Can anyone fake DID? And how can you tell?

Hello, I developed a sudden interest of this fascinating disorder after meeting this girl who had it.
I am aware of how rare it is. So, I've been thinking how easily can anyone fake it? And how can I know?
And if she does have it. How can she be aware of it? What actually happens in the mind of people with this disorder. I am very interested in this. Educate me.

DID is more common than you think. And no, I don’t think anyone could fake it. They wouldn’t be able to sustain it, it’s so exhausting - even for us who have it.

yeah, it's not as rare as one would think. unfortunately.

i think it's certainly possible to fake it, but like Rosee said, it would be extremely difficult/exhausting to keep up the pretense for very long. i assume people are telling the truth about their multiplicity, basically...i don't think i could try and accuse anyone of faking because their DID isn't like mine, it's different for everyone, really...

It's certainly possible to fake it, but depending on who you're dealing with the person would have to keep the facts and pretense up for years. Not only would that be tiring but it would be extremely difficult. I for one, know that there's no way I could manage it.

I would have to
a) Remember who speaks to the T and friends when I'm "not present" and on top of that remember who has said what to correspond with that. Remember what I don't remember to keep it straight? Even that sentence makes me boggle a bit.

b) Be right-handed and left-handed

c) Learn how to write with both hands at the same time (or type with one hand and write with the other at the same time).

d) Be able to change my body language at random. (I guess this would qualify as being a really good actor?)

I guess my point is...yeah, it's fakeable but it would be SO hard. Why would you want to anyway?

Many who are trying to DX themselves or rely on friends to do it might think that they have DID,but instead have DDNOS, Complex PTSD or something else because they and their friends got it wrong. Many T's are not trained to DX DID either.

On the flip-side, many that have been DX'd with something other than DID by incompetent T's - might actually have DID. If it really matters to you, ask if she just thinks she has DID or if she has actually been diagnosed by a T that is trained to diagnosis it.

DID, DDNOS-1, Complex PTSD and other disorders can display similar behaviors to those who are not trained or who try and DX themselves.

Can someone fake it... that depends. Could someone fake it with a very intelligent T that has worked with DID patients? Nope. A good T watches every movement. Listens to every word.
They know.

Could someone fake it with someone that knows little about DID. Sure.

Whatever your friend has, she is asking for understanding and love... not a friend that is disbelieving her.

DID is not so rare that your friend, or anyone's friend could not have it, and it is certainly not so unknown these days that anyone would get the attention that Shirley Mason's story (Sybil) got. That case is from the 1930's when so little was known of MPD - thus it's popularity.

I don't hide mine anymore. I tell now, because I can! I like people to understand what the real disorder is, rather than thinking it's some odd exotic thing.

Well this isn't what you're talking about but I consistently have the feeling that I'm faking it. Then somebody inside tells me I'm an idiot or starts crying or hyperventilates and cries. And then I have to admit, okay, all right, all right, I have DID and you're real. Can everyone calm down?

I think someone could fake it for a short period of time. Actors do that. But to be consistent over time, no, just like everyone else said. Why in the world would anyone choose to fake it? I just don't get the benefits.

I'd think the best education would probably be reading posts written spontaneously by people here, describing their experiences.

I have found it odd that when I tell some people that I have DID - they reply... Oh! That's what I must have!


Everyone has a story about how they first noticed and I have little childhood memories and I certainly cannot tell you a story about knowing as a child. For me paying attention to it came late in life....

Here is my original journal entry about it. Almost 1 year ago... stuff happened I could no longer ignore:
http://dx-dissociative-identity-disorde ... d-did.html

Johnny-Jack wrote:Then somebody inside tells me I'm an idiot or starts crying or hyperventilates and cries. And then I have to admit, okay, all right, all right, I have DID and you're real. Can everyone calm down?.

ALL THE TIME. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE ######6 TIME.

yeah, it can be faked, i've only ever seen it happen online, but someone had to know that person irl.

when you ask "what happens in the mind of people with this disorder" is there anything you specifically are curious about?

Well this isn't what you're talking about but I consistently have the feeling that I'm faking it.

Yes, this. But, rather than cry most of the time, mine will sometimes give me body memories.

If I have somehow faked it without knowing it, then I have also fooled a T who has heavily researched DID, and worked with both DID clients and spouses before. When I say that sort of thing to my T, he says, "Because, obviously, you're having so much fun?" Or he will say that at best, even if these parts were slightly less dissociated (although that's not his opinion), there is no way they don't exist and I'm lying about all these thoughts and feelings being inside.

Basically, I agree with the others. If one were to fake it, it would be an awful lot of work with minimal to no reward. If you're out for sympathy or attention of some sort, there are far easier things to fake, I would think. If I had to consciously keep straight all of my parts' "stuff" every time I talk to T or H or others with whom I regular discuss it, it would be like a full-time job. Also, sometimes their stuff doesn't quite make sense to me at first, so if I were making it up, I'd probably make it all logical, as I like it when things make sense. Otherwise, I'm scared of being invalidated.

Well, I guess those are more reasons I know cognitively that I'm not faking it, despite often feeling I am. But, not knowing if this person you're talking about is even diagnosed, I can't imagine they would fake whatever symptoms they are describing to you. If they were, it would become a lot of work really quickly and that would get boring, not worth the effort. They couldn't keep it up.

I can't really recommend too many resources. I read a lot at first, last May, but I have to avoid reading too much now, because I will relate to things ("That is just what I have experienced since my teens!") and have an immediate denial reaction from a particular part in response. Or I will read on forums (this and another one), other people saying it is supposed to manifest exactly this or that way, treated exactly this or that way, and what does and does not qualify as DID and I get so much invalidation from a particular part and it sends me into crisis with the parts, because we are basically calling their wounds a lie or telling them they are being bad/wrong by their time with T not being what others say it should be.