Purpose of Treatment

I sought mental health treatment so that I could have good quality of life. I did not want my mental illness to interfere with my career or my personal relationships.

When you say things that you do not remember or rather your other selves say things that you don't know about, it causes extreme confusion in your personal relationships. My alters don't think like I do and say things that I do not feel. But my significant others could not tell the difference between the personalities. There are differences but unless you are an astute study of character and personalities you would not recognize the difference.

In 1992 if I could have gotten to Dr. Colin Ross, I would have been okay. He would have understood my need to have dissociative disorders explained to my loved ones. I do not switch a lot but my alters are very developed and have no boundaries on what they say to my loved ones.

Treatment is to improve quality of life!

I think your post is in reference to what I posted in your other thread?

I agree that treatment for a dissociative disorder is to improve quality of life.I guess my point was when someone has a dissociative disorder,even DID,it's not the cause of all their struggles and problems.Take the dissociation out of the equation and problems are still going to be there and are going to need to be worked on,like drinking,anger,self esteem,negative beliefs,etc.DID is a coping mechanism learned in childhood,a way to cope when things are overwhelming.No different really than drinking as an adult to cope,once you sober up ,the problems are still there,they don't magically disappear.

Speaking from my own experience,therapy for DID encompasses way more than just focusing on dissociation and alters,that was just a part of it,but not the main part.My therapist never said you have DID,lets get rid of that,get rid of your alters and all your problems will be solved.There's so much more to it than that,more than what you may think and probably more than you can imagine.And whether you found someone that would diagnose you in the first therapy session or years later, it's going to take years of hard work and time in therapy and all the things I mentioned would have to be addressed too.There's no quick fix,there's not even a guarantee that treatment would 'cure' it.

I was just trying to say that you could work on all your issues that are not because of dissociation in therapy until you could find someone that would diagnose and treat you for dissociation.

Also,since you are aware enough to know that you do have alters maybe you could work on communicating and cooperation with them on your own until you can find the help you need?

It was different for me,I didn't know I had DID,I didn't know I had alters,but you already do know.I wish I had known.

My other point was there's no age limit on healing,whether someone is 18 or 98 it doesn't matter.

I just wanted to clear up that I wasn't implying that DID and drinking are the same or even in the same category,was just using drinking as an example of a coping technique.

I was in Lake City for ten years. For ten years I told the mental health staff at the VA that I had a dissociative disorder. I was open to any therapy plan that they wanted. I was willing to do anything! They just would not help me. Even for the Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis that they gave me, they did not have a therapy plan for me. They did try to help me quit drinking and that helped. But I was isolated in life. If they had helped me get a menial labor job or some type of volunteer work to keep me busy all day and around other people I could have quit drinking easily. I cannot handle isolation. It makes me suicidal. So I drink.

I disagree that DID is a coping mechanism which is deliberately developed. DID is a shattered mind. It is about a toddler's brain getting broken before it even has a chance to develop. Toddlers' brains are not developed enough to make conscious plans!

I know that I have many mental health issues that need to be addressed. But because I could not get to someone, like Dr. Colin Ross, who understood my situation and could relate, my overall mental health condition completely collapsed.

I haven't seen the other thread mentioned in this thread. Have you found a therapist that will work with you on the DID?

No. I moved to Athens, Georgia hoping to find one but the VA staff would not talk to me about it and would not refer me to anyone. I have been trying to get help since 1992. I am tired now. I can't fight anymore. I am praying that the Jenkin's Veterans Domiciliary in Lake City, Florida will take me back. I hope to go back in May but I am facing a public drunk charge and I do not know what the Judge will do to me. I see a lawyer tomorrow. I have been suicidal since last May when the VA staff would not help me. Also I am totally isolated in life and that is what is driving the suicidal emotions and alcoholism. I do not sleep well.