Just diagnosed with DID today

Hi everyone. I'm super nervous posting about this because I feel like I'm going to say something stupid or something embarrassing. It's also hard to talk about because I really don't fully understand what is happening to me.

The voices (alts?) would sometimes talk to one another and I could hear that going on in my head when all was quiet. At least 3 that I'm aware of. This was back in the early 90's. I blew it off after awhile but they persisted only this time in writing. Sort of automatic writing in a way. I would stand back, so to speak, and let them have at it.

Things began to happen that made me feel crazy. Like having someone tell me that they had a conversation with me, but I swear it didn't happen. Or, I would close a cupboard that was somehow left open and find it open again with nobody around to do it.

I see on the forum that people have names and ages of their alts. How does one go about getting to know them? Do they ever get integrated into a whole person? How would I know how many are there? Do they hide from us? Ugh, so many questions...

Hi and welcome to the forum.

everyone is unique and different and I think it's a long and messy journey for all of us. just practice your self care and keep writing. have good manners and be kind to yourselves.

a year or two or three from now you will know a lot more than you do now.

it's a marathon. and it will be ok.

Hi back.

That's a pretty typical backstory for someone with DID; sounds like the diagnosis is right on target.

Names and other information comes out with time. An alter can have a name already, you just don't know it. Or they can have no name (never needed one, never noticed not having one, etc) and in that case often they will want to choose their own name. For a while mine had awkward labels like "the older one" and "the one who . . ."

I have a little survey going about time to diagnosis. If you'd like to participate please do. See link in my sig below.

ahhh i feel you!
i was diagnosed a month ago and have a very similar story - pretty much identical in general terms. heard voices years ago, learned to tune it out, weird stuff constantly happening. after it escalated, i started investigating.. and they came out in writing. once they revealed themselves, i saw that it had been happening for years (kept journals my whole life). and now i'm in that place of trying to figure out who's who, what's what, and what the hell is going on from moment to moment.

so far the helpful things for me have been to read books and this forum, and to write consistently in my journal. i go to therapy also. talking about it with safe, close people has also been helpful.

i haven't "figured it all out" but it is progressing - i am getting more of a sense of different alters and can feel (sometimes) when they're trying to come out. i have had several dreams in which they appear or are trying to explain something to me. they also write in my journal sometimes.

not gonna lie - it is hard and scary. before i knew they were there, i was spaced out all the time but generally got stuff done. now it's all chaos and i'm finding it hard to juggle even the basic parts of my life. i trust that this is just part of the process, but it's exhausting and can feel isolating because it's so unusual compared to what most people go through from day to day. that's where this forum really shines - it is so validating to share experiences, to relate to people on here, and just to know you're not alone in this.

i have a thread where i document my process of all this, and i update it pretty frequently, if you're interested in someone else's rollercoaster of discovery (someone who also doesn't have solid names, ages, etc and is pretty new to this). title is "suddenly became aware of the others".

remember that doubt is normal, fear is normal, frustration and exhaustion are normal. but also, i have felt more emotions and connection than before, and that tells me that this is good. it's worth it. keep fighting and treat all of your inner parts with compassion. keep posting! and welcome

Welcome! What a huge day for you. I hope that having a diagnosis might help you to figure out where to focus your attention and learning. There are some good books out there with some great excercises that can hep you figure out who in there and what they need. I've found it so important to be very respectful and kind and patient to all of my people. Things go so much better when we work together. My favourite book is ' The dissociative identity disorder sourcebook' by Deborah Bray Haddock. You can get this book as an ebook if you want to start reading sooner rather than later. Take your time though. Be patient with yourself and your Alters. It is difficult as others have said. When I was diagnosed Complex PTSD, I wanted to go back to depression. When I was put in hospital with Bi Polar, I wished it was just PTSD. When I was diagnosed with DID....well.....Life really got interesting! As others have said, look after yourself, sleep when you can in a healthy way and eat well. This is a really amazing place to find safe, caring help. This journey can be difficult but also really amazing.

I want to thank everyone for being supportive. I don't have a lot of time to post so I will be back later. I'm in college.

After reading some of the posts here on the topic, I feel hopeful. I'm looking forward to learning more about myselves.

I will keep writing and trying to establish communication with them.

Warm thoughts to all! Especially to our Littles.