Self Diagnosis

People with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID or OSDD) often go through years of treatment without getting properly diagnosed. According to research, it takes 6-12 years in the mental health system before someone is diagnosed correctly with DID. This is because of the lack of knowledge and education for both therapists and clients about dissociation.

I also recognize that there are many barriers faced by different groups in getting properly diagnosed that are based on structural inequities, lack of access and various form of discrimination.

This is why I think having information out there on social media about dissociative disorders is incredibly important and can absolutely lead to folx self-diagnosing.

When it comes to representations of folx who report having DID/OSDD it is important to always take these representations with a grain of salt as there is always the danger of misinformation

In addition, it’s important to recognize there is not one right way that someone may experience DID/OSDD. So just because someone is presenting a certain way doesn’t mean it has to be that way for everyone, nor does it mean that your experience is wrong simply because you are not seeing it represented in media.

If the mental health field in general was doing its job then people would not be left to self-diagnose by something they found in social media. It is up to us to be educating ourselves and our clients and ensuring correct information is available for folx.

So if you are an EMDR clinician looking to learn more about assessing for and working with Dissociative Disorders, I have created a training for you:

Introduction to Working with Dissociative Identity Disorder: Understanding Through an EMDR Lens