CW: Mental Illness

Hey there's a thing I've danced around for a while.
I have Dissociative Identity Disorder, and based on the average person's perception, I'm here to tell you it's not what you think it is. It's time I use the privilege of being known to talk about it. 1/

DID (the shorthand I'll be using) is a frustrating and scary disorder FOR US to have. We are depicted as monsters, unstable, unpredictable, unfaithful, inhuman, etc. A lot of awful things. Think about how popular movies like Split were. That's what people think of immediately. 2/

But gods that stuff is so far from the truth. People lump together a handful of disorders, like DID, schizophrenia, and Borderline, as the 'scary' and 'dangerous' mental illnesses, the ones that don't deserve their patience and empathy. Which hurts, bad. 3/

We're more likely to be the victims of violence rather than the perpetrators. Why? A lot of reasons, but one big one is because people have already decided we're dangerous and evil. Representation for things like this is so important because all we get is the bad. 4/

You never see a lead-up, so anyone telling you that these villains are evil and just 'happen' to have these mental illnesses, I dare you to re-write that script and remove the mental illness. You can't, without changing large fundamental elements, because it's on purpose. 5/

Now, a lot of people would question me having DID, and I always love hearing why, and I'll share with you some of the reasons it gets disputed in a moment. I'll probably lose some followers over this thread and if that's the case? Y'all were never really following ME. 6/

So, reasons I "obviously" couldn't have DID:

I am...
-kind
-'well adjusted' (whatever that means)
-empathetic
-understanding
-quiet
-patient
-honest
-loyal
-dedicated to my partner
-strong-willed
-non-binary (I can't even with that one)
-never noticeably someone else
7/

Also because I...
-take my medication
-strive to be a good person
-speak openly about my mental health
-have not been PHYSICALLY attacked because of it
-have not lost relationships/friendships/etc over it (false, btw, because I have)
-don't use it as an excuse for my behavior
8/

I could honestly go on for ages with that list.

But another thing to note is that goals for folx with DID can vary wildly depending on the person/system/group. Some seek re-integration, which most folx without DID assume is the only reasonable and healthy goal. 9/

That's not the only outcome though, and it's not always the healthiest or most comfortable. A lot of us have come to terms with DID and what it does for our lives. Some of us know that re-integration is unlikely, or is an uncomfortable thought. That is VALID. 10/

Some of us take medication, some of us don't. Some of us have known most of our lives, some of us are very new to this world. A big commonality, though, is how hard it is to make progress when we feel like we can't talk to people about it. Well, I have some interesting news. 11/

Everyone has parts. Mental disorders are mental patterns that have become disordered. Everyone gets anxiety, but some of us have anxiety disorders where it is beyond the norm and doesn't follow standard rules. Same with OCD. Same with all this shit. You have parts. 12/

Yes you! You reading this right now. You've got parts. How separate they are, I can't judge. You hear people talk about how you 'see a new side' of someone? Yes. We are all gems, faceted, but all one stone. DID folx had theirs hit with a hammer, so pieces broke apart. 13/

When you look at us with concern, and fear, just remember that we're far more afraid of you than you should be of us. We're trying to live our lives, heal from trauma, and be ourselves, meanwhile folx are celebrating films that use a caricature of us as a fear tactic. 14/

Think carefully about the media you consume and the things you say. We hear you when you say someone that's unstable or erratic has 'multiple personalities or something.' You likely know someone that has DID, even if you aren't aware. I still might delete this out of fear. 15/15