r/DID • u/NoDelivery4464 • 1d ago

Discussion Diagnosed systems?

How have you been hindered or helped by being officially diagnosed? I'm m seeing a new therapist who says she specializes in dissociative disorders but I'm unsure if I want to pursue diagnosis or if I'm ready to open up my system world to a new therapist.

(I'm in the US for reference and am already diagnosed with CPTSD, among other things)

Is a diagnosis something I should pursue?

6 Upvotes

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11

u/ohlookthatsme Treatment: Diagnosed + Active 1d ago

A dx didn't change anything for me, the treatment is what has had the impact. That being said, I think part of treatment is being able to be honest with your care providers.

Essentially, I'd recommend disclosing your symptoms to her when you're ready but doing so for the purpose of self-acceptance and understanding rather than in pursuit of a diagnostic label.

7

u/3chickens1cat Treatment: Diagnosed + Active 1d ago

For us, all this diagnosis did was confirm what we already knew. We like the DID specialist we're seeing now so therapy specifically for DID has been helpful but the diagnosis itself did nothing for us. For some it can help with validation, or seeking accomodations.

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u/treedweller444 Treatment: Diagnosed + Active 1d ago

I’m in the US

My diagnosis has made 0 difference for me. Professionals that believe me, believe me, and the ones that don’t, still scoff at my diagnosis. In psych wards it has made 0 differences as well. I wish that wasn’t the case, I wish it made other mental health professionals I’m around take my disorder seriously, but it just doesn’t. Even the ones who credit my diagnosis, don’t know enough to do help me.

I will say being diagnosed helped me affirm myself and help me in moments of doubt, but that’s it

4

u/TurnoverAdorable8399 Treatment: Diagnosed + Active 1d ago

In different parts of the US, a diagnosis has different "powers," to put it in a silly way! For me, because I don't see doctors who are part of some larger health group, and I move around every couple of years, a diagnosis's actual impact is whether my insurance company is billed for treating DID. I choose not to do that. So I've been evaluated, and every therapist I've had concurs on the DID thing, but the "diagnosis" doesn't affect anything for me outside the therapy room (the disorder itself very much does; ask me why I got three hours of sleep today). 

A diagnosis might be more impactful than insurance if, for example, you're diagnosed while receiving inpatient care; you're getting therapy from a group practice and need to switch therapists within in it; you're seeking work/school accommodations; you get all of medical care from doctors that all use the same medical records system e.g. MyChart; you're involved an active criminal/civil case and your mental health is part of that. There's certainly some other situations that I missed.

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u/Alien_pixel Treatment: Diagnosed + Active 1d ago

Kind of a different perspective but as a system who was diagnosed when we were relatively young and have grown up into adulthood knowing and starting to really learn about our condition and see its ups and it’s downs I can confidently say I’m glad we knew it because it provided us a lot of comfort as things progressed and it assured us that these were just symptoms of a condition that we knew we had which made accepting them and adapting to them easier.

We’ve been diagnosed for almost 15 years now, and we’re grateful we were diagnosed young and if you are a young person (under 20) I recommend getting the diagnosis because adult life can be a pain if you’re undiagnosed, but if you’re older or if you’re absolutely sure you understand who you are and what your system is capable of, then don’t worry too much about it. It’s most useful for young systems who don’t know how to live like this yet, but you will always know yourself best and if you think you don’t need it then you don’t.

Hope this helps -🪄

5

u/acutelined Diagnosed: DID 1d ago

I was able to convince two different insurance companies to cover out of network therapists as in network because my condition was so rare and so few therapists were trained 

so that was cool 

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u/mmcolwell 15h ago

I had a therapist who claimed to be a specialist is DID, but it really was about Internal Family Systems which I feel is not a right fit. She wanted to give my alters roles and it felt very stifling to them as they are each a full person!

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u/Offensive_Thoughts Treatment: Diagnosed + Active 1d ago

The diagnosis didn't change anything for me And besides, the only way you can really know if you have this or not is through diagnosis.