[Keen]

I noticed that in the the DSMVthe criteria for DID is different. How do you think it will effect us as a community? How about with insurance.

One question it asks that is rather subjective is "Is it interfering with your life?"

Many DID people I know can go to work, school,etc. but may have nightmares and need time off. I wonder if these criteria would count.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Keen

I noticed that in the the DSMVthe criteria for DID is different. How do you think it will effect us as a community? How about with insurance.

One question it asks that is rather subjective is "Is it interfering with your life?"

Many DID people I know can go to work, school,etc. but may have nightmares and need time off. I wonder if these criteria would count.

at the moment the DSM5 is not out yet. it is still in the final phase where all the mental disorders diagnostic criteria are going through their last revision and then in may will be published. so no one knows exactly what the diagnostic criteria for DID is going to be yet, or how the new diagnostics for any of the mental disorders here in america is going to affect people.

nightmares but able to work, school and stuff... well here in america having nightmares is not a symptom nor diagnostics of having DID...here in america having nightmares is part of the PTSD diagnosis.

example...here in america DID present diagnostics is having two or more special types of alternate personalities that take control often, you have a special type of forgetfulness, the problem isnt because of drugs, alcohol or fantasy play and isnt because of having a seizure disorder like epilepsy. (the new diagnostics do take into consideration a special type of seizure that is different than epilepsy and other medically caused seizure disorders)

so for example if my DID met the diagnostic criteria but did not interfere with my work, school and I had nightmares...well I would have two mental disorders...DID and PTSD.


that said my opinion is that its not going to affect very much. here in america the mental health community is used to having to change their standards of diagnostics. this isnt the first time the DSM has been updated.

as a society well people are going to think what ever they want to. just like with the previous versions of the DSM some people accept mental illness and others dont. every american has their own views of any mental disorder according to their own religion, location, cultural background and such. the DSM5 isnt going to change that.

the mental health community will change to the new diagnostics when treating and evaluating whether a person has DID just like they did with the previous publications of the DSM.

those that have already been diagnosed with DID can still go according to what they were diagnosed and continue using the same treatment plans after may that they are doing now if thats what they want. here in america treatment for mental illness is one of those things that addresses each persons own problem areas not just a label.

insurance wise..well here in america each insurance company decides for their self what symptoms, disorders, diseases, problems, treatments they will pay for. some pay for back pain others dont, somt pay for surgeries, others dont some pay for nightmares others dont some pay for treatment of flashbacks others dont, some pay for emdr therapy some dont, some pay for therapy some dont, some pay for medications some dont and some insurance plans pay for one antidepressant and not another...

thats not going to change just because we will be switching to new diagnostic criteria for mental disorders here in america.

the question is it interfering with your life....diagnosing any mental disorder isnt as broad as that. here in america we use severity scales, sort of like someone saying on a scale of 1-10 how much does it hurt to a person who is in pain. here in america we have whats called a severity scale that treatment providers use in diagnosing a mental or physical health problem. that scale breaks a persons symptoms down into more than the broad question of does it interfere with your life...its like saying on a scale of 1-10 how much do you space off, how often/much do you feel numb, how much/often do you forget things, plus diagnosing DID has more involved than just filling in a survey, here in New York it includes medical tests, and other types of tests that actually tells how much DID is affecting your life in many different areas like social, educational, work, and many other areas of a persons life.

[possum220]

Without referring to the DSM I know people who have DID disorders and are highly functional and can work a full time job. I also know others who a much less functional and cannot work.

[montanan4ever]

The latest thinking about psychiatric diagnoses is to always have that question in mind, "How and to what degree is it negatively impacting the person's life?" This is intended to acknowledge that many conditions that once were automatically labeled mental illness or disorders really are not always that way....AND that some "issues" that were NOT considered "real problems" are indeed problems for some people.

So, let's say we're looking at people who dissociate:

One manages life okay and functions pretty much fine with a community of people in their head. (Yeah, people do that. I know a number of them *grin*.)

Another person is cool with work and the general responsibilities of life, but come the weekend all hell breaks loose--with consequences that are distressing to others inside their head.

A third person lives about eight different lives simultaneously and complete chaos is just one short step away.

A fourth person is at the mercy of flashbacks, acting-out insiders (I don't like the term "alters"--who's the "alternate" in here anyhow?) with SI and other injurious, problematic behaviors, etc. etc., in and out of psych units, the whole nine yards.

They ALL have "DID," but that second D stands for "disorder." Who is to judge what constitutes a "disorder"? The rewording of many diagnoses in the DSM to include the questioning about negative impact on life is intended to convey the idea that it's not always appropriate to consider something a "disorder" unless it really IS one.

[Perna]

Good research article on what they are working on and mean:

http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Anxiet...0Disorders.pdf

[yellowted]

if you need time off work due to nightmares caused by your DID then it is interfering with your life. how much it is interfering really depends on how often you need time off!

ask yourself can i do the things expected of me most of the time, some of the time or none of the time
can i keep appointments with professionals and friends most/some/none of the time
does my condition prevent me leaving the house most/some/none of the time
am i able to adequately look after myself, my home , my pets most/some/none of the time
am I able to hold down a job / attend work/ do my job to the necessary level most/some/none of the time
use your answers to work out how much your condition is interfering with your life.