Your healing journey is very much appreciated and is very encouraging! None of us remember it, but thats ok. We dont need (or want) to know what happened in our childhood that caused everyone to form, although our carer usually encourages us to try to remember because she thinks it will be good for us or something. This last point is incredibly important as if a dissociative disorder is misdiagnosed as being bipolar or psychosis, treatment with antipsychotics may quickly make things worse and significantly delay recovery. I have DID & PTSD. Switches can be consensual, forced, or triggered. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. My body which hurt so, sent away, there but not there. A common identifier in the OSDD community is the idea of OSDD-1a and OSDD-1b, the theoretically two boxes that OSDD systems fall into, depending on what criteria they dont quite match. Most often, weve heard the idea of one person stepping back and the other stepping forward, a complete loss of control for one and a complete gain of control for the other. Chronic and recurrent syndromes of mixed dissociative symptoms, Identity disturbance due to prolonged and intensive coercive persuasion, Acute dissociative reactions to stressful events. But some people do justifiably feel the need for an official diagnosis for a number of reasons, including the pursuit of treatment on the NHS (although a diagnosis of either DID or OSDD is never a guarantee of appropriate therapy); in order to receive better care from the NHS than the pejorative catch-all personality disorder label will elicit; to justify or at least corroborate a claim for welfare benefits; to negotiate appropriate support from an employer; or to determine the pathway of treatment, amongst other reasons. Passive influence can be described as intrusions from alters that are not currently prominent in the mind or using the body. Reassurance, comfort, a hand holding ours, being hugged and held and made to feel safe. There are 4 types of OSDD, but the most common is OSDD-1 which is similar to DID. He often comments on things I see or hear by putting a funny image in my mind about it to make me laugh. (https://twitter.com/theringssystem/status/1325605823373074433?lang=en). Google with appropriate quotes. There are different kinds of alters, including littles, fictional introjects (fictives), factional introjects (factives), and non-human alters. There are 4 types of OSDD, but the most common is OSDD-1 which is similar to DID. Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) is a diagnosis within the DSM-V covering chronic & disruptive dissociative symptoms that do not fit the full criteria of any dissociative disorder. Switching refers to one alter taking control of the body, being given control by another alter, or gaining prominence over another alter. Someone might have told you that you did or said something that you dont recall. Like all other alters, non-human alters are the result of trauma and an already severely dissociative mind. Shes a specialist for Dissociative Disorders so she would be skilled to know that stuff, but, then again, can a couple of break room conversations be enough for that drastic of a diagnosis? All of you have a right to life, a right to be happy, a right to have some say in decisions. Are you sure they're alters? It caused psychologists to assume that I was stronger than part of me was, which caused quite some (unintentional) damage. they aren't any more traumatized than me, in fact, after what they've put me through, i'd say they're less, and they still manage to be the most vile people i've ever had the misfortune to encounter. So what is the solution? Switching refers to one alter taking control of the body, being given control by another alter, or gaining prominence over another alter. Blurry can be an abstract concept for someone who does not have DID/OSDD and may be a little difficult to understand. DDNOS is seen by many people as a not yet or a not quite version of dissociative identity disorder and although it is supposed to be a residual category and only given to a few people, in fact the vast majority of people diagnosed with a dissociative disorder fall into this category. It is also what happens in practice: very few people would realistically distinguish between DID and OSDD. The belief that DID treatment is harmful to patients. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER (previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder) is the most severe and chronic manifestation of dissociation, characterized by the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of the individual's behavior, accompanied by an inability to recall important personal The only other.tine I had something like that happen was when I was really young and knna camping trip and kept.auddenky.thinking I was at home. When they co I sometimes get like a brain fog after and can't remember bits and pieces of what happened. Just now I saw a comment by an OSDD system describing something similar to the above as a 'non-possessive switch' and would like to know if that's a common way of describing it. I was looking for more basic information than they could provide when I came across Conversations with Carolyn Spring Podcast; that was the first time someone spoke my language- I could relate so much and finally was able to put some of the pieces together of what therapy was trying to explain and I really appreciated the gems of wisdom that helped with a few shortcuts in my healing journey; I still remember to make space for the pain of the past along with the joy of the moment! Additionally, switching can be more varied than many may be aware. dissociative identity disorderand otherwise specified dissociative disorder, type 1are dissociative disorders that involve two or more separate personality states (or alters). You might sometimes experience pain or sensations that dont have a medical cause, such asswitching headaches.. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And whilst recognising the differences, we can also recognise the underlying similarities. Welcome to /r/AskDID, the sister subreddit of /r/DID which focuses on those that wish to ask questions about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Other Specified Dissociative Disorder (OSDD) etc. You might sometimes experience the loss of a physical function without a medical cause, such as your sight, hearing, speech, or feelings of hunger. There would be no use for the brain to develop the disorders if the symptoms appeared later as it wouldnt be protecting itself in the moment, which is the whole purpose of the disorder. But at the same time, shame and embarrassment also run deep, as people with OSDD experience themselves in a semi-not-me state, but feel unable to do anything about it. It should be kept in mind that some systems use the term trigger to refer to both positive and negative stimuli that can catch an alter's attention. These intrusions may vary in strength and influence and may result in the fronting alter taking actions or voicing opinions that they can't explain or account for. Thank you for reading our peer article; we hope it was empowering, informative and helpful for you and your System. For more information on the data that this website collects and how to opt out, please visit the, "A New Model of Dissociative Identity Disorder", Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Then e switched again once morning was drawing close. Seek a professional if you are questioning a mental disorder!). Required fields are marked *. OSDD fits a lot better. And we plan to reference this page often. But at the end of the day they are just like you. I took the MID a few months ago, with a new therapist and Im definitely on the Dissoiative spectrum along with amnesia, depersonalization, derealization, and child, helper, angry, persecutor parts (I refer to the parts I have learned about by age but I am still learning about them). Also, if you can give me some more info on what this type of switching is, in what types of systems it's the most common, etc, it would be super useful! Feeling those feelings, thinking the thoughts of that child and feeling his body as it had been used. But I know its more than that. This author does not have any more posts. On a neurobiological level, differences can be seen in studies measuring the volumes of the hippocampus, a key component of the brain largely associated with memory formation and retrieval. The No. But the difficulty remains, especially as there is such a dearth of writing and literature from the perspective of people with OSDD, who possibly feel that their viewpoint is not worth expressing, again because it is not proper dissociative identity disorder.. Retraumatization last year led to us developing more alters who ARE able to switch. This might be because you have had them for so long that you are used to navigating life with these symptoms. However, as some systems do only use the term trigger to refer to negative stimuli that causes a dissociative or, Switches can be slow, quick, or uncontrollably rapid. For example, a system that has distinct members but does not switch would still be OSDD, despite not fitting into either A or B. Vote 0 comments Patients with this kind of almost DID do not see themselves as having multiple identities, but frequently feel so differently at the time that they see themselves as a series of different mes (eg, I know it was me, but I felt as though I was observing myself. Our works, including resources like this, are only possible because of support from Plurals and our allies. Until I started remembering switches, I didn't always recognize when someone else was fronting because I feel like myself in the moment. I have the ME that is in control of now. Anyways, thank you so much for creating this article and giving other systems like us so much validation. And yet I know and have spoken to dozens and dozens of people with DID who are fully conscious of themselves when other parts are out. [Glossary] [Resources]. She asked me to sketch the parts I am aware of, so I did. I've had alters who have sabotaged my life and done awful things. How are major life decisions going to be made? Some people with DID may resent the multiple personalities connotation, but at times it is the easiest way of explaining it to other people when time is short or openness limited. The most common metaphors that tend to get used for what it feels like to switch are very DID-centric. Another issue, mentioned by a number of people without either distinct parts or amnesia, is that they have less distance and protection from the traumatic nature of their memories, or the raw emotion of the traumatised parts of themselves. No we will not be left behind, we will always be with him and a part of him. You might have difficulty being aware of your own symptoms or describing the severity of them. A voice saying yes there is, yes there is. I'm evaluating one flight path that I wanted to get the group's feedback on: + Take a United flight from the US that lands at FRA at 9:10 am + Ryan Air flight. Will we be left behind? It really might help if the writers of the DSM could do something like that, re-word OSDD, to acknowledge the Disorder as being on the DID spectrum. Thank you! Many people with DID struggle with what their diagnosis means to them they may resent it or disbelieve it, but there is at least some understanding, and an increasing amount of literature, on the nature of dissociative identity disorder. Others might tell you that you sometimes act very differently, almost like different people. TW: Implied mentions of childhood trauma and fusion/integration. The more accurate information available about these chronically misunderstood systems of coping the better for all. Certainly OSDD is supposed to be a residual category to mop up the few cases of dissociative disorders that do not meet the mainstream criteria. I wish the answer were easy to find, and equally easy to put into practice. So partial amnesia and/or brain fog during a switch is still DID? And there comes the second fact, I have three ANPs and identify highly with Polyfragmentation, and its a huge mystery to me on if I have OSDD or DID along with that. You might feel numbed to or detached from your body parts, thoughts, emotions, sense of agency, or even your entire self. My therapist described it as a dissociative mechanism, but has not labeled it exactly. But also when Im like that, I cant do other things I normally can, like tell the time. Then we found out about OSDD, and suddenly everything made sense. It may be important for some people with OSDD to distinguish their experience from that of people with dissociative identity disorder and it would be good for people in this category to come forwards and write about their experience to help people, clinicians in particular, understand the unique characteristics of life with OSDD. Dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (DDNOS) is a catch-all category for dissociative disorders that do not fall into other groups. The temptation might be to describe it in terms of what it is lacking Its sort of DID except not quite or Its like PTSD but with more dissociation. I wonder how many people with OSDD therefore feel short-changed, as if somehow they are not deemed worthy of a proper condition, only a residual one, which is terribly unfair. (the latter will also bring up a lot of worker/management negotiation stuff too. Non-switching systems definitely exist, as they were a diagnosis in the DSM 3. We are The Alexandrite System, when we first discovered our plurality, we spent months confused and distressed because we didnt fit into the very rigid DID mold. Im far from full blown DID, although my present therapist may argue about that. These are all important things to figure out off the bat, and its a lot easier to both set and follow these rules when you dont have to worry about memory barriers preventing people from knowing them. Then there is the whole question of amnesia. Everything in the system happens for a reason, even if we do not know what it is. Your early system days should be spent getting used to the idea of having other people in your head and getting to know said people. This website uses cookies in order to analyze visitor trends. this is the first time I have had someone accurately articulate my experience. These intrusions may also cause the fronting alter to gain skills and abilities that they do not usually have (such as public speaking despite normally suffering from social phobia) or losing skills and abilities that they would expect to always be there (such as reading or recognizing loved ones). You might have difficulty piecing together a coherent timeline of your life. Emotions were ripped from me and cast into the maelstrom. Your site has been very helpful to me and my family as we engage in our journey in identifying and addressing DID. But MANY trauma survivors have these parts, and recognizing them is key to getting better. Thats not really how DID and OSDD work. Transition from one personality to another is referred to as "switching." This usually occurs within seconds to minutes, but can also be gradual, taking hours or days to complete. Even switching is rarely as blatant or extreme as the media commonly portrays. Thank you for investing the time to read this article. All content relatable to the DID experience is on topic. Let your body rest! It can be very exciting to be able to get to know a new person thats probably going to end up being an important figure in your life! They emerged as fairly cognitively undeveloped (lacking pre-existing patterns of cognition) and made an active choice to become persecutors very early into their development because they wanted to make me into a better person, and thought that would be an effective way to do it. Check this PDF for the symptoms of C-PTSD. A common thought we had at the time was We dont black out or lose time, so surely we arent switching, which means this must be fake, which was incorrect for many reasons. It was easily one of the strangest experiences I've had in the now. Instead of an alter switching to front, they can exert passive influence on the alter currently at front. I appreciate it and will share it on my tumblr. OSDD What is a Switch? For some people, that means rejecting labels altogether. Switching (of any type), and the existence of alters (parts of different gender, age, temperament, etc) ONLY occurs in OSDD/DID. I can just stare and stare at my watch and I know I should be able to figure it out but I just cant. In the meantime, we will be continuing to push the idea that dissociation is truly a spectrum disorder! The remaining cases rarely manifest detectable identities, except when these patients are in crisis. Passive influence can be described as intrusions from alters that are not currently prominent in the mind or using the body. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone. One of our system's little quirks is that our childhood is just *poof* gone. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Memory gaps You might find that your memory is unreliable. Surely not. You might find that you sometimes forget well-learned skills, such as driving or a favorite hobby. There might be alters who are be unaware of other alters existence or refuse to believe so. Dont just hear them, but really listen to what they say. There must be many different forms of OSDD as my personality seems to go into parts, or separate moods when needed and comes together into one when its safe. I have terrible memory too and sometimes I think my alters play as me and I don't even know when ive switched. Sometimes there is clear separation and total amnesia, but other times the lines can become so blurred that it is hard to tell who is who. 4 types of OSDD, but the most common is OSDD-1 which is to! Said something that you DID or said something that you DID or said something you. Systems like us so much validation refers to one alter taking control of now that, I DID n't recognize. Alters ) like you will always be with him and a part of me was, which caused quite (... Other systems like us so much validation states ( or alters ) had in the mind or the... 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