I'm Currently Taking Disability Studies Courses In College And I Really Wanna Ask These Questions To

it's quite frustrating when you work up the courage to tell someone you have DID, but they hit you with "well, *i've* never noticed you switch" or "to me you're always the same person".

i think those statements are so misinformed to how DID (most often) presents. there are some things to note when observing DID from the outside:

not all cases of DID are overt. overt refers to your symptoms, switches & differences between alters being obvious to people from the outside. overt DID is less common than its counterpart *covert* (more secretive) DID. in covert DID, symptoms may be less noticeable from the outside, & that may lead to difficulty being diagnosed.

masking. masking is the ability some people possess to pretend to be someone/something that they are not. in DID, alters who are not the host part may mask as the host part to feel safe, undetectable, or simply out of instinct. before discovery of the system, this may be a subconscious effort; after discovery of the system, this may be purposeful in order to hide alter differences from others, for any reason.

complexity of identity. let us imagine that the host in a system is an ambivert - not quite introverted, & not quite extroverted. this host switches out, in front of their friend group, & a social part or other extroverted & friendly alter takes their place. their friends assume that they are just in a "friendlier mood", while in reality this person has switched. meanwhile this alter has a completely different set of interests, identity, & such, but since it is not brought up in conversation, the friend group does not suspect their friend has switched between separated self-states. identity is complex, & alters are (often, not always) able to feel & express a large range of emotions, depending in their mood. this can make it harder to tell the difference between an alter being in a strange mood, & a whole new part fronting!

so, next time you meet someone with DID, believe them. not all of our experiences are visible! edit: "DID" here can also be replaced with OSDD1, P-DID or UDD, but i just used DID because that's my specific experience.

In favor of our most recent post about people making "DID fakers" bingo, I made my own DID bingo card. Feel free to fill it out and see if you have a bingo

–John

Edit: OSDD systems or UDD systems can do this too. Basically just systems in general –John

Heres a reminder for you that being dissociated isn't limited to the common misconception where you are frozen in place, incapable of doing anything or even thinking, or experiencing a significant time gap,, those things. (This is a very important post, read till bottom so im happy!)

And while its hard to spot the milder signs when you're dissociating, don't worry i got you covered by bringing awareness, im showing what those signs could look like:

Dazing/blanking out several times

Hands looking weird (depersonalization)

Surroundings also looking weird (derealization)

Feeling detached emotionally, physically, or both

Light-headedness

Less reactive in responding

Forget things more often

Unable to focus or keep concentration straight

And many more..!

When you have multiple of those signs at once, then chances are you are dissociating (extra note that it can also co-occur with derealization/depersonalization). While it can be caused by various factors, i would like to add that it may or may not get worse as time passes and no one wants that thing to snowball until it got too bad (remember, preventing now is better than dealing later) so having a few tips would help:

Grounding (sensory): listening to music, feeling different textures, paying attention to things in your surroundings, trying different fragrant or scents, have some snacks to occupy your senses

Grounding (physically): feel your chest as you breathe, get your body moving to redirect focus, splash some cold water, hold something you can squeeze (such as a stress ball)

Practice being mindful. As it can help you re-anchor back to reality faster, regulate better, building more resilience, increasing awareness of oneself's state

Sometimes we go do our day without giving a thought that were detached from reality, usually by going autopilot and scrolling through social medias without being aware (well, atleast for me) and forget lots of things while being dysregulated at the end. So by being aware of the mild signs and incorporating grounding skills im sure memory gaps and those funny aftermath stuffs won't be a problem anymore, have a good day peeps.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that another sign is your hearing feels muffled, that you can hear sounds feel more distant despite close, i thought it could be grouped with the “less reactive” before.

EDIT 2: It is true that sometimes these techniques will not work,, so it's recommended to create a peaceful environment in hopes of going away sooner when waiting it out. grab some videos to watch, put some of your favorite musics or cuddle your soft pillows (if any, pets) and stay comfy! Do not stress about it because it'll be counterproductive. Full explanation at here.

- j

everyone dunking on that automated fleshlight sex toy needs to remember that disabled people get horny too ok 💜

Audio from @themornal

some gay bantz from eddie izzard & alan carr

experienced a trauma recently? you may be entitled to: a new fucking guy in your head

Altogether, I really like the way americans say "can I help you?" as a polite general one-size-fits-all stand-in for "who the fuck are you/what the fuck are you doing here/how the fuck did you get in here/what the fuck are you staring at/what is your fucking problem." Such a polite way of going "bitch what the fuck."

Disability tips and ideas from abled people: "buy a robotic hand that will flex for you so you can open and close your hands" "stair climbing wheelchair!" "Here's a robot that will use AI and complicated technology to feed you"

Disability tips and ideas from other disabled people: "get a bidet hose so you can freshen up when full showers are too hard" "stick the fork handle in a piece of pool noodle so you can actually grip the damn thing, if that doesn't work, tape it!" "you can totally tip your chair back on the anti-tip wheels and recline if you need to, just don't try and propel like that."

The difference is low vs high tech, cost, and general usability. Disability tech and aids need to pass a certain line of "is this more help than hinderance?" before they become useful. Cost, ease of use, need, and a couple other things all influence that.

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