Multiple Personalities Support Group
Dissociative identity disorder is a diagnosis described as the existence in an individual of two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. At least two of these personalities are considered to routinely take control of the individual's behavior, and there is also some associated memory loss,...
My therapist talked to one of her colleagues who's more experienced with DID...and it seems we're DID-NOS.
Heh!
The kids all feel very vindicated. :p
Heh!
The kids all feel very vindicated. :p
Not that you have a label, where do you go from here; eg. Next steps?
I'm not sure why that feels like a vindication. Maybe that's the wrong word. Maybe you mean confirmation. The word vindication means to be cleared, found innocent, or right in a positive way, but DID is a disorder and kind of opposite of clear. Confirmed means 1.Establish the truth or correctness of something; verify. So, it's been confirmed and verified that you have DID.
I ask, because there is no such diagnosis as DID NOS (Dissociative Identity Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified). There are several different dissociative disorders, one of which is DID; however, you have to meet all of the specific criteria to fit into each of the diagnoses (DXs). If you come close, but for some reason don't quite fit into any of the specific DXs, then you get the NOS DX.
And, actually in the new DSM (which just came out) there isn't an NOS criteria, but it is replaced by: Other Specified Dissociative Disorder and Unspecified Dissociative Disorder. OSDD means that the clinician who gives the DX specifies why you don't quite fit into a specific DD DX, and UDD means that the clinician does not specify why.
Also, NOS or its replacements do not go on the second axis. The second axis is only for personality disorders and mental retardation.
None of this is meant to be negative, but rather to clarify. DXs can be helpful in that they can serve to guide treatment; however, they can also serve to stick someone in a box, which can be too rigid to really be helpful, depending on the therapist and how he/she uses the DX. In that regard, I think that the NOS (or its replacements) can actually be better, because they allow for more flexibility and uniqueness, while still confirming that you have a DD and helping to guide treatment.
I was guessing that there is a second axis and that the NOS goes with it. It's possible to have a personality disorder along with DID, ah but we are both guessing.
I agree about the box, that people are much more complicated and unique, and that a label just gives someone else who might read the chart, or need a brief description a broad general idea of what is going on.
Common to these disorders are disruptions or gaps in the normal integration of subjective experience resulting in discontinuaties in affect, memory, behavior.300.14 Dissociative identity disorder
The primary feature is the presence of two or more distinct personalities, self-reported or observed by others, resulting in failure to recall everyday events and/or important autobiographical information, and impairing continuity in the sense of self. The "experience of possession" is included as a "personality".300.12 Dissociative amnesia
The primary feature is the inability to remember important life history information, usually traumatic, that has been successfully stored but is inaccessible to the individual, causing significant distress or impairment in life functioning. Specify if: 300.13 With dissociative fugue: Travel or wandering associated with amnesia for identity or important autobiographical information300.6 Depersonalization/Derealization disorder
The primary feature is recurrent episodes of depersonalization and/or derealization that have functional consequences.300.15 Other specified dissociative disorder
Symptoms of a dissociative disorder are present but do not meet the full criteria for a specific disorder. The clinician specifies the reason.300.15 Unspecified dissociative disorder
As 300.15 above, but the clinician does not specify the reason"
....
I wonder what it said in the dsm V, as this dsm 5 just came out in may.
Also, dissociative disorders are all on axis I. The only things on axis II are personality disorders and mental retardation (which is not how I say that, but it is how the DSM says it).
Whatever your diagnosis is, if you feel comfortable with it, it can be a wonderful guide to treatment. Diagnosis is just that... a guide. It's not a definition of the person.