Ageless alters are often protectors, gatekeepers, or internal self helpers that are emotionally disconnected and have a vague sense of self beyond their role within the system. Ageless alters may or may not identify with a gender or general appearance.
Alters can stay the same age forever, change age depending on the situation (age-sliding), or age normally. Many systems have alters of various ages, including ones that are older and ones that are younger than the body. It is important to recognize these age differences and work with alters at age-appropriate levels.
In a dissociative identity disorder (DID) system, alters may disappear for long periods of time. This doesn't mean they're dead, as DID alters cannot die. Rather, DID alters are just dormant.
In time, such a child may begin to emotionally and cognitively split into alternate identities. Research has shown that the average age for the initial development of alters is 5.9 years old.
There is no limit. I have had a switch that involved someone who came out to let loose a blood-curdling scream and then vanish. We have had times when people have been the main one (or only) out for months at a time. No limit on time either way.
Most people with DID rarely show noticeable signs of the condition. Friends and family of people with DID may not even notice the switching—the sudden shifting in behavior and affect—that can occur in the condition.
It doesn't have to have been caused by a traumatic or stressful event. Many people think that this disorder might be more common than previously thought.
The names of the alters often have a symbolic meaning. For example, Melody might be the name of a personality who expresses herself through music. Or the personality could be given the name of its function, such as “The Protector” or “The Perpetrator”.
Summary. There are a variety of triggers that can cause switching between alters, or identities, in people with dissociative identity disorder. These can include stress, memories, strong emotions, senses, alcohol and substance use, special events, or specific situations. In some cases, the triggers are not known.
Individuals with dissociative identity disorder (DID) have been known to show varied skills and talents as they change from one dissociative state to another. For example, case reports have described people who have changed their handedness or have spoken foreign languages during their dissociative states.
✘ Myth: You can kill alters.
Their thoughts, memories, emotions will all still be there, so they must be as well. The part may have gone into extreme hiding, been momentarily immobilized, or merged with another part of the mind, but they most assuredly did not and can not disappear entirely or “be killed”.
Once known as complex multiple personality disorder, polyfragmented dissociative identity disorder (PDID) more accurately describes what multiples experience (Kluft & Fine, 1993). A person living with dissociative identity disorder who has more than 100 alters is said by some practitioners to be polyfragmented.
Individuals faking or mimicking DID due to factitious disorder will typically exaggerate symptoms (particularly when observed), lie, blame bad behavior on symptoms and often show little distress regarding their apparent diagnosis.
Alters can be friends, family, or foes. Alters can like, and even love each other, but sometimes there is hate or dislike within the system. When this happens, it can feel chaotic.
It's perfectly fine, as long as their both stable mentally and won't hurt the body or the others in the case of a break up.
A positive trigger is something non-trauma related and is pleasant enough to cause an alter to come forward and experience happy emotions, such as a special toy, cute puppies, or a favorite ice cream flavor. A positive trigger, in some instances, can be used to bring forth an alter.
We do not necessarily hear real voices in our head, but experience more like vivid thoughts. The manner in which we experience these thoughts depends on how severely we are dissociated from our "self." As a result, we with DID who hear voices are actually hearing dissociated thoughts.
Alters may provide a means of expressing anger or other feelings. Aggression towards the body may be sexually oriented, so one may ask whether aggression could make self-rape possible. If so, such expression of self-injuries may be observed in a person with multiple personality as when one alter may injure another.
Also known as littles, child alters may be created to hold traumatic memories from childhood at the point of the abuse, or without traumatic memories or experiences - as a way of compensating for the loss of a happy childhood the individual should have had.
' Alters typically develop from dissociation caused by prolonged early childhood trauma, as evidence suggests (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, 2011). The alters may have different names, genders, ages, roles, attitudes, preferences, and even memories.
Yes, because many alters decide their own names. Many may have a name but never tell you, some may not have a name and never wish to have one, others may change their names depending on their life's experiences or their age, or whatever other reason.
To qualify for the diagnosis, the person must have a disruption of identity characterized by two distinct personality states, which include alterations in behavior, memory, consciousness, cognition, and sense of self.
Some indicators that a switch may be about to occur include the following: feeling "spacey", depersonalized, or derealized; blurred vision; feeling distanced or slowed down; feeling an alter's presence; or feeling like time is beginning to jump (indicating minor episodes of time loss).
Fictives are not made up. They are not a part of a game. Fictives are real. They can hold memories and can experience trauma just as any other alter can.
Will dissociative identity disorder (DID) go away? There is no cure for DID. Most people will manage the disorder for the rest of their lives. But a combination of treatments can help reduce symptoms.