#did misinfo

[dissociative-misinfo]

Can minors be diagnosed with DID?

Yes, they can!

There is a lot of confusion and misinfo on the Internet about how old you have to be in order to be diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID). For years, it has been a common myth that minors can't be diagnosed with DID. I’ve also seen some people claim that you have to be at least 20, or even 40! You can see some examples of this misinfo here: source.

In actuality, DID can be diagnosed at any age. While it's more common for someone with DID to be diagnosed as an adult, it's also possible to be diagnosed as a minor.

What is the proof? The DSM-5-TR (one of the most widely used diagnostic manuals) specifies how to identify DID in children/teens versus in adults: source. Furthermore, there are treatment guidelines specifically for treating minors who are diagnosed with DID. You can find those here: source. Here are also a few books on this topic, too: source, source, source. Be warned that these sources are aimed at clinicians and contain sensitive material that can be triggering to read.

For anyone, I recommend reading this article written by Dr. Muller, a trauma psychologist: source. He briefly describes a 4-year old girl diagnosed with DID. There are very short mentions of abuse, nothing graphic. The article focuses more on the differences in diagnosis & treatment between children with DID and adults with DID. It's a good introduction to this topic!

There are several case studies on minors diagnosed with DID. Due to the graphic nature of these studies, I do not recommend them to everyone. Consider all of these to have a Trigger Warning ⚠ for descriptions of trauma, violence/abuse, and neglect as well as its impacts on young children: source, source, source, source, source, source.

Thanks for reading! If you meet anyone who seems confused about what age DID can be diagnosed at, please feel free to link them to this post!

[dissociative-misinfo]

You don't have to call your alters 'parts'.

'Parts' is an incredibly divisive term among people with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and similar experiences. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some people have more complicated feelings on it.

Let me make this simple: the terms you use are up to you. Ideally, they should be ones that make your system feel safe. So, if someone calls you a 'part' and that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please tell them. A good friend or therapist will respect that.

Calling alters 'parts' is NOT necessary for everyone's recovery. For some people, it can be extremely grounding and helpful! For others, being called 'parts' can actually make them more dissociated and fragmented. It's an entirely subjective matter. Here's what one of the leading experts on DID, Dr. Loewenstein, says (source):

"Clinically, the term 'parts' can be a useful, colloquial, descriptive term for clinicians and patients, although some DID patients respond to this term negatively (e.g., 'Hey, we're important! She says we're just parts!'). The most recent ISSTD Guidelines for DID Treatment (Chu et al., 2011) counsels that, if possible, it is preferable for clinicians to use the DID patient's own term for self-states."

Please continue using the terms that make you feel the safest, whether that be parts, people, alters, headmates, selves, or anything else. If the terms you use are somehow harming you, that's not something that strangers on the Internet can know for sure. It's something that should be worked through with a therapist and your system, at your own pace and free of shame.