[yellowted]

I have been reading lots of stuff on dissociation, ok most of it is about DID but I would like to know if all people with dissociation of any type have alters? I have a dx of dissociative motor disorder but am really unsure if i have an alter or if it is just normal feelings/memories from my past! I always feel like me, think like me, know what i am doing and can reason like me but when i am relaxed watching a good film i chew my finger, when i am in a strange place i sometimes find it hard to communicate for a while, and was told by a T years ago it was the little girl in me needing reassurance but i have always chewed my fingers and never to the point they hurt! I have always been shy, quiet... I can not weight bare, my dexterity hand/eye co-ordination are poor as are my core muscles, but this is all the time, I really would appreciate some advice as to wether people here think i have an alter or not

[Catlovers141]

Go to the following link:

http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentG..._Disorders.htm

DID is really the only one with fully formed alters, although some people with DDNOS (dissociative disorder not otherwise specified) can have dissociated parts of themselves also. But that diagnosis is sort of a catch-all so it would depend on the person.

[yellowted]

thankyou catlovers, i just seem so different from everyone who posts on here that i really am doubting my dx. I have found such little info anywhere on the internet specifically about dissociative motor disorder that i really do not know what is typical symptoms and what could be something else altogether!
I have no one to compare myself to, I have always thought i am wrongly dxd and would just love to know if i am or not. my gp goes along with the dx for an easy life i think, even though i have discussed my concerns with him he is not really prepared to put me forward for any physical tests to find out. my care team do not know what to do with me and no one will help me adapt my home to accommodate my needs and wheelchair! I have been bumping up and down stairs for almost 2 years, and yesterday i had to remove half my door frame myself as the new wheelchair would not fit through it to reach the kitchen!

The situation i am in is causing me to be depressed but my care co ordinator just sees the dx and depression she is unwilling to see the cause even though i keep telling her i need my home adapting and making safe for me to be there alone.
I really do not know what to do anymore, i have tried everything , even wrote to my local mp every month for a year but still am left struggling in an unadapted house. this can't be right

[sabby]

Hi yellowted,

The answer to your question is "no", not everyone who dissociates has alters.

Everyone in life dissociates. When you are reading a good book and find yourself hours later realizing all that time has passed and you didn't realize it, that is dissociating. When you look out the window and daydream, that is also dissociating. When you are driving from point a to point b and you don't remember some of the drive, that too is dissociating. But, that doesn't mean that everyone who does this has alters.....do you get what I mean?

I did some reading on your disorder and I did not see anything that suggests that someone with your dx has alters. (not to say that it couldn't happen I suppose)

I found this explanation the easiest to understand -

This patient confronts an acute stressor that creates a psychic conflict, and the physical symptom(s) serve as the resolution for the conflict. The patient may repress the stressor or be unaware of its impact. This disorder may occur at any age, either gender, any personality. A conversion disorder is characterized by the loss of a bodily function, for example blindness , paralysis, or the inability to speak . The loss of physical function is involuntary, but diagnostic testing does not show a physical cause for the dysfunction.

Has anyone on your team (dr, aide, therapist) explained to you about conversion disorders? Is it possible that the reason you are not getting help to adapt your living space is that through therapy, they hope you will progress to the point of not having the physical issues you are now suffering from anymore? Of course I have no real idea what they are thinking, but I might be on the right track. It may be worth it to ask them if that is why they are not helping you with adaptations to your flat etc.

I wish you well!


_sabby_

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by yellowted

thankyou catlovers, i just seem so different from everyone who posts on here that i really am doubting my dx. I have found such little info anywhere on the internet specifically about dissociative motor disorder that i really do not know what is typical symptoms and what could be something else altogether!
I have no one to compare myself to, I have always thought i am wrongly dxd and would just love to know if i am or not. my gp goes along with the dx for an easy life i think, even though i have discussed my concerns with him he is not really prepared to put me forward for any physical tests to find out. my care team do not know what to do with me and no one will help me adapt my home to accommodate my needs and wheelchair! I have been bumping up and down stairs for almost 2 years, and yesterday i had to remove half my door frame myself as the new wheelchair would not fit through it to reach the kitchen!

The situation i am in is causing me to be depressed but my care co ordinator just sees the dx and depression she is unwilling to see the cause even though i keep telling her i need my home adapting and making safe for me to be there alone.
I really do not know what to do anymore, i have tried everything , even wrote to my local mp every month for a year but still am left struggling in an unadapted house. this can't be right

yellowted different is ok. Im different. most of the people here are unintegrated meaning they have not merged together with their alters. When I first came her I felt so alone because there was no one else here that was working on integrating with their alters. but I stuck it out and now there are others here like me who have integrated with their alters or are working on that. give it some time. theres bound to be people with conversion disorder around here somewhere. they may just be not comfortable posting or not on line exactly when you are.

its true a majority of those posting here have DID but all forms of dissociation is welcome in this area, at least thats my understanding.

part of the problem with not being able to locate those like you may be because some members may be off line spending time with family. here in america the time from october through january is what we call "the holidays". its when we have back to back special occasions - holloween, thanks giving, christmas and new years. during these times some people take time off of their on line activities and spend more time with family.

another reason you may not be finding replys or posts about your diagnosis is because here in americal we dont call it the same thing, like I stated before here in america we call your diagnosis conversion disorder.

conversion disorder here in america has a mental aspect and a physical aspect. its like having two problems in one - a physical symptoms and mental disorder symptoms.

theres alot of people here with dual diagnosis's and Ive noticed they get their needs met by instead o lumping everything together and expecting everything to click into place they discuss each separate aspect of their problems in corresponding boards. example their dissociative symptoms here, their depressive type symptoms in the depression boards and their physical problems in the health problems board.

maybe trying something different like this - discussing the physical problems of this disorder in the physical health problems board and discuss the dissociative aspects of your disorder here in the dissociative boards will help.

At the moment I cant remember how to do it but theres a way to "search" by using a topic or word to find what you are looking for.. maybe if you do a "search" of the boards using the words "conversion disorder" you may find some postings to help you.

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by amandalouise

... theres a way to "search" by using a topic or word to find what you are looking for.. maybe if you do a "search" of the boards using the words "conversion disorder" you may find some postings to help you.

I just tried typing "conversion disorder" into the search box in the top right corner of this page (i.e., of every forum page) and got something like 66 hits. Hope that helps.

[yellowted]

thank you all x

[lizardlady]

Yellowted, the short answer to your question is "no".
For a longer response... As someone else pointed out everyone dissociates at some point in life. Being so involved in a book, TV or movie that you ignore the world is dissociation. Driving somewhere and not remembering the drive is dissociastion. These are not signs of a dissociative disorder. They are "healthy" dissociation.
There are several dissociative disorders. Dissociativre identity disorder and DDNOS are usually the dx's that involve alters.

[lizardlady]

Amandalouise, I am integrated if you ever want to talk about it.

[invisigirl]

yellowted, I have all the symptoms of DID, but do not have alters. so no, not everyone who has dissociative problems have DID.