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With most relationships, you have to deal with personality changes. However, these mainly describe moods more than a full personality shift. For example, maybe you have to handle a partner who has woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
Usually, this is not the same thing as having a person who has DID, or dissociative identity disorder. Let’s look at how DID can affect one’s relationships.
What is DID?
DID is also known as multiple personality disorder. This disorder occurs when a person has one or more split personalities. Sometimes, triggers can cause a person to shift between personalities. Other times, a person’s personality can change for seemingly no reason at all.
Some people with DID may have just two personalities. Others have dozens of personalities inside their head. Past trauma may be the reason behind DID, but that is not always the case.
Dating someone with DID can be an experience. Here are some things to expect.
You’re Dating Multiple People
When you’re dating someone with DID, you’re also dating their other personalities. If you consider yourself a monogamous person, you may have trouble with this notion.
Not to mention, you may not like all the personalities. Some people with DID have personalities that are more abrasive.
Think of it like a workplace. You may like some people in the workplace, but not all of them. However, you will have to work with everyone there if you want to succeed.
Some of Them Aren’t Romantic or Sexual
With multiple personalities, your partner may have personalities that aren’t a good fit for romantic or sexual relationships. For instance, there are some personalities, or alters, that are more childlike. This can make it difficult for you to feel any attraction to your partner when they are in this stage.
In some cases, you may feel more like a parent or a babysitter. In some cases, you may feel more like a mentor to your own partner.
Some of Them Don’t Seem That Much Different From the Main
When you think of DID, you may imagine radically different personalities. However, this is not always the case.
There are some instances where the alternate personality may not be too much different from what is considered to be the “main.”
For example, there may be a personality that is a bit gruffer than the main, but feels mostly the same.
When you are dating someone with DID, you may notice these personality changes that others do not. Someone may just think your partner is in a bad mood when in reality, they are someone different altogether.
It Is Tough to Do
We are not going to act like dating someone multiple personalities is easy. To make it work, it can be a challenge. In some cases, it may feel like an impossible feat. You may feel like you are overwhelmed whenever a problematic personality comes out.
There are some couples who manage to drive back the personalities that are a little more troublesome. A couple may look to avoid triggering certain personalities, especially when it’s inappropriate to do so. For example, when it comes to sex, the person with DID may learn to avoid changing any personalities that would not like sex.
Professional Help May be a Solution
While a relationship with someone with DID seems impossible, it is doable. One way is to seek professional help through a therapist or counselor. Here are some ways they can help:
• For the person with DID, a therapist may help them identify triggers that bring out their personalities. Since DID may be caused by trauma, a therapist can also help a person identify the source of their trauma, which may help reduce their symptoms.
• For the person dating them, a therapist can educate them more on DID and teach them to be more empathetic towards their situation.
• Both parties can learn ways to communicate and to cope whenever there are any issues that can arise.
Diagnosis is Key
With all that said, it’s essential for someone with DID to seek a diagnosis. If your DID is going undiagnosed, one website that may be able to help is Mind Diagnostics.
For more information on how they can help, please click the link below:
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Hi. D.I.D is ALWAYS caused by severe repeated childhood trauma. That part isn’t optional.
A system may not recall trauma, but that it the only reason for this disorder to form.