Multiple Personality Order

by Allegra

[About a week ago, we posted to an online discussion about whether multiple systems believe that the current DSM-V diagnostic criteria apply to their particular system.]

Dissociative Identity Disorder 300.14 (F44.81)
A. Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states which may be described in some cultures as an experience of possession. The disruption in identity involves marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and or sensory-motor functioning. These signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual.
B. Recurrent gaps in the recall of every day events, important personal information, and or traumatic events that are inconstant with ordinary forgetting.
C the symptoms cause clinical significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
D. The disturbance is not a normal part of a broadly accepted cultural or religious practice.
E. The Symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g. Blackouts or chaotic behavior during alcohol intoxication) or another medical condition (e.g. complex partial seizures).

Well, we agree with the last criterion about not being part of a cultural or religious practice, but beyond that....

Brother number one used to be skeptical about multiplicity, especially about the idea of seeing the positives and not treating it as a disorder.  We had to explain to him that at least for us, being many isn't the problem.  The repeated trauma that *caused* us to be many is the problem.

We realize that not every multiple sees multiplicity in the same way.  In talking to people in other areas of the online multiple community, there are in fact quite a few who do believe it's an illness that they need to heal from, or at least get ongoing treatment. 

More often than not, these multiples are either relatively new to their diagnosis and/or do not have a high level of internal communication.  But there are also those who are quite self-aware, further along in their healing, and still remain focused on a goal of living as one unified being.

Then there are those who advocate that a person doesn't even have to have been traumatized to be multiple, and that some people are multiple naturally.  We respect their right to their belief but do not share it.

All of this has taught us to work toward keeping an open mind, just as we want the professional world and the singleton world to have an open mind about us.

[Edit, 5/30/2015:  Added "to their particular system" to the end of the opening sentence.]