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Social Neurodiversity
- Thread starter p0ip0le
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My Brain Is Getting Stronger
Hello,
After months of grappling with how public and forward I wanted to be about this (as well as chatting with some people about to approach it), I think it is better for me and my mental health to be more forward about this. It shapes much of my online experience, and I'm sure to some extent it's been noticeable for people who speak to me somewhat consistently.
In short: I have dissociative identity disorder.
DID is a disorder under the dissociation and de-realization umbrella caused by extremely stressful childhood events/circumstances that lead to the psyche to operate under multiple characterized personality states as a defensive mechanism. These personality states are known as "alters", usually having their own memories, feelings, and interests. Among most forms of neurodivergence, it is (imo) the most widely misunderstood and stigmatized due to its extreme nuance leading to very individualized symptoms, but most worsened by very volatile (and often misleading) representation in media.
How it works is that switches are often very "seamless", in the sense that without individual awareness and therapy it can be difficult to notice when switches occur unless alters announce themselves. It is a dissociative disorder; when personality states take the front, it can feel as though you are just watching yourself behave in an uncharacteristic way, and as though you are detached from reality/what's happening around you. In some extreme cases of DID it can feel as though you are entirely phased out, and memory gaps can be far wider. Switches are not voluntary and typically occur as a result of specific stimuli or dissociation.
Alters often exist in what's called a headspace, which is an inner world where they can either be visualized, communicate, connect, and share feelings. This interconnectedness is often why individuals with DID are often called a "system", which is what is used to refer to individuals who have alters. You may also hear the term "plural" used to refer to systems. In a similar sense, alters usually are formed for some kind of subconscious purpose usually because of a trauma response or persistent day-to-day stimuli. Systems often use labels like "host", "persecutor", or "protector" (for the sake of example) to refer to how alters interact within a system or what purposes they front for.
I have two "major" personality states (alongside multiple other alters who I will not be talking about here): Connie and Jade. Connie is "ausma", the person that mostly interacts on this site, problem-solving, and with competitive Pokemon in general. Jade is more focused on subjects like biology, witchcraft, and the more creative angle when it comes to Pokemon (Pet Mods or Fakemon creation for example). We all like Pokemon a lot but interact with it in different ways.
If any of you have any questions or would like to learn more about DID or about my system in general, please let me know. I will not be answering any questions about my trauma, but most of anything else is fair game.
Thanks for reading.
After months of grappling with how public and forward I wanted to be about this (as well as chatting with some people about to approach it), I think it is better for me and my mental health to be more forward about this. It shapes much of my online experience, and I'm sure to some extent it's been noticeable for people who speak to me somewhat consistently.
In short: I have dissociative identity disorder.
DID is a disorder under the dissociation and de-realization umbrella caused by extremely stressful childhood events/circumstances that lead to the psyche to operate under multiple characterized personality states as a defensive mechanism. These personality states are known as "alters", usually having their own memories, feelings, and interests. Among most forms of neurodivergence, it is (imo) the most widely misunderstood and stigmatized due to its extreme nuance leading to very individualized symptoms, but most worsened by very volatile (and often misleading) representation in media.
How it works is that switches are often very "seamless", in the sense that without individual awareness and therapy it can be difficult to notice when switches occur unless alters announce themselves. It is a dissociative disorder; when personality states take the front, it can feel as though you are just watching yourself behave in an uncharacteristic way, and as though you are detached from reality/what's happening around you. In some extreme cases of DID it can feel as though you are entirely phased out, and memory gaps can be far wider. Switches are not voluntary and typically occur as a result of specific stimuli or dissociation.
Alters often exist in what's called a headspace, which is an inner world where they can either be visualized, communicate, connect, and share feelings. This interconnectedness is often why individuals with DID are often called a "system", which is what is used to refer to individuals who have alters. You may also hear the term "plural" used to refer to systems. In a similar sense, alters usually are formed for some kind of subconscious purpose usually because of a trauma response or persistent day-to-day stimuli. Systems often use labels like "host", "persecutor", or "protector" (for the sake of example) to refer to how alters interact within a system or what purposes they front for.
I have two "major" personality states (alongside multiple other alters who I will not be talking about here): Connie and Jade. Connie is "ausma", the person that mostly interacts on this site, problem-solving, and with competitive Pokemon in general. Jade is more focused on subjects like biology, witchcraft, and the more creative angle when it comes to Pokemon (Pet Mods or Fakemon creation for example). We all like Pokemon a lot but interact with it in different ways.
If any of you have any questions or would like to learn more about DID or about my system in general, please let me know. I will not be answering any questions about my trauma, but most of anything else is fair game.
Thanks for reading.
What's your perspective on media's depiction of DID? I wrote a (non professional) paper about media representation of schizophrenia and repercussions on people with it. (Wrote it due to the reasons mentioned in this thread some time ago, where I thought I had schizophrenia, so I want to know the perspective on the same issue but from another condition)
In the paper I mentioned that another condition that I think has it worse in terms of accurate depictions is DID, mostly due to movies and series using it as a prompt for content.
The average encounter with DID for an average content consumer is the movie Split. I think the movie by itself is entertaining, but the depiction of DID? Awful. What do you think of that movie?
Also, how do you feel about the outdated term multiple personality disorder?
I think it's very hit or miss, leaning closer to miss, because very few forms of media actually commit to talking about it as a focal point and instead prefer to use it as a plot device. The thing about DID is that if you want to depict it in media, you actually have to put in the elbow grease to understand or learn about it if you want it to be actual representation.
From what I've seen, most depictions of DID end up being very surface level or used as a way to give a character some kind of gimmick. A good example of that would be Diavolo from JJBA, who isn't necessarily maliciously written but is very clearly written to me as a way to give the main antagonist some kind of gimmick to make the nature of his "secrecy" more interesting or compelling. On the contrary, OMORI is a phenomenal example of how to do it right since the entire premise of the game centers around Sunny and his trauma/headspace, and takes a lot of care to dive into the nuance around Sunny's psyche. I've yet to fully play it but from what I've heard/seen/played for myself, it's extremely compelling and well-executed.
Obviously with how insanely individualized DID cases are, it's hard to say any one instance of a system is "incorrect" but to me it's about the subtext and intentions. I take most of it with a grain of salt for that reason, but I'm hesitant to call most instances of DID in media "good representation" unless I know the circumstances in which they were written and how much care they put into depicting the different facets of a system. In a vast majority of cases, that care is not provided.
I haven't actually watched it but I have seen clips and read a synopsis. The basis on which the Beast "forms" seems reasonable on paper since as I understand it, it's a manifestation of the main character's abuse history and trauma, which is often how persecutor alters form (and often they form as a direct defense mechanism). I may be misremembering or misunderstanding but the Beast fronting seems to physically "empower" the system's body which... no, certain alters fronting does not make you suddenly invincible or whatever.
From an actual narrative perspective, as is, the movie heavily caters toward the negative stereotype that DID systems are volatile and dangerous, which is far from the truth. I don't hate the premise, as with proper research (including actually talking to real systems) it could make for a film that adds perspective when it comes to persecutor alters and the nuance around their formation. However from what I understand, it lacks a lot of tact and seems to prefer to use DID as a horror gimmick, which contributes quite badly to the already heavy stigma around DID. I'd say a lot of my opinion on it aligns with what I mentioned in my previous answer, as instead of trying to create a compelling perspective on the nature of DID it focuses more on using it as a scapegoat to enhance the spooky factor, which is especially dangerous in the context of Split's narrative.
TL;DR: it's dangerously uninformed and dangerously written, but the premise isn't terrible and could even be good if there's heavy research and good faith put into it, primarily if the aforementioned research includes perspective from real world systems.
My opinion on it is kind of as you said: it's outdated. It's not necessarily incorrect in itself but it gives an incorrect picture of how it works and what it is.
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