OSDD/DID

Dissociative identity disorder, previously called multiple personality disorder, is usually a reaction to trauma as a way to help a person avoid bad memories.

Dissociative identity disorder is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality identities. Each may have a unique name, personal history, and characteristics

Dissociation is a common, naturally occurring defense against childhood trauma. When faced with overwhelming abuse, children can dissociate from full awareness of a traumatic experience. Dissociation may become a defensive pattern that persists into adulthood and can result in a full-fledged dissociative disorder.

Formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a condition in which a person has two or more distinct identities or personality states, which may alternate within the individual's conscious awareness. The different personality states usually have distinct names, identities, temperaments, and self-images. At least two of these personalities repeatedly assert themselves to control the affected person's behavior and consciousness, causing long lapses in memory that far exceed typical episodes of forgetting

• Recurrent episodes of severe physical, emotional or sexual abuse in childhood.
• Absence of safe and nurturing resources to overwhelming abuse or trauma.
• Ability to dissociate easily.
• Development of a coping style that helped during distress and the use of splitting as a survival skill.
• While abuse is frequently present, it cannot be assumed that family members were involved in the abuse.

The common symptoms of DID include:

• Inability to remember large parts of childhood.  
• Unexplained events and inability to be aware of them (such as finding yourself somewhere without remembering how you got there or new clothes that you have no recollection of buying).
• Frequent bouts of memory loss or "lost time."
• Sudden return of memories, as in a flashback and/or flashback to traumatic events.
• Episodes of feeling disconnected or detached from one's body and thoughts.
• Hallucinations (sensory experiences that are not real, such as hearing voices talking to you or talking inside your head).
• "Out of body" experiences.
• Suicide attempts or self-injury.
• Differences in handwriting from time to time.
• Changing levels of functioning, from highly effective to nearly disabled.

Persons with DID may also have problems with:

• Depression or mood swings.
• Anxiety, nervousness, panic attacks and phobias (flashbacks, reactions to stimuli or "triggers").
• Eating disorders.
• Unexplained sleep problems (such as insomnia, night terrors, and sleep walking).
• Severe headaches or pain in other parts of the body.
• Sexual dysfunction, including sexual addiction and avoidance.

(https://aamft.org/Consumer_Updates/Dissociative_Identity_Disorder.aspx)

---

---

 And now OSDD:

Other Specified Dissociative Disorder is a diagnosis that was introduced in the DSM-5 psychiatric manual, released in 2013. Along with Unspecified Dissociative Disorder, it replaces the diagnosis of Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DDNOS). other Specified Dissociative Disorder is known to be caused by psychological trauma. The equivalent diagnosis in the International Classification of Diseases is Other dissociative [conversion] disorders which also includes several different possible presentations. In common with all Dissociative Disorders, symptoms usually appear after trauma and include embarrassment or confusion about symptoms, and the desire to hide them. 

---