Supporting those with undiagnosed DID

Hi @LH1734

Does the person see a mental health professional or is willing to do so? I would advise getting trained mental health input, because dissociation is a spectrum and DID is at one end, but within DID there is variation. There are also other things that can have some similar symptoms, so I would think getting a diagnosis will lead to the correct treatment and better outcome.

General resource for trauma is Blue Knot Foundation who deal with childhood trauma. They have a website which has a lot of information and also run webinars

A good resource book for DID is

Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation: Skills Training for Patients and Therapists by

Hiya, we're a system ourselves with some form of undiagnosed plurality so can give some advice or at least try to.

Mostly it's just extremely important to talk to the people there and take them seriously, actually asking them about what they'd want going forward and just treating them like anyone else you'd talk to. Communication is a huge thing, at least for us, so absolutely don't shy away from just asking what would help support them better if you haven't already.

For us personally a big thing is having each of us treated as our own people and not as all parts of one larger whole (core?) identity. This does differ from system to system though, so again just ask.

We do also want to say that mental health support is of course possible even if DID and other plurality is (for some reason) a controversial topic. There are at least some therapists out there who'll take their identities seriously and not force them into anything they won't feel comfortable doing.

Really it's just important to be tolerant of how they're going to go through their life differently to most other people and to take it seriously when it needs to be. Absolutely get to know the people that share that body like you would with anyone else.

Oh, and a reminder that if they're online a lot that there's a lot of discourse and infighting about plurality, specifically on tiktok (again, no idea why) which at least makes us really uncomfortable so it's probably best to stay away from that sort of thing and learn to accept their plurality first, because really those spaces are just full of bullying and nobody likes that. There's a lot of misinformation and stuff out there so stay aware of anything that tries to de-validate anyone's experience of plurality, we're all in this together. Impostor syndrome and doubt is of course a part of the process though.

If you've got any questions about plurality and that sort of thing we'd be happy to answer them 🙂 Hope we've helped at least a little!

- Flowers

Hey,

I have this diagnosis, and love your question. TBH, the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me is ask what I need. While there is a list of information kept seperate - there is one central stream with each part branching off that.
One of the things I get really embarrassed about is switching, and what I’ve found helpful is on occasions where it is noticed - which is very rare for me- the person asking me what I need, telling me what they noticed and checking in if I want to know what happened. And sometimes my shame is too much but other times it helps to just know I am safe. I on occasion reject my diagnosis, but the above kind of works for any distress.