Myths & Misconceptions

MYTH: People can tell when others have DID/OSDD.

FACT: Most individuals with DID/OSDD do not present with extremely obvious switching. The disorder is developed to protect from extended trauma and to prevent disruption of survival tactics, meaning DID is more often than not very covert. Most of the characteristics associated with DID/OSDD can be hidden from others fairly successfully.²

MYTH: Individuals with DID/OSDD are never aware that they have alters.

FACT: It is common for individuals with DID/OSDD to have awareness of their alters, to hear their alters communicating, and to have knowledge of at least some of their alters' activities8. Many individuals with DID have been aware of signs of their alters since their childhood.

MYTH: DID/OSDD Is incredibly rare.

FACT: Between 0.1% and 2% of the population has DID. The DSM-5 places this prevalence at 1.5%⁹. That's almost 3.2 million Americans, 0.65 million citizens of the United Kingdom, or 71 million people worldwide!

MYTH: Those with DID/OSDD are dangerous/have a dangerous alter.

FACT: Like other mentally ill populations, those with DID/OSDD are no more likely to be dangerous or abusive than anyone else. However, DID/OSDD forms because of chronic childhood trauma, and individuals with DID/OSDD are highly likely to be re-traumatized and be victims of further abuse and violence. Contrary to popular belief, it's not common for those with DID/OSDD to have an "evil" alter.³

MYTH: DID/OSDD is a fake disorder made up by therapists.

FACT: There is an abundance of evidence that supports that DID is due to long term or repeated childhood trauma. Research supports that iatrogenic/sociocognitive DID (DID resulting from therapeutic or social influences) is not the same as genuine DID.

MYTH: DID is an American phenomenon.

FACT: DID has been found in all of the countries in which it has been sought, and some very impactful research regarding DID comes from the Netherlands, Turkey, and New Zealand.

MYTH: DID can form in adults.

FACT: DID cannot form in an individual who has a fully integrated personality, and chronic childhood trauma is necessary to disrupt normal personality development¹¹. It is generally accepted that this must occur before ages 6 to 9. Trauma later in life can instead cause PTSD, C-PTSD, or other mental health symptoms.

MYTH: DID is easy to fake.

FACT: While non-professionals may not be able to distinguish between those who do and do not truly have DID, professionals are trained to recognize the difference between DID and disorders that may present similarly (such as C-PTSD or BPD) or between DID and factitious disorders or malingering. Diagnoses done using the "gold-star" Structural Clinical Interview for Dissociative Disorders are very likely to be reliable¹².

MYTH: Nonhuman alters are impossible (ghosts, werewolves, vampires, etc).

FACT: Nonhuman alters are in fact very common. For many children, being a human is scary. It gets them hurt. Being invisible or incapable of feeling, becoming a terrifying entity, a loving creature, or even a shapeshifter can feel infinitely safer and more protective of the whole than fragile humanity. Alters do not come about by conscious choice or planning. They happen within a child’s mind, through their understanding of the universe at the time, unconsciously, and by way of a heavily dissociated surreality¹³.