Reaching Out to Your Community for DID Support

Having community support when living with dissociative identity disorder (DID) is an important part of dealing with the disorder. Dissociative identity disorder can feel like a burden in more ways than one. In addition to dealing with the multiple conversations happening in your mind, you need to maintain your “outer shell,” or the parts that other people interact with the most. What do you do when the people around you are unaware of your condition?

Living with the Secret of DID Inhibits Finding Community Support

Having a condition like DID can often feel like you’re hiding a secret, as is typically the case with many mental illnesses. Because there are no immediate physical ailments that other people can register, the condition mostly goes overlooked.

While it’s easy enough to continue on with your life without coming out about your DID, your life becomes much richer once you do. It can be intimidating to share your secret at first, but there are many benefits to helping the people around you understand the condition you live with every day.

Coming Out to Get Community Support for DID

I had come out to a few friends and family members before I decided to finally do so in a community setting. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to launch an art show based on my experience living with mental illness, giving me the perfect platform to openly talk about my condition. Community members were shocked at first but incredibly receptive and supportive.

I was most shocked at their thirst for knowledge. When most people think of DID, Hollywood interpretations come to mind, many of which are riddled with falsehoods. To be able to talk to an individual with actual firsthand experiences appeared to put many minds at ease.

On my end, I felt more accepted by my community than I had ever experienced in my entire life. While it took a certain amount of bravery to discuss my DID, it was an incredibly rewarding experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.

Building the Village of the DID Community Support You Need

While there is no rule that says you need to discuss your life with DID, doing so can help you build the community support you need. More importantly, you’ll discover that some of the most supportive people you can find are not just family members, but your neighbor, fellow art community member, or local grocer.

It can take a village to get through the ups and downs of living with DID, so why not start building the foundation for one now? 

Tell me about your efforts to build your DID community support in the comments.