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My friend is seeking a D.I.D. diagnosis, what can I do to support them?
2 years ago · 2 · DID, +3 · Explicit
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My younger friend has told me that they share their body with a few different alters. They aren't diagnosed with DID, and they don't claim to have it, but they're talking with their therapist about it. I want to create a safe space for them. They already see me as a parental figure as their home situation is rocky at best.
Some people don't believe them, but in my opinion, I don't get to dictate if their condition is real or not. They're kind of adjacent to a group of kids that "fake" mental illness (though I don't know if I believe that because it's just a rumor from really judgemental teenagers and again, I don't get to decide what is real or not). I'm choosing to believe and support them, but also encourage them to get an official diagnosis from their therapist.
Am I doing the right thing? Does anyone have any tips?
I met one of their alters for the first time today. They were really stressed and they were fighting with the other alter in their head because the other alter wanted to front and be in control of the situation that was making them anxious. They ended up switching and the other alter was in control (let's call them Alex). Alex's voice was deeper, his attitude towards me was very different, and he was just generally pissed off while my friend had been kind of impartial a moment before. I talked with Alex a bit and he complained about what my friend had worn to school that day. Eventually, my friend fronted again and asked me what Alex had said. I'm just saying, it felt really real and I could definitely tell the immediate difference between my friend and Alex.
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You're doing good. Definitely encourage a professional diagnosis, but i'm very glad to hear you're not assuming they're lying. Assuming it's a lie could make them unwilling to seek a diagnosis out of fear, shame, or uncertainty if they really are somehow faking it. As for what you can do, as with anything, talk to them about their needs, if any. Ask questions you may have, or search online to learn a bit about DID to understand it more (but, please be wary of your sources. DID is very stigmatized. Get information from those with the disorder when you can). Just offering general support as they work on getting a diagnosis is a good thing to do so that they don't feel alone, and may be less scared, or anything else like that, especially since disorders such as DID are seen very negatively by people. I'm glad you're choosing to be trusting and not assuming whether it's true or not, and hopefully you're right that your friend isn't lying. I hope they're able to get the supports they need for whatever may be wrong. Thank you for being a supportive friend <3
ReplyThank you for your support and thoughts. I will do my best to guide them towards an official diagnosis and I'll try to make them feel safe and supported along the way. I already know a bit about DID, at least, more than an average person. I've done a bit of research in the past to make sure I'd be equipped to help someone who has it. I'll continue to research and listen to my friend and the other alters to see how to best help them.
As I already mentioned, I think a lot of their system (which is pretty small) thinks of me as a parental figure, the only exception really being Alex, as he's older than me by a significant amount (though I think he let's me help the others. But they're still working on their trust issues in general, so I want to help them make some progress with that.
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