First post - intro? help?

Hi, I'm Derek, I'm actually one of the splits of the System; Kay is the original. Is it normal to have a crazy amount of splits? I mean...(body wise) we are 16, and there's 15 splits. (sub-system and system). Is it normal to have so many? I'm just curious. I don't really have any way of knowing because our hosts mother doesn't believe in 'mental illness' and the step-father isn't informed about this at all, and the bio-father doesn't know what to do...
In need of help. Thanks.
~Derek

Hello and welcome to the forum. Welcome to all there...

I think people end up with as many splits as they need, to help them deal with whatever trauma or other circumstances it was that they needed to deal with so I'm not sure there is any such thing as a 'normal' or 'not normal' amount of splitting. I know that by the time I was 16 I certainly had a load more than 15 splits, so I think it really depends on your situation.

Have you considered getting a therapist knowledgable in DID? I think that would probably be the most helpful thing you could do...

Only problem with that, is that I'm not old enough to go on my own, and since my mother doesn't believe in 'mental illness' she won't take me either.

Hi and welcome

How can you not believe in mental illness? Saying that, my mother didn't believe I had a mental illness when i was a teenager because she thought teenagers just don't have mental illnesses... so perhaps I can understand.

Where is it you're from?

I may be way off here but is there a school counsellor? a young persons counselling service which is an external agency? I'm pretty sure there should be... I certainly accessed help at that age without my parents knowing..?

Bourbon

I am from Joliet, Illinois. It's near Chicago.
And there is a school pyschologist actually, and she's who diagnosed me in the first place and called my mother and told her about me having DID, but my mother is stubborn.
And with my Advanced Placement classes this year, my schedule is pretty tight, so there's really not a time during school for me to skip a class to see the school psychologist. And she isn't there before or after school, which is odd to me.
And I don't drive yet, so I can't get anywhere on my own unless it's within walking distance, and I'm not very close to downtown Joliet. It takes me awhile on my bike to get there, and downtown is where everything is located...

Can you speak to this school psychologist about your predicament? If she is aware that you need help, but your mother won't help you get anywhere, you can't get anywhere by yourself, and you don't want to miss any classes, she may be able to make an exception OR she may know of someone else who can come to your school for an hour after your classes? You never know really until you ask. There will be a way around all this, I'm sure.

Bourbon

That's a good idea. Maybe I'll give her a call after school and see if there's anything she can do, or anything she suggests that I can do. Thanks bourbon
~Derek

Fingers crossed for you

Bourbon

Hi derek and kay, everyone welcome.

I've found this forum to be very helpful with information and people who can relate and understand some of what we all experience and support for times when we have no answers.

My sister who has been very helpful and supportive of helping me, originally bought a DID sourcebook/workbook to help herself understand better what was going on with me and how she could help me. When she had gone through it she gave it to me and I found it incredibly helpful for answering questions, finding out that I wasn't alone in experiences. and pointing directions for things like finding a good therapist who can help, things you can do on your own to stabilize, and start working on by yourself. (The Dissociative identity disorder sourcebook, by deborah bray haddock). a bookstore might be an easier place to get to than a doctors office right now.

My family has a history of depression and I got dragged to therapy when I was younger because of a suicide attempt when I was 7 or 8, they were forced to confront what was all going on that they had chosen to ignore. before that point I don't think they believed in mental illness either. Gma had alzheimers so they did have to experience that as a primer before I started having issues. If they persist in denying that there is something that you are asking for help with. Bring up physiological things that can cause problems that are "REAL" mental illness that can't be easily brushed off. Lymes disease in its advanced form can have a lot of similar and deteriorating mental health issues that are entirely based in a physically visible and proven bacteria form like Leprosy that affect the nervous system. Mad Hatters syndrome from handling excessive amounts of mercury. I'm not saying DID is a physiological illness caused by bacteria or anything like that. But it is caused by Toxic events in a persons life that are as real as any bacteria, bug, or poison.