Lived Experience Forum

[OhanaSystem]

Not sure if this is the right board, but I wanted to see if anyone on these forums is in a similar situation & how they and their support team are handling it.

We are a DID system with a diagnosis currently in flux* (not the problem). We're considered disabled for psychiatric reasons (including the DID) and receive government funding for disability support services for everyday home life/community engagement of 3 x 2hr sessions with an individual worker. The service also offers a number of group activities for participants & community members [with a diagnosis of mental illness] to attend.

We don't want to be supported as an "I", where only people capable of pretending to be the regular front are welcome-- we want to be supported as the we that we are, but it's so hard to balance that with safety & other needs (especially for activities). Complicating that is that our system is large (read: we stopped counting at around 100), populated mainly with children, and way chaotic. Our service has a "hands off" policy (no touching), and focused heavily on client autonomy (to the point where if we attempted to run out onto the road, they wouldn't actually be "allowed" to stop us), and because they're an adult service, we've been told they cannot talk to the littles as children.

Is anyone else with DID receiving similar services (or have in the past), and how do you work that with your DID? Have these issues come up for you, and if so, how did you resolve them?


*We were diagnosed DID some years ago, then recently had it removed because the pdocs attached to our hospital don't believe in DID and the one assigned to us tried to say it was just a symptom of BPD [after shutting down two support workers who attempted to explain what happens when we dissociate & switch and telling them he needed to hear it from me -- then claimed it wasn't DID because no amnesia --because I could recite what support workers had said], now with a different pdoc whom we've met 3 times. Psychologist fighting for a convolution of original 7 diagnoses and current solely BPD diagnosis into "complex trauma" with acceptance of the DID if not formal diagnosis (due to aforementioned problems etc).

[Faith-and-Hope]

Hi @OhanaSystem ......

I am sorry your post has gone so long with no answer .... I am here looking for DID support for someone on the forums who seems to be struggling with a system of four, and being treated with antipsychotic meds, presumably with counsellors who don't believe in, or aren't recognising DID .....

I am no expert and this is not my lived experience, but it is something that I empathise with, from what (perhaps little) I know about it.

There is someone else here wjpho I have recently met who has stated having a system of over 60 ..... their thread is Taking The Plunge, if you want to take a look and make a connection, or not.  I don't know what protocols you might expect or need (your "hands-off protocol as an example).

Pleased to meet you, and I hope this is of some support.

💐💕

F&H