What is DID? + Explaining terminology associated with it

Instructions

Full title: What is Dissociative Identity Disorder? + Explaining terminology associated with it Introduction We've made sure that only trustworthy and unbiased sources were used for this project. Additionally, we have all been researching this disorder for about 2 years and have given information on it ourselves. Still, we are not professionals, and this is not intended to be used as a diagnosis tool. What is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)? DID is a disorder characterized by the existence of two or more distinct identities (also called system members/alters/headmates) in one body. ("Parts" is a less-used term in the system community, and personally, I'm not a fan of it.) What's DID caused by? DID is a response to long term or repeated childhood trauma, and the effects of it can last into adulthood, but the disorder cannot be formed in adulthood. No one can choose to have DID. System Members/Alters/Headmates Alters are members of a system, and they switch executive control of the body. A system is the collective of the alters. System members in DID can have have opinions, likes, dislikes, hobbies, names, pronouns, genders, orientations, habits, behaviors, music tastes, roles (I'll get to explaining those in a bit), and other traits that are distinct from their headmates. In addition, they can be a species, age, and/or race that is different from the body's. Systems generally cannot control what traits their members may have. Moreover, multiple system members can front at the same time. What's a "role"? A role in the context of DID is what a system member does in their system. (E.g., a protector's role is to protect the system they are a member of, and a host is a system member who fronts (takes control of the body) to handle daily tasks, or fronts most often.) System members can have multiple roles. The most commonly known roles are the protector, the host, the little/child, the trauma holder, the gatekeeper (a headmate who can control access to the front, to specific memories, and/or to their system's headspace, if they have one), the introject (a headmate based on a fictional character (fictive), a real person, a song, an album, a concept, etc.), and the caretaker/caregiver. Since we have autism and a terrible split tolerance, it's very common for us to introject characters in different media. Amnesia & Amnesia Barriers There are amnesia barriers (barriers in systems that prevent system members from remembering what other headmates have done) between headmates in systems. They are there to protect headmates from remembering traumatic events, though some members may have the role of keeping or holding those memories. What's A Headspace/Inner world? A headspace/inner world is a visualization tool that system members can use to perceive one another, interact, and communicate, though it is not a genuine area within the brain. Not all systems have a headspace. Co-fronting Co-fronting is when two or more headmates are fronting at the same time. If a system member is fronting simultaneously with their headmate, then that member is co-fronting with that headmate. We'll continue to add on to this project if we find other things to add, but that's all for now!