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I have a character that is diagnosed with DID. He went through intense trauma at a young age, and as a coping mechanism, he developed DID. I have done research on DID myself but there are still many things I am unsure about. I really want to portray this as accurately as possible, so if anyone has Do's and Dont's or little known information I would really like to hear it. I currently have only one fleshed out Alter, but I was wondering if there should be more than one?
I personally don't have DID so I don't have too much right to speak on the matter compared to other people who have DID but I've done my fair share of research but I can say there probably should be more then one alter. Alters can have certain purposes when it comes in relations with the host such as being protectors, gatekeeps, child/little alters, even fictive alters (which if I'm remembering correctly they can be based off of fictional characters), and the list goes on and on. A system can have as little as two alters to a hundred alters so keep that in mind too and the alter can depend on the type of trauma this character had to endure so context is key when choosing who they are.
Also as on little information of what people may or may not consider about alters the only thing that comes to mind at the moment is that certain alters can experience gender dysphoria, since they may identify as a male but the host body is female or vice versa. Maybe they identify as non-binary and is stuck with a body they aren't content being in. Just something to consider in mind for when you have alters of certain gender identities, of course they can dress and present themselves how they want but even then it can still be a HUGE stress in an alter's life and when they front. I had no idea this was a thing before so I just think its probably good to keep in mind.
I will say that its probably better to find real stories and people rather then just articles, every system and every experience and every trauma is different so make sure to branch out. Its good to know the ins and outs of how it works but its just like any disorder and that everyone is different and copes in different ways.
With that in mind, at the end of the day its still induced by trauma. I personally don't think its best to demonize DID but that doesn't mean its sunshine and rainbows and from what I've heard its a very chaotic experience. You have to be careful on how to portray it since especially in media its not been portrayed well.
Hopefully this helps, if you have any more questions or need clarification feel free to ask! Just remember I don't have DID so I can't speak about what the experience is like, hopefully there is someone else who can add to this with experience but thats all I got for you today!
@Personwhowrites If you like, I could pass any questions you have on to my best friend as he has DID?
Thank you guys, that was really helpful. I'll definitely add at least two more alters, and the one I already created was non-binary. @The-Tower I don't want to accidentally ask a rude question, but I was wondering if alters can talk amongst each other and how to portray that?
Alters are able to talk to each other and interact with each other just people in this world. For example, my best friend has an inner world which is essentially just a world where his alters live. That’s one way in which they are able to talk to each other since they’re essentially face. As for writing… I guess you just write it in a similar way to how you would usually write people/characters talking to each other.
My best friend just said that he’s happy to answer any questions you have, and not to worry about them coming across as rude since he understands you’re doing this for writing purposes and not to be mean about it!
Okay thank you. I was also wondering how to write shifts in which an alter fronts? Where they switch who's in control basically.
Here's a thing you should keep in mind: Diagnosis are hard to come by and expensive, if your character comes from a bad childhood and stuff and still lives there, I doubt they'd have gotten a diagnosis
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If someone has experienced trauma at a young age they potentially go to therapy, but they'd have not got diagnosed yet! So mostly I think you should change their age or just take that off. You don't have to I was just suggesting.
Okay thank you. I was also wondering how to write shifts in which an alter fronts? Where they switch who's in control basically.
Could you rephrase the question?
(bump!)