How do you "hold down the fort", as such?

well i'm no expert, my system isnt perfect. but we run smoothly enough that no one has detected about the D.I.D. so thats good.

Is it bad to be detected? I mean, it's not something I enjoy talking about to people, but I have told a handful. And I'm going to need some excuse to give my doctor to explain why I've been switching medications constantly. I know it's awkward, but is there any other reason why it could be bad?

I personally have only told two people, My Husband, and my Sister-In-Law. My alter Jay told two of his friends over the internet about it. Other then that I keep it a secret. I've been able to get my system under control all by my self, without therapy. I've tried to find a therapist but with no luck in such a small town. I don't want a therapist who is going to mess with the system I have been trying to perfect, or push me into integration when I don't feel that would be the best choice for me right now. What medications have you been switching? I don't think its bad, only if you think your alters could be harmful, to other people, or them selves. That wouldn't be safe. I've had destructive alters, but besides a few broken glasses or picture frames, nothing too dangerous. If you are not comfortable telling everyone you know, then don't. Or even if you need to tell them something, just say something like 'There is something different about me then most people, nothing bad, but I'm working on it, and when I understand it more, maybe I can open up about it to you.' Vague enough that they wont know whats going on but at least if they notice any strange behavior they wont ask questions or be as concerned.

I drunkenly told my roommate I has a split personality one day, but I don't know what he's thinking about it now. It was weird, though. Instead of being incredulous or weirded out, he was like, "OH, so that explains..." Like things suddenly made sense to him. I don't mind people finding out, I just don't like bringing it up. It's kind of weird to go around saying you have a condition like that, especially without a definite diagnosis.

None of the alts are dangerous to other people, as far as I'm aware. One is kind of self-destructive in regards to chemicals, but he's kept in check by the others.

I've switched between Celexa and Zoloft, and between Adderall and Ritalin. I was (mis?)diagnosed with ADHD a while back, but treatment didn't go too well. I still take Adderall, but I'm thinking about telling my doctor about this and seeing if there's something else that might keep me stable while I'm sorting things out.

I know that talking about it can be awkward and such, bringing it up isn't easy, so take your time, there is no rush. I'm sure it would make sense to your roommate, he probably has witnessed a lot of unusual behavior. A lot of DID people are misdiagnosed, you may have been one of them. I don't believe there is any medication that can help with DID, it is not a chemical imbalance like other disorders, its a coping mechanism. I do think you should tell your doctor and make sure you are safely taking the correct medication, because some medication will not help you with DID.

Well, neither of these are helping the dissociation, but they're making it easier for some of me to adapt.

Actually, the only thing he saw that was really weird was one of my nocturnal freak-outs. I was taking a nap, and suddenly I wake up convinced that deadly spikes are about to shoot through the ceiling and kill me or trap me. I walk into the living room in my boxers carrying a blanket. He asked what I was doing, and I gave him my uniform response for those moments when someone notices I'm bat-shit crazy: "Sorry, I'm a little disoriented at the moment."

Mostly, he was talking about the superficial personality changes. Like, I'll be buddy-buddy with him and our two other roommates one day, and the next day it's like I don't even know them.

He jokingly had asked if I had ever (performed a certain sex act), and I answered yes, the answer he was NOT expecting. So he knew about my past homosexual experimentation. He was really confused for a while after that, because I later told him I was straight. I told him the situation. But after that, I kind of felt bad, like I was making an excuse for that behavior when it wasn't even wrong.

yeah thats the kind of unusual behavior I was talking about, but it happens. Everyone thinks I am absent minded, because I will have something I am supposed to do, and I go off to do it and come back having accomplished nothing, little do they know after I set off I would switch, and after arriving home and being me again I realize one of my alters just stole 4 hours from me. Now I have to make excuses why things didn't get done and then go back and accomplish what I had set out to do. lol doesnt happen as often though, I have a better system and more communication now.

Okay, things just got complicated. One of us is trying to gain control of the system in a somewhat democratic way, and he has gained the approval of most of his alts. But apparently one of the dominant ones refuses to admit that any of this is going on.

I'll add a little more to that.

Basically, the Axis IV alts have a weird way of dealing with things. They can be a little hysterical and sometimes have delusions of grandeur, like they're the 'king' of the system. When Kameleon manifests, he will read some of the things that they've written and be like, WTF? He wants to blame a mood disorder for it, like Bipolar or something. He says he's having a manic episode and will pump himself full of chemicals trying to forget about it. And maybe he is bipolar, who knows.

But it's the way he goes about it that's crazy. He is pretty much trying to convince Ravin that HE is the one with a split personality. It's like that old joke, "I used to be schizophrenic, but we're okay now." He may as well just say, "No, I don't have a split personality. That's my other personality you're thinking of." It'd be kinda funny, if he weren't so miserable from it.