Here we can all be heard for a little while

System

Waves_and_Smiles wrote: »

*Tiny rant* Schizophrenia is not MPD/ DID! They are entirely different conditions with totally different causes. Schizophrenics do not have multiple personalities! Ever! People with solely MPD/DID do not have psychosis! (Unless they have both like me but they are still totally separate conditions). One is a biochemical condition and the other is a form of PTSD with very different symptoms, they only ever overlap if you by chance happen to have both. One can be described as illness because the cause is physical in nature, the other is an emotional disorder caused by intense trauma as a child. They do not have the same origins and do not have similar symptoms at all. *End tiny rant*

I know we all know this here (and I love you all for it) but I have read three times today where people have confused the terms and it is one of my pet peeves. I tried replying to someone who was confused and was told "It's all the same thing by different names". It really isn't, not even slightly! It isn't fair on people with either condition and causes misunderstandings of what is really happening.

And breathe...

It must be very frustrating to have people confuse the two. I know there is an old stereotype of schizophrenia being someone with a split personality but as you say the two are completely separate. I actually don;t think a lot of people are aware of MPD/DID. There were some people on a forum i used to go on that had it, sometimes their alters posted. Some of the were accused of faking it

Can i ask you a question WaS, when you post on here have any of your alters ever wanted to, or have you ever posted when they've been the dominant personality (if that happens?)

Waves_and_Smiles

Years ago, Calley there was very little known publicly to differentiate between the conditions so it's understandable that you used to think that. The confusion seems to lie with them both being conditions where you hear voices so people confuse them. In fact it isn't similar at all, my schizophrenic voices I hear as if someone is talking in my ear outside of my body. When the MPD people speak I hear it like when you remember a conversation with a friend that replays inside your mind, the voices do not come from outside of my body. I do believe that is where the confusion initially arose though.

I am mostly always the dominant personality, MU and we all had therapy to communicate and make sure everyone accepted that. The only times the others will take over the body is if I am really incapable. Cas will speak for me on occasions to doctors and WaSp if I am very unwell and cannot communicate and the little one, Lucee has popped out in hospital when I have been in crisis because I wasn't strong enough to take control and she was terrified. She has also popped out to WaSp when I have been unwell just for comfort because she gets scared if I am ill.

However, we have had therapy especially geared towards co-consciousness (we can all talk and agree things), a lot of people with MPD haven't had that so they possibly will switch in ordinary circumstances. I have had several friends who's others have popped out while talking online, lots of MPD'ers have little control over it and are very embarrassed afterwards. It must be completely awful not to be believed on top of that.

Oh, and given half a chance Lucee would post, probably constantly! I don't allow it though because I won't subject her to possible ridicule from others who may read the thread and not understand what is happening.

onomatopoeia99

idea wrote: »

Thanks again all, I have done it. I left a message on a French tutor's website a few days ago. She phoned me back and of course I did nothing. But you guys have spurred me on to call her back. I'm booked in for a lesson next Tuesday. I am a bit scared, but excited too (I think??)

Excellent I'm at the beginning of my fifth year of Italian now, I originally started for holiday use and as something to do in the evenings for a change of scene as I was feeling completely stuck in a rut, but an inspirational teacher in my second year of study changed that into a desire to become fluent. She's still teaching a core group of four of us from the second year as we approached her directly for private lessons rather than being subject to the vagaries of council policy with regard to the adult learning service.

Nowadays I enjoy the lessons as much for socialising as the learning!

dragonette

WaS - rant away! I can understand why people confuse them, but to then deny they are separate conditions would be infuriating.

I strongly suspect I have DID - but probably more DID side than MPD? Although I could be wrong as my memory from dissocciative episodes is very blurry.

As for mistaking psychotic and psychopathic, that's plain idiocy. some people's opinions aren't worth getting upset over (as I have to keep reminding myself )

System

Waves_and_Smiles wrote: »

Years ago, Calley there was very little known publicly to differentiate between the conditions so it's understandable that you used to think that. The confusion seems to lie with them both being conditions where you hear voices so people confuse them. In fact it isn't similar at all, my schizophrenic voices I hear as if someone is talking in my ear outside of my body. When the MPD people speak I hear it like when you remember a conversation with a friend that replays inside your mind, the voices do not come from outside of my body. I do believe that is where the confusion initially arose though.

I am mostly always the dominant personality, MU and we all had therapy to communicate and make sure everyone accepted that. The only times the others will take over the body is if I am really incapable. Cas will speak for me on occasions to doctors and WaSp if I am very unwell and cannot communicate and the little one, Lucee has popped out in hospital when I have been in crisis because I wasn't strong enough to take control and she was terrified. She has also popped out to WaSp when I have been unwell just for comfort because she gets scared if I am ill.

However, we have had therapy especially geared towards co-consciousness (we can all talk and agree things), a lot of people with MPD haven't had that so they possibly will switch in ordinary circumstances. I have had several friends who's others have popped out while talking online, lots of MPD'ers have little control over it and are very embarrassed afterwards. It must be completely awful not to be believed on top of that.

Oh, and given half a chance Lucee would post, probably constantly! I don't allow it though because I won't subject her to possible ridicule from others who may read the thread and not understand what is happening.

Thank you for explaining it

I can;t imagine what it's like must to begin with it must feel somewhat confusing to have other personalities popping up, i'm glad the therapy you've had, has made thins a bit more concise and you're all in agreement so to speak. It must be difficult to experience it but not know how to manage it. Not being believed on top of that must make it even harder.

I've never told anyone about this, but i used to keep a diary. On occasions after certain episodes i realized there were entries i had no recollection of writing, in different handwriting to my own, signed off by "Brooke". I recall when i was younger i had an online alter ego so to speak. She was a lot more confident than me didn't take crap off of anyone and was almost like a more confident, dominant side of me.

But i feel she's also a bad influence. When i have bad thoughts, its as if there are two of me fighting in my head. Good me, and bad me. I tried to explain this to my psychiatrist but it never got anywhere. I don;t hear voices in the sense of theres someone next to you, but i hear it in my head. And trust me these arguments can go on for hours. My psych described them as negative thiughts but they've always been more than thoughts to me. I did once hallucinate and see a dead version of myself. And there;s been a few other times i have seen things. They usually came on after bad arguements with my ex, when i was at my most stressed.

Waves_and_Smiles

It's all one huge spectrum, Dragonette. Everyone is dissociative to an extent just like everyone is on the OCD spectrum, it just depends on what extent. Really, it should all be classed as DID now but my group hate the term because they feel like it says that they are an illness and not real. MPD they can cope with because it mentions many personalities and feels less cold to them?

I have a lot of dissociation too and often lose time and have moments where nothing feels real. Now that is more of a pain than the MPD side which we pretty much have covered. I lose several hours a day on average and have no idea what I have been doing, sitting very still and doing nothing apparently according to WaSp!

calleyw

dragonette wrote: »

As for mistaking psychotic and psychopathic, that's plain idiocy.

I have to say the general public are a bit dense sometimes. And I really worry about the intelligence of some people.

I feel as society everything is dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. I know that I am not highly intelligent and that maths is a major weak spot of mine.

But the drivel that some people come out with makes me go :mad::eek:

Just look at the carp they put on telly. Hundreds of channels of carp and still nothing to watch.

Yours

Calley

Waves_and_Smiles

That is really interesting, MU. As I said we are all on the scale somewhere and that can fluctuate as life changes. You could try talking to Brooke just to see what happens? When we first started talking I would ask questions and write down whatever replies I heard. Some of my others have always spoken to me with their voices and I to them since I was a very small child but some never had and felt more comfortable writing out answers at first and I didn't feel so freaked out. Now we all talk inside, this became much easier when I stopped trying to pretend that they weren't there and thinking they were symptoms of an illness. They obviously didn't like that much and were therefore quite reluctant to make friends with me!

codemonkey

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

Thank you for explaining it

I can;t imagine what it's like must to begin with it must feel somewhat confusing to have other personalities popping up, i'm glad the therapy you've had, has made thins a bit more concise and you're all in agreement so to speak. It must be difficult to experience it but not know how to manage it. Not being believed on top of that must make it even harder.

I've never told anyone about this, but i used to keep a diary. On occasions after certain episodes i realized there were entries i had no recollection of writing, in different handwriting to my own, signed off by "Brooke". I recall when i was younger i had an online alter ego so to speak. She was a lot more confident than me didn't take crap off of anyone and was almost like a more confident, dominant side of me.

But i feel she's also a bad influence. When i have bad thoughts, its as if there are two of me fighting in my head. Good me, and bad me. I tried to explain this to my psychiatrist but it never got anywhere. I don;t hear voices in the sense of theres someone next to you, but i hear it in my head. And trust me these arguments can go on for hours. My psych described them as negative thiughts but they've always been more than thoughts to me. I did once hallucinate and see a dead version of myself. And there;s been a few other times i have seen things. They usually came on after bad arguements with my ex, when i was at my most stressed.

I have this MU. My confident not even sure what to call her is named Ana (she was very cross at the 50 Shades of Grey character) and she will argue with the more sensible one and sometimes they'll chat. Ana has been quiet lately.

System

Waves_and_Smiles wrote: »

It's all one huge spectrum, Dragonette. Everyone is dissociative to an extent just like everyone is on the OCD spectrum, it just depends on what extent. Really, it should all be classed as DID now but my group hate the term because they feel like it says that they are an illness and not real. MPD they can cope with because it mentions many personalities and feels less cold to them?

I have a lot of dissociation too and often lose time and have moments where nothing feels real. Now that is more of a pain than the MPD side which we pretty much have covered. I lose several hours a day on average and have no idea what I have been doing, sitting very still and doing nothing apparently according to WaSp!

Dissociating is horrible

It's happened to me quite a few times, i've lost hours and not known what happened. The worst was after i found out my ex had cheated on me. I have no memory of leaving the club to waking up the next day.But i'd apparently self harmed really really badly, and had no recollection of it.

I was in shock the nest day i suppose i should be grateful dissacooauted me had at least taken care of the wounds and bnagaed it. Was still a horble shock.

penguin

self harm wise i have always avoided visible areas, (hence why my thighs/legs have a lot of scars), but the incident that is dissociated i did it all over both arms, which i would never have done if i'd been aware . of it. i'm very self conscious of my arms now, in fact since it happened 4 years ago my family have NEVER seen my arms, i have always hidden it

end penguin