Could I be DID?

So I have been concerned for some time that I may have DID or some other form of dissociation. I have what I always called "characters" in my head. They live in their own worlds, some don't know about each other. However, they never "come out." They just stay inside of me. I have had them since age 13 and am now 20. No history of abuse at all so maybe its not DID. I talked a little bit about it to my therapist but she told me I am just imaginative. But she is just my therapist for minor depression brought on by a terrible roommate experience and she admits to not knowing much about dissociation. I have no more problems with my characters than I do with my "living" friends. Sometimes they are annoying, sometimes they aren't. Do you think it is possible that I am DID and if so what kind of help is available?
Edit- I forgot to mention that they don't like to be talked about. Just telling my therapist was hard and then she started to ask too many personal questions and I felt physically incapable of telling her. Like it was not her business even though I am the one who started the discussion. I have talked a bit about them to my mom and boyfriend of 4 years. The characters who do know about my outside life are a bit better (the others have no idea of any of this since they only know their world) because Mom and bf are obviously well known to them but they still don't like me telling names or personal details about them.

I hate to answer questions like this, but no one else is so here goes.

I have no clue.

You need to ask your therapist to evaluate and test you. Let her know you are concerned and really want to know.

There are some questionnaires and other self-evaluation stuff you can do, for instance in this thread: dissociative-identity/topic65082.html
Also you might find reading the diagnostic criteria useful, I suppose.

I found that all the tests left me still wondering. It's so hard to ask for help and for a DX. Sometimes you just have to do something that is hard. I could still be taking tests galore online and until I got a real DX, actually 2 of them of DID, I would still question if I had it or not.

My first post here describing what was going on was met with --- nope, that does not sound like DID.

It's just about impossible for anyone here or any online test to help you figure it out. You need a T to do this. A good one.

Your story is similar to mine. I was also prevented from sharing too much with other people.

I agree that the online tests will probably just leave you with more questions. And if your anything like me, even after being diagnosed, you’ll question the diagnoses.

Ground yourself in stability and trust yourself, your whole self to know what you know.

Be kind and gentle to yourself and ask for cooperation from all your parts.

You need no one’s permission for this but your own.

Prepare to stand alone sharing only with like minded people.

Hello, I just have a quick comment to do.

No history of abuse at all so maybe its not DID.

Just a little tip about this. Abuse is not neccessarilly present in all cases of DID. In my girlfriend's case, she was never abused, and still she has a really clear case of DID.
Trauma may or may not exist, and in many cases, if it exists, it is not neccessarily caused by abuse or clear situations. For example, if when you were little you had a fight with a friend, or your parents yelled at you because you had an immaginary friend, or anything similar, it might be enough to cause a person to develop DID.
It doesn't have to be trauma. Just, when some causes meet, and the personality is prone to this happening, it might be enough.

Just came to say that, since I do not have much time.

Best wishes,
~ Secret ~

Here is a page that I wrote on causes of DID.

It does not have to be abuse, (although usually is) but it does have to be extreme. Childhood surgeries can cause it and I am sure there are other things, but ...... I think extreme has to be in the equation.

http://dx-dissociative-identity-disorde ... occur.html

Hi, i can't tell if you've DID or what. I'm not professional but in my opinion even if you do not have DID at the moment, it seems to me you can be prone to developing it.

Before i hv DID, Hailey (my alter) was just a "character"/ voice in my mind, which i thought i created myself. She was like the "character" you mentioned. But a year ago, i went through another period of abuse, which was very painful. That character then started to split off from myself. She took a protector role and brought me through the hard time.

At first i still didn't think i had any kind of dissociative disorder because Hailey could sometimes be quite indistinguishable from myself. But later she eventually "developed" into a totally separated personality. i can no longer say she is just a part of me or my imagination. If she were only my imagination, i would be able to alter her thought and way of acting, but i cannot. I think this can also be a little self test to see if someone is your imagination or a dissociated part.

So that's my little opinion. And don't worry even if you do have DID. From what you mentioned i think you are managing your "characters" quite well, so there won't be any big problem


-Ana

Well no one here can tell you for sure but I think the fact that you are asking the question and searching for answers is a positive thing. Given what you've said in your post, I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility at this stage, it seems to be worth further investigation. Have you considered getting a therapist to help you sort through working out what might be going on for you?

Also, you mentioned that you have no history of abuse. I said that too initially. Until I got outside confirmation that there was. The fact that you don't know about any abuse doesn't necessarily mean there was none, it just might mean that you don't remember it currently (which is kind of the point of dissociation in the first place, to not remember the experiences that were too hard to handle so that you are able to carry on with life).

I would like to agree with tylas and salted lipstick.

Some trauma may have happened when we were too young to understand what was going on and it is possible that there was trauma that we don't remember or have blocked out.

I agree that the trauma may have been "extreme" but it has also to do with the 'duration'. I believe it is the kind of trauma experienced in early childhood, whether remembered or not, that causes the more extreme cases of DID and other disorders.