At what age does dissociative identity disorder begin?
The average onset age is 16, although depersonalization episodes can start anywhere from early to mid childhood. Less than 20% of people with this disorder start experiencing episodes after the age of 20.
Can a person with DID talk to their alters?
*buzzer noise* False. Only a very, very small percentage of the DID population has an overt presentation of their alters or switches (5-6%). While some hints of detection can be seen amongst friends and therapists, most changes are passable as completely normal human behavior.
Can people with DID raise children?
After a proper course of treatment specifically for dissociative disorders, it is possible that even people who have had periods of compromised parenting can be successful and nurturing parents.
Do alters have different voices?
Yep! Pretty much anything is possible when it comes to the way alters present in a system. We have some systemmates who sound identical to others and some who are impossible to NOT notice because they sound so different.
Are DID alters aware of each other?
Some alters may harbor aggressive tendencies, directed toward individuals in the person’s environment or toward other alters within the person. At the time a person living with DID first seeks professional help, he or she is usually not aware of their condition.
Can alters have different disorders?
✘ Myth: Alters can’t have their own mental health issues if the main survivor doesn’t have them. They actually can, and many do. It’s extremely common for individual alters to battle depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar, eating disorders, self harm, etc., while other members of the system experience no such thing.
Can you have DID without trauma?
You Can Have DID Even if You Don’t Remember Any Trauma But that doesn’t necessarily mean that trauma didn’t happen. One of the reasons that DID develops is to protect the child from the traumatic experience. In response to trauma, the child develops alters, or parts, as well as amnesic barriers.