How do you tell someone you have DID?

I've asked a couple of friends if they remember what I told about R for a few years ago, and since they did remember it, it was easy for me to continue by saying that now I perhaps have an idea what it was, psychologically speaking. Then I mentioned some other odd things that I've gone through and told that all those things can be signs of multiple distinct identities or personalities within one person. Maybe since I have no diagnosis I don't have to focus on revealing that so much. I take a descriptive approach . I also asked them about their dissociative experiences. All people have some dissociation, and it makes the topic seem less huge if you can assist them to see this.

no one know about my DID beside this forum my T and one of my sisters. she understood that there was something abnormal about me when she saw angry little brother. and I just gave her an introduction to DID.
like: there are different people in my head, I have long periods of which I have no memories of. I do or say some stuff sometimes but it's not me, it's my alters doing those things.

not very long ,just few examples

The people who know kinda went through the discovery with us. Our best friend lived 5 years with us desperately wanting to know why we were doing things and couldn't explain why (trying to get a sex change, trying to get pregnant at 18 etc). Then when Kaz discovered us it was a kind of "I've finally figured out wtf is going on" :').

The only time Kaz ever really told anyone was a friend we know online who we have been friends with for about 6 years. The reason she had to tell him was 'cause I flirt with him a lot and 'exchanged photographs' with him and she was a bit embarrassed and so had to tell him about it because he always tried to flirt with her but she just ain't interested :'). So she just had to say, look, I'm going to have to explain something to you. I have multiple personalities and last night one of them sent you a picture of me". He just kinda thanked her for being open and honest and seemed understanding. He knew about the sex change thing too so that made sense to him from then on.

Soph xxx

We told our first friend by engaging her in a conversation about mental illnesses, since she finds them interesting as well. Then we slowly brought up the subject of DID, and stayed on it for a while. We kept dropping hints, then eventually ran out of patience and just told her, haha.

Our second friend had DID as well. We asked them if they had it, then confirmed we were multie too.

Our third friend just ended up asking us if we had it, haha, because we accidently let something slip.

As for the newest three friends to know, we sent them email telling them all about DID. Then we just admitted, at the end, that we had it. We allowed them to ask questions, and we've slowly been letting them in on things about us since.
~Rage

I will say this. I am never going to start out with the diagnosis again first. It has too many connotations for too many people and I just don't want to deal with getting that look. There's no need for the shock. I'm going to start out with the fact that I recently have recalled and had flashbacks about some terrible stuff from my childhood, that fortunately I could use a coping mechanism many children have known as dissociation, and that the abuse was so pervasive and continuous from both parents that it caused parts of me to separate in order to segregate the memories of the abuse so that I could preserve a healthy part that could function relatively untraumatized. Then the rest.

Johnny-Jack wrote:I will say this. I am never going to start out with the diagnosis again first. It has too many connotations for too many people and I just don't want to deal with getting that look. There's no need for the shock. I'm going to start out with the fact that I recently have recalled and had flashbacks about some terrible stuff from my childhood, that fortunately I could use a coping mechanism many children have known as dissociation, and that the abuse was so pervasive and continuous from both parents that it caused parts of me to separate in order to segregate the memories of the abuse so that I could preserve a healthy part that could function relatively untraumatized. Then the rest.

Telling people you had abuse in your childhood is less shocking than saying you have DID? :S

Soph xxx

I am fretting over this question partly because I still don't understand what happened with my first therapist. After all, in the intake session I (unknowingly) reported multiple symptoms of DID. Then I diagnosed myself and waited weeks for him to say anything. Then I asked him point blank. Finally I said it looks like DID to me. Still he held back. Did I handle this wrong? Why be so weird about it?

It was actually a huge relief to discover DID. It explained everything! A lightbulb went on over my head. Ahah! This is great! I can work with this. The only part in all this that makes me cringe is my first therapist's behavior. As if my diagnosis were unmentionable. That made me feel untouchable, unacceptable.

Only now am I beginning to feel how much that hurt. Why now? Because now my Alter 1 and I are integrated. We did it all by ourselves, by the way.

Telling people you had abuse in your childhood is less shocking than saying you have DID?

Soph, of course where you put it that way, no. The result of the shock is different though. Straight out saying you're having problems due to dissociative identity disorder, otherwise known as multiple personality disorder, is likely to create a reaction containing whatever connotations of the diagnosis people may have in their mind. Saying I am having flashbacks of severe abuse as a child is likely to create sympathy. Actually I know it does. I'd like to start with sympathy and move from there. Of course, I only tried this direct delivery once with a friendly work colleague and admittedly I flunked the delivery. I guess I don't have a lot of close friends whom I haven't told and it didn't matter much how I delivered it, they were friends and cared.

Convo with me and my coworker. His responses, if they sound mean, he was just being playful, I know.

I was talking to myself out loud. I know. Messed up. But totally necessary sometimes in order to get things done, keep my concentration/not forget what it was I went into the cooler for. I try to do it only when noone is listening, but sometimes I forget...

Him: Talking to me, or to yourself again?
Me: Oh...myself! Don't worry, you didn't miss much.
Him: Oh okay just checking I didn't want to look like I was ignoring you or anything. Are you sure it's yourself you're talking to or your imaginary friend?
Me: Hmmmm....I guess you could call it that...people in my head...
Him: Huh???
Me: Nevermind
Him: Are you ever gonna introduce me to your imaginary friend?
Me: Ummm, maybe.
Him: Is it a boy or a girl?
Me: Haha I haven't figured that out yet.

dividedtruth89 wrote:Him: Are you ever gonna introduce me to your imaginary friend?

That's a pretty big clue to how overt your DID is, when another person asks you this directly for an introduction to one of your others. Next he'll be saying "Hey I really like your friend!" and asking for a date. That puts the "boy or girl" question in an interesting light, doesn't it?