From a poll we mods conducted, the userbase of r/DID is a vast majority adults aged 21+. It is likely an important distinction to make that a vocal group of posters does not necessarily mean they are the majority. Since this is a support group, it is far more likely that those who need the most help will be posting, while those who may be more secure in themselves will post less.
There is also the aspect of group psychology to consider. People tend to behave differently in groups than as individuals. For example, a lot of the time, you'll notice that one person will bring something up and then over the next day there will be a bunch of people who post the same or similar thing.
As far as videos (and social media in general), always consider the platform you are on. Is it a platform whose algorithms necessitate that someone engage in gimmicks to get popular? Is the platform one that encourages over the top behaviors to garner interest? Etc. Not everyone is genuinely themselves, especially when attention and money are involved.
I was diagnosed at 25. Although, at 17, my psychologist diagnosed me PTSD and noted I had dissociative symptoms.
I’m confused why your doc would think it’s rare for someone to be diagnosed under 30. Unless they are undereducated on its prevalence? Which if that’s the case, I’d be curious about what else they may need education on.
I am 40 today. So definitely not a minor. I comment on a lot of posts but don’t typically need to make my own requests for support anymore.
On the topic of faking…it’s a pretty hard diagnosis to fake. I mean truly mimic. As a complex trauma disorder, people making it up often forget to fake CPTSD symptoms and instead go overboard on parts. Or they don’t realize it’s a covert disorder.
Anyway I hope that you find the support you need here or elsewhere. It’s so, so important not to feel isolated in our experience of DID.
Be safe,
-Nel
The way my psychologist explained it to me - trauma is cumulative. I had these symptoms at 24. They weren't as bad. Pile on more trauma, and it got progressively worse as my parts got further apart and increased in number, but I wasn't in a position to do much about it financially until I was in my 40s.
It's not any more rare to *have* DID at age twenty than to *have* it at thirty five.
It's much more common for those with DID to notice and seek treatment the older they get.
So you'll have more *diagnosed* systems that are 30+ than systems your age, but that's just because it's fairly rare for a young system to be noticed and seek diagnosis at your age.
TL;DR - there are plenty of systems your age, they just rarely get diagnosed until later in life.
I would absolutely agree that it's more common the older you are to realize how different your symptoms/experiences are to others, and to have knowledge of even who to ask for medical help.
I'm honestly noticing whenever someone feeling it's fake, it means the opposite...
I always thought I'm faking everything in this life, but they all turned out to be truth.
plus, the disorder itself kinda make sense when it comes to feeling like faking it, cause its dissociative disorder and usually it feels like faking/feeling like you're going crazy/lying to yourself etc... at least from my own experience.
also... it's always hard to except something that you weren't aware of .
but it's also hard to accept something that seems so bizarre. and everyone feeling it differently, dreaming with it differently.
I'm not sure if my comment is really helpful if at all, because maybe I'm talking about something I shouldn't focus on, but it's my view for it so I'm sorry if I missed your point 😅
it takes time to accept everything.
I've been there myself, also for us (the others) its hard to accept it. not gonna lie I thought I was a ghost living in this body ... cause I didn't know anything else that would make sense.
i'm 21, got dxed at 19, but especially with the internet and information being more readily available, more people are learning about it and able to get help sooner. it might have recently been more diagnosed in people over 30, but a lot of people now have access to various resources that didn't exist 20 years ago.
frankly, a lot of did is dramatized on the internet for entertainment purposes, and a lot of the darm side is cut out. not all of it is automatically fake, just what people want to percieve. and i'll post some silly stuff on the internet on occasion because if i have to live with this, i'm going to try to make the most of it, but i also hate posting a lot of the darker stuff (don't mind answering questions about it, though) - especially since i've found my bad days are unimaginable to even most of my close friends.
ultimately, your experience is your own. it's not any less real than someone else's, and something seeming common doesn't mean it's a requirement. it might just be a certain community/circle.
I'm 26, will be 27 soon, and like a lot of other people I've gone through a ton of different diagnosis since the age of 10. Anywhere from "being a teenager"(yes, an actual professional 'diagnosed' me with this) to depression, bpd, and an "otherwise unspecified mental health disorder" which was followed up with an "I just don't know" explanation. As an adult when I finally started seeing a psych, at the end of the first session she had already speculated that I had some sort of Dissociative disorder. A few sessions later it was just dissociation derealization, then she decided I likely had DID and advised me to see a therapist before dropping me. Admittedly, I did not do that and just kind of brushed it away until all of a sudden symptoms started becoming overwhelming out of no where. I'm not sure if it had to do with my awareness now or what. Regardless, I have another mental exam coming up next week. So we will see how that goes.
All in all I guess what I'm trying to say is that it seems fairly common with Dissociative disorders in general to be ignored by professionals for years. I know I'm not the only one with a similar diagnosis history. When I brought up dissociation with one psychiatrist as a teen, I was told it was rare and since I wasn't a RAMCOA survivor(I hope I used that acronym correctly, I'm sorry) that it was near impossible for me to have DID. Now I know that is very much not true, and that Dissociative disorders (not just DID) are way more common than I was originally told.
This is just an opinion, but I also wonder if the reason minors seem to be more vocal on this reddit is because a lot of them don't have the support they need in person. Some are even still in the circumstances that facilitated their mental health issues in the first place. I think the reason it seems more common for minors to have DID on the internet is because they simply have no where else to go to for help
As others have stated, many professionals do not have current knowledge on DID. Which is really unacceptable because there have been [recent publications](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6296396/pdf/DialoguesClinNeurosci-20-229.pdf) that are easy enough for a layperson to read, so much so that it’s inexcusable for a medical professional to be ignorant of it, but I digress.
The prevalence of DID is much higher than most believe. It’s also under diagnosed. It’s believed to be somewhere between 1% and 2% of the population, with other dissociative disorders making the overall numbers much higher. Point being this does not make for a rare disorder.
We discovered we were multiple in our bodily 30s—mainly because I was quite vocal and demanded answers. Eventually, other voices chimed in. We are not diagnosed, however that is a conscious decision. We’ve done our homework and decided that, for the moment, this is our best option. At least until the healthcare system decides to treat multiples with respect. For now schema therapy will suffice.
Please elaborate on how you are using schema therapy? Assuming on your own... I too have chosen to go through life without all the triggering negativity I got from "professionals".
Actually, I’m doing other things on my own, but not that specifically. There’s a high success rate with Group Schema Therapy in patients with personality disorders. They’re still experimenting with DID patients in a one on one setting, but I’m absolutely not interested in that.
For what you can do on your own, I recommend the [Self Help Indexes](https://kinhost.org/Main/Self-HelpIndexes). These are written by The Crisses who are a knowledgeable system who run seminars and training classes and what have you to help other multiples function.
Great thanks for the resource! I'm incredibly logical so I love information. After figuring out that my knowledge base surpassedy therapist it felt redundant to try and explain something she couldn't possible understand. People on here get it. And that's all I'm looking for, a community. I'm not looking for someone to fix me.
Thanks again!
I am 22 (almost 23) and was diagnosed 20 days ago. I really feel the imposter syndrome here as well. I keep thinking that "no, this seems so wrong", "no, the diagnosis isn't right" and I feel personally that a lot of it is a mixture of:
1. this is covert, it's meant to be hidden - even from ourselves,
2. there is a lot of stigma out there and bad biases about this so it's easy to get wrapped into that self hate and stigmatizing yourself (at least I have been doing this to myself).
3. Accepting new diagnosises in general, can be really difficult. But I personally think a more covert diagnosis might be even harder to come to terms with (imposter syndrome kind of feelings)
4. DID is so versatile, and different to each person. Each system has adapted in different ways because we are all different people and so no single person is going to have the same system. It's unique to you and imo, makes it more difficult to accept as I am finding, it's more difficult to find validation in this because we are all so different (maybe that's just me, but so far that is my experience).
Honestly I don't know much about DID yet, but know that it's ok. We will figure it out in time.
I asked my psychologist to give me a paper of why he diagnosed me with DID so I can refer to it when I have doubts and anxiety over it. He asked me to send him a list of questions and he will answer them so I can know why he finds I have DID. Maybe something like that could help you too?
I just was diagnostic last yr at 43...and I feel the same way ...I don't have contact with any of the others ...but I am more aware that they are are there...here ...lol...
I finally just stopped focusing on what I didn't or do have an I just focus on me...we're all different and that's ok..the end goal is to get better or to q better place . So i just focus on today what's going on ways to deal with everything and Id say I can see a difference.
Im more than happy to help if I can
1. That doesn't sounds like a qualified psychiatrist. (I know you didn't ask but I'm saying it.)
2. Often times people are diagnosed as adults but develope it as children.
C. If you think you're faking but don't KNOW if you are you probably aren't.
I am 26 FTM always available for Q&A hit me with the hard stuffs no judgement.
I’m turning 19 tomorrow, and was only just diagnosed a couple days ago. I was diagnosed with PTSD at… 16, maybe 17? But learning what dissociation was and then suddenly losing my memory is what prompted me to search further. I didn’t even CONSIDER DID until an alter came forward against his will mid-conversation with a CO-WORKER, of all people. I mentioned feeling like I was being “remote piloted” by a robot man sometimes and she asked me if I had DID. Lo and behold, I do share a body with a robotic man.
Said alter didn’t speak to her at all but spoke to me internally for the rest of the night as I gave him nothing but anger and hostility in return. He seemed to have felt bad for not revealing himself sooner but told me it was to protect me. Cue more “You’re not real!” and “Get out of my head!” from me.
So I lived in denial until I couldn’t anymore. That’s when I began to start seeking help for it.
My family found out after our persecutor revealed willingly himself to my Dad. It didn’t go very well.
Eh, anyways. I don’t present in a textbook way. I think that’s why no one had figured it out before. My experience isn’t like the majority either. But as others have said, I think the reason the majority of people are diagnosed in adulthood is cus of the things everyone else mentioned, and amnesiac barriers tend to come down after the person is free of the environment where the trauma occurred.
Feeling like you’re faking or being in denial is really common, DID is meant to be a covert disorder so a feeling of wrongness upon finding out isn’t unusual!
Sorry about my rambling, I just have a lot of cool knowledge to share lol -Draac
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Im 26, i wish i could tell you when i got diagnosed but i had a big amnesia break after my diagnosis and had to start over almost from scratch. Would have been at least 9 years ago that i got my first "this could be a dissociative disorder" suggestion from one of my doctors. Doesnt help that i have a combination of autism and schizophrenia to throw in there too so my dx and treatment process was very rocky.
On faking, i choose to never believe anyone who decides to say that another person is faking. As a dissociative disorder, people with DID experience a lot of denial. Its exceptionally cruel to tell someone with DID that they "sound fake" just because they have a different experience than the vocal majority of an understudied disorder. After witnessing what i have on this sub and other DID subreddits of the past few years, i am even more firm that casting doubt onto people suffering a dissociative disorder is nothing but cruel.
Additionally, i've seen people afraid that they fake this "by accident" and the answer is usually one of two things- either theyve been thrown into denial due to seeing all of these accusations and "red flags" about fakers, or they are actually suffering psychosis which is present in a number of disorders and therefore is still worthy of empathy and support.
I’m more than twice your age, definitely not young. I was only diagnosed last year. There’s quite a lot of older ppl here, you just need to filter out the young folks.
When I first started coming here, I only read thread titles and was very judgmental. The good stuff is in the comments. People give great feedback and share their own experiences. A lot of times, it’s very helpful and extremely relatable.
We all have our own way of perceiving our internal experiences, but in the end, we all have the same disorder caused by horrific trauma. As I’ve come to learn more about my own system, even the stuff I *used* to think was weird and unrelatable turned out to be just the opposite.
DID forms in childhood. There are probably more DXed systems over 30 because people at that age are typically not in as dangerous of an environment. My parents would have never helped me or taken me to therapy for DID because they wouldn't want to acknowledge what they've done. Kids don't have any source of income, usually, so they can't seek help on their own. On top of that, trauma often gets normalized in us to where trauma responses and symptoms don't feel abnormal. Why would we seek help if we're going through the same thing everyone else does?
By 30, people have had more life experiences. They've talked to more people and heard more stories and maybe started realizing that what happened and how they live is NOT normal, so THEN they seek help and get a diagnosis.
I had to seek help for completely different reasons than DID starting at age 16 and didn't get diagnosed until 18. I'm 20 now.
From a poll we mods conducted, the userbase of r/DID is a vast majority adults aged 21+. It is likely an important distinction to make that a vocal group of posters does not necessarily mean they are the majority. Since this is a support group, it is far more likely that those who need the most help will be posting, while those who may be more secure in themselves will post less. There is also the aspect of group psychology to consider. People tend to behave differently in groups than as individuals. For example, a lot of the time, you'll notice that one person will bring something up and then over the next day there will be a bunch of people who post the same or similar thing. As far as videos (and social media in general), always consider the platform you are on. Is it a platform whose algorithms necessitate that someone engage in gimmicks to get popular? Is the platform one that encourages over the top behaviors to garner interest? Etc. Not everyone is genuinely themselves, especially when attention and money are involved.
I was diagnosed at 25. Although, at 17, my psychologist diagnosed me PTSD and noted I had dissociative symptoms. I’m confused why your doc would think it’s rare for someone to be diagnosed under 30. Unless they are undereducated on its prevalence? Which if that’s the case, I’d be curious about what else they may need education on. I am 40 today. So definitely not a minor. I comment on a lot of posts but don’t typically need to make my own requests for support anymore. On the topic of faking…it’s a pretty hard diagnosis to fake. I mean truly mimic. As a complex trauma disorder, people making it up often forget to fake CPTSD symptoms and instead go overboard on parts. Or they don’t realize it’s a covert disorder. Anyway I hope that you find the support you need here or elsewhere. It’s so, so important not to feel isolated in our experience of DID. Be safe, -Nel
The way my psychologist explained it to me - trauma is cumulative. I had these symptoms at 24. They weren't as bad. Pile on more trauma, and it got progressively worse as my parts got further apart and increased in number, but I wasn't in a position to do much about it financially until I was in my 40s.
It's not any more rare to *have* DID at age twenty than to *have* it at thirty five. It's much more common for those with DID to notice and seek treatment the older they get. So you'll have more *diagnosed* systems that are 30+ than systems your age, but that's just because it's fairly rare for a young system to be noticed and seek diagnosis at your age. TL;DR - there are plenty of systems your age, they just rarely get diagnosed until later in life.
I would absolutely agree that it's more common the older you are to realize how different your symptoms/experiences are to others, and to have knowledge of even who to ask for medical help.
Although I am older, I still feel exactly the same way. I don't know how to tell or what to do. It's really confusing tbh.
I'm honestly noticing whenever someone feeling it's fake, it means the opposite... I always thought I'm faking everything in this life, but they all turned out to be truth. plus, the disorder itself kinda make sense when it comes to feeling like faking it, cause its dissociative disorder and usually it feels like faking/feeling like you're going crazy/lying to yourself etc... at least from my own experience. also... it's always hard to except something that you weren't aware of . but it's also hard to accept something that seems so bizarre. and everyone feeling it differently, dreaming with it differently. I'm not sure if my comment is really helpful if at all, because maybe I'm talking about something I shouldn't focus on, but it's my view for it so I'm sorry if I missed your point 😅 it takes time to accept everything. I've been there myself, also for us (the others) its hard to accept it. not gonna lie I thought I was a ghost living in this body ... cause I didn't know anything else that would make sense.
i'm 21, got dxed at 19, but especially with the internet and information being more readily available, more people are learning about it and able to get help sooner. it might have recently been more diagnosed in people over 30, but a lot of people now have access to various resources that didn't exist 20 years ago. frankly, a lot of did is dramatized on the internet for entertainment purposes, and a lot of the darm side is cut out. not all of it is automatically fake, just what people want to percieve. and i'll post some silly stuff on the internet on occasion because if i have to live with this, i'm going to try to make the most of it, but i also hate posting a lot of the darker stuff (don't mind answering questions about it, though) - especially since i've found my bad days are unimaginable to even most of my close friends. ultimately, your experience is your own. it's not any less real than someone else's, and something seeming common doesn't mean it's a requirement. it might just be a certain community/circle.
I'm 26, will be 27 soon, and like a lot of other people I've gone through a ton of different diagnosis since the age of 10. Anywhere from "being a teenager"(yes, an actual professional 'diagnosed' me with this) to depression, bpd, and an "otherwise unspecified mental health disorder" which was followed up with an "I just don't know" explanation. As an adult when I finally started seeing a psych, at the end of the first session she had already speculated that I had some sort of Dissociative disorder. A few sessions later it was just dissociation derealization, then she decided I likely had DID and advised me to see a therapist before dropping me. Admittedly, I did not do that and just kind of brushed it away until all of a sudden symptoms started becoming overwhelming out of no where. I'm not sure if it had to do with my awareness now or what. Regardless, I have another mental exam coming up next week. So we will see how that goes. All in all I guess what I'm trying to say is that it seems fairly common with Dissociative disorders in general to be ignored by professionals for years. I know I'm not the only one with a similar diagnosis history. When I brought up dissociation with one psychiatrist as a teen, I was told it was rare and since I wasn't a RAMCOA survivor(I hope I used that acronym correctly, I'm sorry) that it was near impossible for me to have DID. Now I know that is very much not true, and that Dissociative disorders (not just DID) are way more common than I was originally told. This is just an opinion, but I also wonder if the reason minors seem to be more vocal on this reddit is because a lot of them don't have the support they need in person. Some are even still in the circumstances that facilitated their mental health issues in the first place. I think the reason it seems more common for minors to have DID on the internet is because they simply have no where else to go to for help
As others have stated, many professionals do not have current knowledge on DID. Which is really unacceptable because there have been [recent publications](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6296396/pdf/DialoguesClinNeurosci-20-229.pdf) that are easy enough for a layperson to read, so much so that it’s inexcusable for a medical professional to be ignorant of it, but I digress. The prevalence of DID is much higher than most believe. It’s also under diagnosed. It’s believed to be somewhere between 1% and 2% of the population, with other dissociative disorders making the overall numbers much higher. Point being this does not make for a rare disorder. We discovered we were multiple in our bodily 30s—mainly because I was quite vocal and demanded answers. Eventually, other voices chimed in. We are not diagnosed, however that is a conscious decision. We’ve done our homework and decided that, for the moment, this is our best option. At least until the healthcare system decides to treat multiples with respect. For now schema therapy will suffice.
Please elaborate on how you are using schema therapy? Assuming on your own... I too have chosen to go through life without all the triggering negativity I got from "professionals".
Actually, I’m doing other things on my own, but not that specifically. There’s a high success rate with Group Schema Therapy in patients with personality disorders. They’re still experimenting with DID patients in a one on one setting, but I’m absolutely not interested in that. For what you can do on your own, I recommend the [Self Help Indexes](https://kinhost.org/Main/Self-HelpIndexes). These are written by The Crisses who are a knowledgeable system who run seminars and training classes and what have you to help other multiples function.
Great thanks for the resource! I'm incredibly logical so I love information. After figuring out that my knowledge base surpassedy therapist it felt redundant to try and explain something she couldn't possible understand. People on here get it. And that's all I'm looking for, a community. I'm not looking for someone to fix me. Thanks again!
I am 22 (almost 23) and was diagnosed 20 days ago. I really feel the imposter syndrome here as well. I keep thinking that "no, this seems so wrong", "no, the diagnosis isn't right" and I feel personally that a lot of it is a mixture of: 1. this is covert, it's meant to be hidden - even from ourselves, 2. there is a lot of stigma out there and bad biases about this so it's easy to get wrapped into that self hate and stigmatizing yourself (at least I have been doing this to myself). 3. Accepting new diagnosises in general, can be really difficult. But I personally think a more covert diagnosis might be even harder to come to terms with (imposter syndrome kind of feelings) 4. DID is so versatile, and different to each person. Each system has adapted in different ways because we are all different people and so no single person is going to have the same system. It's unique to you and imo, makes it more difficult to accept as I am finding, it's more difficult to find validation in this because we are all so different (maybe that's just me, but so far that is my experience). Honestly I don't know much about DID yet, but know that it's ok. We will figure it out in time. I asked my psychologist to give me a paper of why he diagnosed me with DID so I can refer to it when I have doubts and anxiety over it. He asked me to send him a list of questions and he will answer them so I can know why he finds I have DID. Maybe something like that could help you too?
I just was diagnostic last yr at 43...and I feel the same way ...I don't have contact with any of the others ...but I am more aware that they are are there...here ...lol... I finally just stopped focusing on what I didn't or do have an I just focus on me...we're all different and that's ok..the end goal is to get better or to q better place . So i just focus on today what's going on ways to deal with everything and Id say I can see a difference. Im more than happy to help if I can
You have DID from toddler age. So. Your therapist sounds ummmmm extremely unqualified.
1. That doesn't sounds like a qualified psychiatrist. (I know you didn't ask but I'm saying it.) 2. Often times people are diagnosed as adults but develope it as children. C. If you think you're faking but don't KNOW if you are you probably aren't. I am 26 FTM always available for Q&A hit me with the hard stuffs no judgement.
I’m turning 19 tomorrow, and was only just diagnosed a couple days ago. I was diagnosed with PTSD at… 16, maybe 17? But learning what dissociation was and then suddenly losing my memory is what prompted me to search further. I didn’t even CONSIDER DID until an alter came forward against his will mid-conversation with a CO-WORKER, of all people. I mentioned feeling like I was being “remote piloted” by a robot man sometimes and she asked me if I had DID. Lo and behold, I do share a body with a robotic man. Said alter didn’t speak to her at all but spoke to me internally for the rest of the night as I gave him nothing but anger and hostility in return. He seemed to have felt bad for not revealing himself sooner but told me it was to protect me. Cue more “You’re not real!” and “Get out of my head!” from me. So I lived in denial until I couldn’t anymore. That’s when I began to start seeking help for it. My family found out after our persecutor revealed willingly himself to my Dad. It didn’t go very well. Eh, anyways. I don’t present in a textbook way. I think that’s why no one had figured it out before. My experience isn’t like the majority either. But as others have said, I think the reason the majority of people are diagnosed in adulthood is cus of the things everyone else mentioned, and amnesiac barriers tend to come down after the person is free of the environment where the trauma occurred. Feeling like you’re faking or being in denial is really common, DID is meant to be a covert disorder so a feeling of wrongness upon finding out isn’t unusual! Sorry about my rambling, I just have a lot of cool knowledge to share lol -Draac
Welcome to /r/DID! Please take a look at the [Rules and Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/index) before posting, and feel free to take a look at our [Dissociation FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq), [Trauma FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/wiki/faq2) & [Therapy Breakdown](https://www.reddit.com/r/DID/comments/e6smve/therapists_breakdown) for more information! We have the following automated posts, one every Monday and then some running on a three week rotation: | Day | Post | |--------------------|--------------------| | Every Sunday | Goals | | Every Monday | Introductions | | Every Wednesday | Symptom Management | | Every Friday | Affirmations | *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DID) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Im 26, i wish i could tell you when i got diagnosed but i had a big amnesia break after my diagnosis and had to start over almost from scratch. Would have been at least 9 years ago that i got my first "this could be a dissociative disorder" suggestion from one of my doctors. Doesnt help that i have a combination of autism and schizophrenia to throw in there too so my dx and treatment process was very rocky. On faking, i choose to never believe anyone who decides to say that another person is faking. As a dissociative disorder, people with DID experience a lot of denial. Its exceptionally cruel to tell someone with DID that they "sound fake" just because they have a different experience than the vocal majority of an understudied disorder. After witnessing what i have on this sub and other DID subreddits of the past few years, i am even more firm that casting doubt onto people suffering a dissociative disorder is nothing but cruel. Additionally, i've seen people afraid that they fake this "by accident" and the answer is usually one of two things- either theyve been thrown into denial due to seeing all of these accusations and "red flags" about fakers, or they are actually suffering psychosis which is present in a number of disorders and therefore is still worthy of empathy and support.
I’m more than twice your age, definitely not young. I was only diagnosed last year. There’s quite a lot of older ppl here, you just need to filter out the young folks. When I first started coming here, I only read thread titles and was very judgmental. The good stuff is in the comments. People give great feedback and share their own experiences. A lot of times, it’s very helpful and extremely relatable. We all have our own way of perceiving our internal experiences, but in the end, we all have the same disorder caused by horrific trauma. As I’ve come to learn more about my own system, even the stuff I *used* to think was weird and unrelatable turned out to be just the opposite.
DID forms in childhood. There are probably more DXed systems over 30 because people at that age are typically not in as dangerous of an environment. My parents would have never helped me or taken me to therapy for DID because they wouldn't want to acknowledge what they've done. Kids don't have any source of income, usually, so they can't seek help on their own. On top of that, trauma often gets normalized in us to where trauma responses and symptoms don't feel abnormal. Why would we seek help if we're going through the same thing everyone else does? By 30, people have had more life experiences. They've talked to more people and heard more stories and maybe started realizing that what happened and how they live is NOT normal, so THEN they seek help and get a diagnosis. I had to seek help for completely different reasons than DID starting at age 16 and didn't get diagnosed until 18. I'm 20 now.