disorders can feel insecure when ppl question too much as we may have insiders (alters) who might question the existence of the dx itself. dissociative disorders have their own section in the DSM-IV. it is not related to bi-polar or scizophrenia...however dissociators can have other dx's as well. dissociation is a dx in itself. please read up on some information and if you have specific questions, i hope we can answer them.

be safe and again, welcome!

kd

[wisewoman]

I am going to be really dumb here and ask if there are labels or diagnoses for dissociative disorders that do not include DID? Haven't found an answer yet.

[kimmydawn]

that's not a dumb question at all, ww. there are many dissociative disorders. there's depersonalization/derealization, dissociative disorder not otherwise specified, DID. i think there are four? DID is one specific disorder within the dissociative disorders.

good question!

kd

[wisewoman]

Can you tell me more?

[kimmydawn]

yep, give me a bit. i want to look up a link for you as well, k?

bb

[kimmydawn]

here ya go. this is from the NAMI website.

Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative disorders are so-called because they are marked by a dissociation from or interruption of a person's fundamental aspects of waking consciousness (such as one's personal identity, one's personal history, etc.). Dissociative disorders come in many forms, the most famous of which is dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder). All of the dissociative disorders are thought to stem from trauma experienced by the individual with this disorder. The dissociative aspect is thought to be a coping mechanism -- the person literally dissociates himself from a situation or experience too traumatic to integrate with his conscious self. Symptoms of these disorders, or even one or more of the disorders themselves, are also seen in a number of other mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Dissociative amnesia: This disorder is characterized by a blocking out of critical personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature. Dissociative amnesia, unlike other types of amnesia, does not result from other medical trauma (e.g. a blow to the head). Dissociative amnesia has several subtypes:

* Localized amnesia is present in an individual who has no memory of specific events that took place, usually traumatic. The loss of memory is localized with a specific window of time. For example, a survivor of a car wreck who has no memory of the experience until two days later is experiencing localized amnesia.
* Selective amnesia happens when a person can recall only small parts of events that took place in a defined period of time. For example, an abuse victim may recall only some parts of the series of events around the abuse.
* Generalized amnesia is diagnosed when a person's amnesia encompasses his or her entire life.
* Systematized amnesia is characterized by a loss of memory for a specific category of information. A person with this disorder might, for example, be missing all memories about one specific family member.

Dissociative fugue is a rare disorder. An individual with dissociative fugue suddenly and unexpectedly takes physical leave of his or her surroundings and sets off on a journey of some kind. These journeys can last hours, or even several days or months. Individuals experiencing a dissociative fugue have traveled over thousands of miles. An individual in a fugue state is unaware of or confused about his identity, and in some cases will assume a new identity (although this is the exception).

Dissociative identity disorder (DID), which has been known as multiple personality disorder, is the most famous of the dissociative disorders. An individual suffering from DID has more than one distinct identity or personality state that surfaces in the individual on a recurring basis. This disorder is also marked by differences in memory which vary with the individual's "alters," or other personalities. For more information on this, see the NAMI factsheet on dissociative identity disorder.

Depersonalization disorder is marked by a feeling of detachment or distance from one's own experience, body, or self. These feelings of depersonalization are recurrent. Of the dissociative disorders, depersonalization is the one most easily identified with by the general public; one can easily relate to feeling as they in a dream, or being "spaced out." Feeling out of control of one's actions and movements is something that people describe when intoxicated. An individual with depersonalization disorder has this experience so frequently and so severely that it interrupts his or her functioning and experience. A person's experience with depersonalization can be so severe that he or she believes the external world is unreal or distorted.

Treatment
Since dissociative disorders seem to be triggered as a response to trauma or abuse, treatment for individuals with such a disorder may stress psychotherapy, although a combination of psychopharmacological and psychosocial treatments is often used. Many of the symptoms of dissociative disorders occur with other disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and can be controlled by the same drugs used to treat those disorders. A person in treatment for a dissociative disorder might benefit from antidepressants or antianxiety medication.

i want to add, there is also DDNOS (dissociative disorder not otherwise specified).

kd

[wisewoman]

wow, thanks, hope I didn't hijack.

[kimmydawn]

yw (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( ww ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

kd

[Mahali]

Hi INaBOX

Glad you are here. kd offered some great info.

I think maybe what zh was talking about in regard to stigma is from the 3d world and not here in the forum.

This place is generally very safe for us.

Welcome and I hope you keep posting.

take care

place

[INaBOX]

Thanks place. So far it's been quite interesting. Some of it I can relate to as well. I sure did get quite the info in this posting!

Anyhow, thanks for the welcome.

correctamundo! members rose up expressing the need for this forum to be a refuge from a lot of what people experienced elsewhere or IRL.

I guess the ol' checking-to-see-if-you're-peering-through-a-microscope hair on my neck was raised (i.e. feeling like a lab rat......my issue I fully admit)....I'm human and prickly too. happens from time to time.

Glad you're finding some informative and kind responses as there are some great folks here.

Some ppl wade others jump in. Splash! (I'm a wader myself )

[Mahali]

You are very welcome. You will find I think that people here in this forum try and help when asked.

Glad you found your way here.

Take care.

place

[RhysMadison]

Welcome to the forum INaBOX! Hope you find the answers you are looking for here as well as some good support.
Love,
RhysMadison

[INaBOX]

Thanks everyone!

__zh, I guess I'm one to 'jump in' lol I AM pretty direct and point-driven and I don't hold back when I have something on my mind. I hope there's room for this attitude in this forum and please know that there's always a genuine purpose to my questions.

I've done a fair bit of research on various neurological disorders and I've learned a little through experience about certain mental illnesses but there's always so much to learn and new updates to keep up with. I suppose that's one of the reasons why I'm here, so thanks for the welcome.