How to Deal with DID

Most people might experience a little voice in their head. However, things may get scary when this little voice becomes loud, increases in number, and can control your body.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a mental health condition where a person has two or more identities. Each alternate personality can have individual traits, such as wearing glasses or speaking in a different language. It may usually be a result of severe trauma during childhood. These traumatic events can scar a child’s mind. To avoid these thoughts, your mind may use an unhealthy coping mechanism of splitting your identity into many different identities. The symptoms may range from amnesia to personality switching, depending on the type of DID.

As per certain studies, it is a rare condition and may affect only 0.01% of the population in India. If not treated early, these symptoms will get worse. Living with a dissociative disorder can be difficult, but you can live a healthy life with proper treatment and support. Continue reading to find out how to have a better life while living with this ailment.

Education is Key

We all know that the first step to getting healthy is accepting that something is wrong with our bodies. But have you ever thought about what the second step is? It is to learn about your specific condition. Knowledge can help you understand this illness, why it occurred, and how to combat it. This way, you can move a few steps ahead on your path to happiness. Here are a few things you should know:

• It may usually result from sexual, physical, or emotional abuse during childhood. These overpowering and life-threatening events can haunt you for the rest of your life. The burden of emotional pain can sometimes be intolerable for you. To protect itself, your mind may try to forget this memory by creating new identities and memory gaps.
• These alternate personalities are called alters, and the usual personality is called the core.
• The symptoms may usually start to manifest during early childhood. The age of 5–10 is an important one for the overall growth of a child. In this phase of your life, your mind is still developing. Severe trauma and emotional neglect can make you prone to personality illnesses.
• One personality may forget childhood abuse.
• You can even develop more than 100 personalities, each with its characteristics, likes and dislikes, accents, behaviors, etc. These identities can control your behavior at all times.
• Certain triggers can lead to the switching of personalities. Many situations might cause you to alternate between alters or personalities. These may include stress, memories, intense emotions, senses, alcohol and substance use, unique experiences, and specialized scenarios.
• While you have several alters, they all might be a part of you. The treatment involves fusing all personalities so that you may feel whole again.
• The therapy session may include talking to every personality. Each identity is given equal respect and attention despite its behavior.

While these are just the basics, there are many other things you should know about this condition. You can find much information online, however, it’s best to ask your healthcare provider for accuracy.

Find Positive Coping Mechanisms

This serious medical condition may affect all aspects of your life. You may be stressed and confused frequently when your personality has been split. It can prevent you from working or even having meaningful relationships.

Some people may use alcohol and drugs to cope with stress. These unhealthy coping mechanisms may provide relief in the short term but can aggravate your condition in the long run. Marijuana, LSD, and methamphetamine can all cause short-term psychosis. Alcohol and drugs can exacerbate anxiety, stress, and moderate depressive symptoms.

Instead, you should develop alternate healthier coping strategies for your pain. Here are some strategies that might help you:

• Identify which events can trigger a personality switch. This way, you can avoid them when possible.
• Getting enough sleep may decrease symptoms of split personality disorder.
• Physical activity can help alleviate the anxiety and depression symptoms typical in people with this illness.
• Mindfulness and bringing your thoughts and attention to the present moment can assist you in accepting your state and reducing stress.
• Research has shown that yoga has a lot of mental health benefits and can help people with trauma healthily regulate their emotions.
• Creating daily schedules can help you become more oriented.

Manage Your Impulsivity

One primary symptom of this condition is acting on impulse. While being impulsive may sound fun in some instances, it can be harmful. Learning to curb impulsiveness is crucial for a person with a personality ailment. Here are some tricks to manage your impulsiveness:

• As you become mindful and practice meditation, you might discover when your impulsivity comes out. Write down when you act impulsively.
• The next step is to sabotage those instances.
• To illustrate, if you usually overspend when shopping, leave your credit card at home. Take only enough money to cover the items on your shopping list.
• If you have impulsive speech, carry a notebook with you. When you feel the urge to speak, write down your thoughts in the notebook instead of saying them out loud. Read them later or mention them at an appropriate time.
• Create a routine for times when you’re more likely to behave impulsively.
• Create a schedule for times when you are more prone to acting rashly.

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Take Time to Relax

DID can be overwhelming, which is understandable. Having so many voices in your head speaking together and forcing you to do stuff could be exhausting. Maybe you are watching a show, and suddenly one of the characters remembers that they must wash their clothes. So you may have a strong urge to wash clothes. Being controlled like a puppet can be overwhelming. You may be able to manage it on an average day, but during distressing times, it may become disabling. Taking some time to relax may make you feel better. Whenever you are stressed, you can:

• Do activities that you like.
• Practice mindfulness.
• Hit the gym or perform any physical activity 
• Take an interest in hobbies like knitting, doodling, etc.

These activities may be monotonous, meaning you do not have to expend any effort here because you repeat the same movement repeatedly. But such activities can be very relaxing.

Stick to a Schedule

When you have this condition, you may feel out of control. You may feel frustrated, tired, and erratic. However, as previously stated, mindfulness can help you become more aware of your feelings, thoughts, motivation, and the present moment. Practicing mindfulness may usually be included in a treatment plan for personality illnesses. While it may be tough to master, mindfulness comes easy if you follow a regular schedule and structure your day.

Long days with few or no planned activities are more likely to cause mental instability, low moods, self-harm, and impulsivity. Adding structure to your life may offer you the balance, diversion, self-care, and opportunity for positive relationships that you require for optimal psychological functioning. By creating a schedule, you will keep busy, avoid stressful events and triggers, and stay focused even if you switch between alters.

Lean on Your Friends and Loved Ones

People with DID might try to avoid people because they want to avoid judgment and criticism. But this can lead to isolation and loneliness. No matter the circumstances, humans are social creatures. Research has shown that loneliness may aggravate symptoms of DID, making you more stressed and overwhelmed. Having a support network is essential for your mental health. Talk to your loved ones and friends regularly.

It may be difficult to make friends when you have a personality disorder. But there are support groups and communities for such conditions, which you can join. In these groups, people share their struggles, share tips, and offer support to each other. One of the primary advantages of joining such a community is the realization that you are not alone and there is an opportunity to make new friends. Maybe you might find someone who understands your daily struggles.

Seek Treatment from a Trusted Counsellor with Docvita Today

A dissociative personality disorder can be disabling, isolating, and distressing. You may feel overwhelmed and afraid while dealing with amnesia, personality flip, and depersonalization.

While this might make life and maintaining a healthy daily routine challenging, you must not give up. There are techniques to treat this illness and manage its symptoms. Therapy is the most effective treatment. You can connect with a compassionate and skilled psychologist through Docvita to help you deal with your past and feel complete again. Book an appointment with a counselor today.