Did you know Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is not a mental illness?
I need to be really clear here: there are people who say DID isn’t a real condition. That’s not what I’m saying. DID is a very real condition. I’m saying DID is NOT a mental illness.
So what is it? I’m going to suggest three alternative ways to view DID.
As an Injury or Wound
Describing DID as a mental illness gives an inaccurate impression that it originates organically. That is, that is arises from the body spontaneously when something isn’t working correctly.
But, believe it or not, DID is not the result of a malfunction of the brain. It is also not an accidental happening like a skinned knee or a stubbed toe. As we currently understand it, DID is the result of repeated and severe abuse or severe neglect from other people. That’s an injury, not a mental illness.
DID is a Brilliant Adaptation
If you have DID you might not be experiencing it as a brilliant adaptation. You might think I’ve lost my mind or I’m an idiot, so let me explain.
Members of the system tend to specialize in what situations they respond to:
- some members specialize in defending the system/body
- some members specialize in going on with life as though nothing bad is happening
- some members specialize in care-taking
- and so forth
You can imagine how helpful this is when a child has to sit down to a family meal next to their abuser who has threatened to kill them if the secret gets out. The specialization of system members minimizes danger and harm to the child. That’s incredibly adaptive to a particular and demanding set of circumstances.
Of course, in the different circumstances of an adult, DID may seem to be more disruptive than helpful.
As a Heroic Survival Strategy
Just think about this. According to the DSM-5-TR, DID happens by the age of 5 or 6. What kinds of tools do 6 year olds have for coping with these overwhelming and horrible experiences? What options for protecting themselves do they have? Little kids are
- too small to fight off abusers
- stuck in their living situations, unable to go live elsewhere
As I just talked about, different system members often take up different roles and this does a couple of things:
- it allows children to behave as expected, whatever the situation
- and because children are behaving in the desired way, they are less likely to be harmed or the harm the experience is less than it would be otherwise
I am not exaggerating when I say this way of dealing with the overwhelming trauma can save a child’s life. Children who aren’t able to do this are the ones who don’t survive. And that is why, as chaotic as DID can be for adults, I say that at the time, it was a brilliant adaptation and a heroic survival strategy.
You Are Not Broken
To be clear, I’m not saying that DID doesn’t create complications in your life as an adult. It clearly can!
My hope with this video is that instead of seeing yourself as mentally ill or broken, you can appreciate that you are actually
1) brilliantly adaptive
and
2) your creative response helped you minimize the harm you experienced in dangerous circumstances.
What Do You Think?
How do these alternative ways of viewing DID feel to you? Did this article change how you see yourself or your DID? I would love to read your comments in the contact form below and I’ll respond to as many as I can.