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,...
I often wondered if I had DID. I have dissociated in the past starting in my mid teens. I'd loose large chunks of time doing things like reading, listing to music and doing artwork. I've done it in HS at times during class sometimes. Most of the time I thought I'd bee asleep and never had sleepwalking problems. I also get feelings of observing my life but not being here. I'm aware of myself but at the same time not. it's hard to describe. Like observing my life on TV. I also have bad memory problems. I remember little from my childhood and terrible short term memory. I often feel like two me. But I can't tell because when I've dissociated I was isolated most of the time except the few times in school. This frightens me because the other part of me that I feel that I team my 'shadow self' feel would do things that I would not do as I am now. I feel like that person is a very dangerous person. Well the only time I dissociated was in the hospitable and it took 10 men to restrain me. I remember going in to it and coming out but the time I was being restrained I don't remember anything. So what is the criteria to be diagnosed as MPD. Can some enlighten me? Ponygirl74
depersonalization is the feeling of being outside of or watching yourself. the sense of watching yourself as if you're in a movie, for example. that can be part of did, or ddnos, or it can be another disorder.
no one can self diagnose, so even if you do find a good definition of did, or ddnos (dissociative disorder not otherwise specified) you're going to need to be assessed by a professional to know for certain. we're not able to be objective enough to know if we meet the criteria, even when we have a medical issue we often miss or evaluate things incorrectly. we say in the medical profession, 'the doctor who treats him/herself has a fool for a patient.'
there are other disorders that have dissociation and depersonalization as symptoms, borderline personality disorder is one of them. there can also be some medical problems that can cause those kinds of symptoms, i know because i recently discovered that i have one - much to my amazement. i never would have suspected that some of my psychological symptoms were caused by a birth defect but it seems likely.
if you look in the dsm iv you'll find the criteria for every mental illness listed. it's being revised however so you might want to also look at the dsm v site as well.