May be of interest

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/community/psychology/480521.html

Until the mod gets to it, my comment is screened, so it is here:

"Contrary to what every one else here has been saying, MPD has not been changed to DID except in the united states. People forget that a lot.

Ahem.

There are ways to 'control' it. Post it notes, encouraging communication without patronisation, making 'alters' feel welcome. Occasionally medication may be needed short term, to calm some of the more aggressive or dangerous members of the group, but just as with singlets, I'm a firm believer in therapy helping those system members, not drugging them for the rest of their lives or worse, trying to kill them off or make them disappear.

MPD fades to normal multiplicity once system members reach a suitible level of functionality. MPD is a disorder. Once the system is not disordered, once the system is functioning, they no longer suffer from MP'D'. Some people find that system members go away after a time, but many remain systems for life, and like it that way.

DID is a whole different kettle of fish. MPD implies different people in one body, so I assume that's what you'd be referring to. DID is when a person dissociates into what appear to be different people, but by the very name of the disorder, clearly wouldn't be. The name of MPD was changed to DID in the united states because they felt that more than one person could not exist (haha, morons) in one body, so they felt that the name MPD was 'misleading'.

I personally think people should be encouraged to figure it out for themselves, no?"


Disclaimer: I am not saying people labelled DID are not multiples. I am saying that if they live in the US especially, they are potentially mislabelled. I'm also sure there'll be a grey area of sorts. Just posting a fairly concise opinion for those who may not be accustomed to this point of view. Best not to over whelm, yes?

Comments

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Right, that looks fine. If people respond positively and want more information, time enough then or later to let them in on things like the Layman's Guide and all such. Thank you for your help in getting the word out.

Andy & Jay

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

I can pretend to be somebody else. VERY severe dissociation, uncontrolled, basically is like... unintentional roleplaying. It's a defense mechanism to make it seem like it's not happening to you, to remove you from the potential damage. That person isn't 'real', but they might appear to be. I'm simplifying, but that's the gist of it.

It would only count as 'MPD' if it made the system as a *whole* dysfunctional. If the system functions okay still, then the *system* is not disordered. People in a system don't get fixed over night. But getting and keeping the body, the body's life, functioning, is what makes a system non-disordered.

'Course, this could mostly be personal opinion, but it seems to be a common one.

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

I suppose some multiplicity might begin as a more concious roleplaying. But dissociation, for example in times of severe trauma, *can* be a completely reflexive action, ie, something that happens without concious thought. It can be something that happens quickly and reflexively, or I suppose it could happen gradually, so that it might not be noticed at first.

There's lots of possibilities, I would think.

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

Mild dissociation happens all the time, but severe and sudden dissociation does have a strong link to trauma. It's a defense mechanism just like jerking your hand back when you hurt yourself.

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

Everything. Anything. in the case of very mild dissociation, a boring bus ride, maybe. Surrounding noise if you're reading a book. Anything.

In the case of something taking the form of more like a person, on a more permenant basis, again it could be anything. You're the only person who can know what it is. If it had happened to Lu, then maybe I would have suspected say, it was a way of temporarily escaping the pressures to perform in school. If it was myself, I would have suspected it was a way to escape from bad memories, feelings, stressors, etc. It's very personal, and not always immediately obvious.

Of course, maybe it wasn't dissociation for you. Just running on the theory that it might have been, just for the sake of discussing :)

[kangetsuhime.livejournal.com]

No, nearly everyone is DID in some way is innacurate. Nearly everyone *dissociates* in some way. In small amounts, dissociation can be beneficial. DID is a disorder, it happens when somebody's functionality in society becomes a problem. It happens when the running of their own life becomes a problem. It's only DID when the dissociation becomes a problem, hence 'disorder'. The same way that multiples only have MPD when their multiplicity causes a problem, when their system cannot function.

If you were dissociating strongly, but you still functioned as well as any singlet, then it shouldn't count as DID, but as dissociation.


I'm rambling. And I'm no expert. This is just how it seems to me. Most mental disorders seem to be natural occurences taken to excess.