Posted by kerria on August 27, 2005, at 1:16:56
In reply to Re: MPD info, posted by Racer on August 26, 2005, at 18:45:25
The DSM doesn't say what it feel like to have it- but has a definition of what it looks like from a drs or psychologist's standpoint.
To a person with DID it feels like there's always a lot of confusion about who you really are because everything keeps changing all the time. It feels like you 'morph' into different people when you do or go certain places and have relationships with people. Your age and appearance changes, voice and handwriting and the entire viewpoint changes. Some persons have alters of a different sex also.
A person with MPD- DID- 300.14 in the DSM, feels like they have different people living different lives simultaniously and when they are in one person's life they can't have the memory and knowledge of the other person's (alter's) life.
The time in another alter's life is lost time somtimes to the other alters- but sometimes there is limited memory about what the alters do- you might remember a broad overview of what happened but not details.It's like being in a movie and playing every part yourself but forgetting all the parts but yours when you are playing your part. or later having some memory- but usually very limited memory and seeing it an entirely different way- of what you did during the time when your alter was present.
Sometimes the memory of what your part/alter did or said is horribly troubling or embarassing and hurtful to yourself or the people you love, or to other alters.
In short- the entire life of a person with DID is a confusing, terrible mess. There's never a way to find your 'true identity' because it is a sum of the parts(alters) that don't know each other.
The therapist tries to introduce alters and help them know each other and then to integrate- be one person.It's a very difficult disability to have because of the forementioned things and because there is also PTSD and severe flashbacks because of violent memories that are relived. These occur at any time without warning, senses like taste and hearing can come back with the feelings also. migraine headaches are a physical symptom of switching and conflict between alters.
Hope it helps you to understand more.
Take care,
kerria
poster:kerria
thread:547002
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050824/msgs/547133.html