Dissociative and facticious disorder

Curious about dissociating. I know it's different for everyone. I do know that I have facticious disorder. This is evident with a ludicrous amount of ER check ins and feigning symptoms. When this happens to me, I kind of just go on auto-pilot and play the role. It's like all of my rational judgment goes out the window. I turn from this nervous, anxious person, with low self esteem, that doesn't particularly like the spotlight into a injured person or a person with a disability that eats up the attention. Would this be a form of dissociation or a type of dissociation disorder?

I'm sorry you have yet to receive a reply to this post. Perhaps the right members have simply missed it. I can't answer your question. But I thought I would at least offer a thought or two and, hopefully, others more knowledgeable than I, will follow.

I don't have factitious disorder. My tendency is to avoid doctors and other medical professionals as much as possible. But I can still sort-of relate to what you described. I'm a very private person, an "urban hermit", if you will. Having waged a life-long struggle with my gender identity, among other things, I became skilled early in life at being secretive. Plus, I also have a history of self-injury which I've also done a pretty-good job of hiding. (There were a few instances where I ended up having to see a doctor. But I always seemed to come up with a rational explanation for what had occurred. On a couple of occasions, the doctor I saw even provided it!)

Anyway, During the times when I have engaged in self-abusive activity, I knew what I was doing was not healthy and could even lead to another medical appointment or even some sort of permanent injury (which in one case in particular it has.) But I was powerless to stop it kind-of going on auto-pilot as you said. I guess it would, perhaps, take a psychologist to say whether or not your experience (or mine) constitutes dissociation. It's not what I typically think of as dissociation. But, then, despite my mental-health struggles over the years, I still don't know that much about psychology. Perhaps other MSF members will have some more knowledgeable thoughts on the subject. Best wishes...

That all sounds very similar to my experience. I also have gender identity issues. I've learned to keep my emotions secret for years. I was never allowed to show emotion. I guess I never allowed myself to show emotion out of fear of how I would be perceived by the people causing my suppression. As far as dissociation... I'm not sure exactly what it entails. I don't think I have alters or anything like that. I do know that when I would self-harm and check into the hospital or emergency rooms under a false name, I easily became that person. I often used names of people I grew up with and had a sense of jealousy towards. When I became these people or this person, I allowed myself to accept care and have a sense of emotion.
It's amazing to me that so many things happen at early ages leaving long lasting scars. I'm happy to understand that there is a name for what in dealing with.
Thank you for your response. It's hard finding others that have dealt with this. Right now I'm trying to find a new therapist that has some experience. My current therapist gave me a notice of termination the other day because this is beyond her scope of expertise.

First Id like to say its very brave of you to admit you have fictitious disorders.

Second - your questions about dissociative disorders, symptoms, problems and behaviors now need to be answered only by your treatment provider. they will give you the information as it pertains directly to you and your diagnosis, symptoms, problems and behaviors.

Third information you may not be aware of...

since March 2022, (when the new DSM 5 TR was made public) everything you find by way of the internet, movies, books and other media-based ways has been removed from being dissociative related problems, symptoms and so forth, and everything you find in media-based ways (the internet and so forth) says a person does NOT have that problem.

Thanks to the new standards put in place, the internet world is by large moving ....away..... from discussing specifics of disorders, diagnostics, symptoms and so forth.

Sure, there are some websites and forums out there that still stick to the pretending/ fake and roll playing of mental disorders (fictitious disorders imposed on self and so forth)

but most good, reputable sites are now moving away from that and into using forums in a more self-help more healing way.

Rather than supplying constant discussions / complaints about problems, symptoms, behaviors associated with dissociative disorders, rather than the roll playing of posting as alters and so forth, dissociative disorders forums around the internet are having more and more healthy and healing discussions.

for example

some talk about how they are doing more offline journaling, while leaving out of their posts identifying information such as dissociative specifics of their journaling, symptoms, problems, behaviors, that they journal about.

Some talk now about how they are feeling much better now that they dont search out videos, books and so on. leaving out descriptions of symptoms, problems and behaviors associated to dissociative disorders.

Some talk about how they are being more mindful, more grounded, leaving out descriptive information about dissociative disorder related symptoms, problems and behaviors. Some talk about grounding exercises that are ....not.... dissociative specific, can be used by anyone regardless of mental disorder.

in many sites Im on, those like me, with dissociative problems, symptoms and behaviors talk about how pleased we are that our treatment providers are now working with us where they are following the new standards of not focusing on alters and trauma specifics of the past. more on healing now in the present.

my point by large those who have dissociative disorders, dissociative related issues are following the new standards of keeping their dissociative related problems, symptoms and behaviors out of the media-based ways now and between their self and their treatment providers, while using media-based ways in a more self-help healing way.

And people now since the release of the DSM 5 TR, are being more careful of not feeding into other persons disorders or curiosities by posting and answering specifics on symptoms, problems and behaviors. if they do put their very real problems out there in media-based ways it now runs the risk of no longer being associated with their dissociative disorder.

Having dissociative disorders is not a game to play, nor a whim to have. or create by way of fictitious disorder imposed on self.

it's a disorder no one who really has it wants to have and those that really have it work very hard with their treatment providers to heal from it, sometimes for a decade or more.

my point as frustrating as it is, you won't find information on the internet any longer that will allow you to believably add dissociative disorders to your fictitious disorders imposed on self.

The real information is now in the hands of the treatment providers. not in media-based ways. what you find in media-based ways for mental disorders now rules out having that problem, symptom or behavior.

my suggestion is if you feel you have a dissociative problem or are curious about dissociative disorders contact yours or a mental health treatment provider who can answer your questions as they pertain directly to you, diagnose and treat the problems you may be having.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. My treatment team doesn't have experience with dissociative disorder. That's why I asked on here. I'm in the process of finding a new therapist that is experienced in facticious disorder. (Not ficticious disorder). I never thought I had a dissociative disorder. But there are things I deal with that cause me to question how facticious disorder and a dissociative disorder could co-exist.

yes I am talking about the same disorders you are talking about (factitious disorder)

you can find it spelled correctly as "factitious disorder" in the DSM 5 TR on multiple pages. you will find much of the information on page 367.

as for your question "facticious disorder and a dissociative disorder could co-exist"

they do not "co exist". having factitious disorders, factitious symptoms, problems and behaviors says a person does .....not.... have the disorder they are portraying. thats what factitious means. a person does not have the problems, symptoms and behaviors of another disorder, they are for what ever reasons showing and taking on symptoms, problems and behaviors that do not have those disorders.

heres a popular medical situation many people can identify with...

sometimes a woman is pregnant, and their spouses will have "fake pregnancy symptoms" for either attention or sympathizing with the person who is really pregnant.

works the same way with mental illnesses. sometimes for whatever reasons a person will fake, pretend, take on mental illness symptoms, problems and behaviors when they do ......not..... actually have those disorders. some can be rather convincing as evidence by the many scams you hear about in the news.

the APA (American Psychiatric Association) has labeled this problem where people will fake, pretend, take on mental illness symptoms, problems and behaviors that they do not have. The label for this is called Factitious Disorders imposed on self.

when another person causes someone else to fake, pretend, take on mental illness symptoms, problems and behaviors its called Factitious disorder imposed on another. some people know this better as the label Munchausen, and other terms like it.

bottom line Factitious disorder stands alone. it says a person does not have dissociative disorders. that they are pretending/ faking. or taking on another's problems as their own.

your treatment providers can explain it more clearly to you since you are diagnosed with factitious disorder.

I'm not sure we are following each other. I've been in touch with 2 of the most well-known experts in the area of facticious disorder. Facticious disorders can vary. Facticious disorders do not stand alone. According to what you're saying.. anyone with facticious disorder is completely making any other diagnosis up. I personally have never falsified a mental disorder. I have falsified or embellished physical disorders. My question about them co-existing is based on me feeling as if I'm on autopilot and have become someone I'm typically not when I am presenting an illness. To me, that is a form of dissociation.

again - you can find information on Factitious Disorder in the DSM 5 TR on page 367.

if you further read the dissociative section in the DSM 5 TR pages 329-348 you will see for yourself that they do not co-exist one rules out the other. (Having factitious disorders whether its medical or mental, rules out having real dissociation problems, symptoms, behaviors and having real dissociation problems, symptoms behaviors rule out having factitious disorders they stand alone now. one rules out the other.

we cannot tell you whether specific symptoms, problems and behaviors is dissociation or not because the public no longer has access to that information. it is only in the hands of treatment providers.

like already stated above there is a new mental health standard worldwide (the DSM 5 TR) where discussing dissociation specific symptoms, problems and behaviors in media aka the internet forums, groups now disqualify them as a dissociation problem, symptom or behavior.

as a result, good forums, groups and so forth on the internet are moving .....away ......from such discussions.

for discussions about specific dissociation symptoms, problems, behaviors and disorders in you or pertaining to dissociative disorders, symptoms, problems, behaviors you will need to contact yours or a treatment provider and discuss those things with them.