Tips For Partners Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder

My mother was diagnosed with DID in 1992 when I was twelve years old. I am her only child. Two of her alters are abusive (both physical and emotional) to me and it was a difficult struggle growing up. After a car accident four years ago, my mother suffered a traumatic brain injury. Her DID has gotten worse and she is unable to control her alters. Her behavior ranges from normal to explosive, delusional and paranoid. Recently she or one of her alters blew up, at me for forgetting something at the store. I didn't respond to her yelling, choosing instead to wait till that alter was gone. Her behavior has gotten worse. She has begun yelling and ranting at my husband and accusing him of keeping me away from her when I have chosen to take a step back. My stepfather has told me that I should be more understanding and just let her alters rant. The problem for me is that I can't handle being around my mother when these two alters have taken control. My own mental health suffers. Because things have not improved and have only gotten worse I have chosen to end all contact with my mother. I still love her and care about her but until she can control her alters again I need to back away for my own mental health.

I have a milder version of DID called Ego-State Disorder: from what I've read, the biggest difference between this and full-blown DID is that I don't lose time. However, I do have different "parts" of me with their own beliefs, goals, and memories, and they each struggle to stay in control of my body as long as they can. As far as relationships, the hardest part is that my alters are intensely jealous of anything that takes time away from them: a lot of times, I can be out with my girlfriend, and I can't focus on her because one of my alters feels like he's being neglected (which to him feels like he's dying). I've learned to just "tough it out", but it still affects my relationships, because I can't always be present for them. Everywhere I go--work, to the store, on a date--I have to bring my full complement of "children" with me, and they act like children generally act. It is an awful way to live, and I'm grateful for my girlfriend, friends, and boss for putting up with me, particularly when I do such a good job of hiding all the "tending" to my children that I have to do.

We have known that we have DID for the past roughly 20 years but was only diagnosed roughly 4 years ago (as initially was very distrustful and sort help late in life) have sort of learned to live, manage and cope in various ways to compensate for it as best as possible been married for 14 years together for 17 years and have a son. It has been a rough, exhausting journey and continues to be. Am just wondering though from everyone here as to the viability of DID relationships ultimately working out as have come close to divorce on numerous occasions. It is hard enough to live with all of us never mind maintaining a marriage and child relationship and other relationships with people. We are at a point where we sadly must say are beginning to doubt as to whether any human being is equipped to really love all my alters and manage a close intimate relationship with another human being. Like to see myself as a high functioning DID and work in a stressful position but life as we get older becomes harder and harder. Are more in touch with all alters and we are one might say pretty much in synchronization most of the time (one might say due to counselling have become more and more integrated if one can call it that). Honestly we all feel rather heart broken at this realization that perhaps we are all better off just never entering into or continuing in an intimate relationship and thus to remain celibate and abstain for the rest of our days, our support is The Lord and ourselves. The concern we have is as to whether it is possible and for how long can the human being survive without love and affection and connection with other human beings? Rather at a loss guess need some advice or just encouragement or a new perspective. Thank you

Take it from me learn as much as possible and don't go in blind or with a very vague idea of D.I.D you'll come out the worst for wear and blaming yourself and in my case my partner or alters putting the blame on me. Its heart breaking and the lonilness is unbearable. To live with someone with D.I.D takes more than a strong person. I thought I was strong but found out differently real quick. It doesn't help being someone who loves affection becasue it isn't always forth coming and thats hard. You wonder what you've done to get this treatment but I know know it wasn't just my fault and I urge anyone thinking of entering into a D.I.D realtionship to do as they say above read read read and know exactly what your entering into because its going to be a world of heartache and pain.

Rick, It is very evident that you love and are committed to your wife. This journey that God has both of you on may become more stressful the longer you are on it. My husband has found it essential to build a support system of men that he can be completely honest with concerning the stresses of living with someone that has DID. (he does this with my permission and blessings) Also, counseling has very much been a needed support for him during this time. I too have been in and out of counseling for years due to depression and anxiety. My husband has come to realize that we are on this journey together and God has much for him to learn also. Although he still goes through times of stress he has relaxed quite a bit since realizing that. I pray that God blesses your marriage and brings you guys closer together emotionally and spiritually than ever before. It is possible.

I don't know if your husband is in counseling or not but my husband and I have found it invaluable to go to my counselor together once or twice a month. It truly is needed to have someone to help my husband navigate this journey with me and my (as of right now) 2 alters. It also may be helpful to remember that all of the alters are all your husband. It sounds like he is struggling with that concept right now (in feeling jealous). I'm sorry I don't have any concrete answers. Living with someone that has DID has got to be a lot of work and worry. I know my husband does get very stressed at times.

I am 65 my wife 62 . Married 43 yrs this Nov. My wife has suffered with depression and other mental health issues for many years . Recently she was diagnosed as DID. As I now look back now getting educated as much as possible on this illness I think she has been DID From adolescent years. As I come to get more information the picture puzzle gets clearer . Her alters have become much more outward,she acts out more and more openly. She rarely sleeps well and keeps us both up most of the night fighting with her alters and other imagined enemies that she believes are trying to poses her so they can be with me. No matter how much I try to assure her these are just aspects of her illness she is utterly convinced it is real . Our relationship is coming under extreme stress. We are Christians of great faith and are determined with Gods help to fight this to the end . I would never consider leaving her . But any help would be appreciated THANK YOU

HELP!
My marriage is falling apart. My husband 35 and I 30 have been together now for over 10 years. I have known about his dissociative identity disorder from the beginning. It's been a hard bumpy road in the beginning 1 alter hated me and wanted me out of my husband's life completely. In time (6 years) he realized that I do truly love him and that I'm in it for the long haul. Another alter a young boy named Kyle still comes out to talk and play.. my battle right now is another alter named Anthony he is a young man who is 26 needing attention from other women. He engages in relationships with multiple women online. Once he met a woman and had a sexual relationship with her. I have gotten to know this Anthony and has developed feelings. It seems since he knows I am interested he stays out of other relationships. This makes my husband very upset (jeslous). I am battling what is best. Do I continue having a relationship with Anthony with the peace of mind that my husband is being faithful. Or do I tell Anthony I want nothing to do with him and he goes off to have other relationships with women? Please if there is anybody out there that can talk to me with any advice it would be very appreciated thank you Jessica

Our relationship is only a few months long, and honestly, the hardest thing so far is just keeping everything straight. It's just him and one other alter. So instead of everything being drastically different, its stupidly subtle. Same gender. Same age I believe. The name is even the same just spelled different. I'm getting better at recognizing a switch and he's on medication so he doesn't come out too often. I have to help him remember things, because he'll blackout during a switch. Or since his alter isn't out much, he often forgets (or simply doesn't know) things about people or even their names. But I don't mind any of it and an actually excited to see our relationship grow. :)

My wife was diagnosed with Bipolar a month ago, but after reading this I truely think that she has DID. She went through hell all her life, being sexually abused and recently raped for the second time in her life. It is very hard, she often disassociates and swears at me, insults me and even hits me sometimes. It feels like she is getting worse, and she refuses to take her medication because of the side affects. She always says she can beat it by herself, very stubborn...What should I do? This is affecting our relationship and I'm thinking of getting a divorce...

Chris,
I have a question for what you would do in my situation. I have been with my wife for 4 years, we have been married since June. She was diagnosed a year ago.
She has 2 alters, and they both hate my wife. We are afraid one of them is sleeping around.. I feel hopeless. Any advice?

Becoming a puppet in a relationship is not linked to whether or not one partner suffers from DID; if someone is going to become a puppet then they'll do so whoever they have a relationship with.
Elsewhere Holly makes a very important point that those of us who do not suffer from DID can choose to be in a relationship that causes us to need to understand and come to terms with the condition, but thise who di suffer of course have no such choice. If we become puppets it's because we choose to be and not because we somehow become enslaved because the one we love suffers from DID.
My partner suffers from DID and because I love her I'm going to do all I can to help her enjoy as stable and fulfilling a life as possible. If that means I must be selfless then so be it because selflessness is an important aspect of love. I will try to support her to be at peace with each of her alters and as far as is possible I will try to provide a supportive environment within which no part of her complex personality feels neglected. I am neither blind nor stupid and I choose to go into this eyes wide open in the knowledge that I might fail and one day she may switch and demand I leave.
Given the divorce rates around the world, the reality is that there is anyway no guarantee in relationships or marriages. But at least I have a choice whereas she, at least so far as DID is concerned, has none.

You might let her know so that she can discuss it with her Dr or therapist. I know my wife tells me when she knows I switch so I can track it as much as possible to try to find triggers to my switching. Rather she knows it or not something is triggering her switching maybe when she sleeps her mind races to much and that makes her switch and maybe her Dr could give her something to help her sleep better

I have a question. My wife has did. She was diagnosed 9 years ago. We have been together for 5 years and her alters talk to me when they are out. They have been very helpful giving me information she has blocked out. We are working to find a experienced doctor to help her. My question is...when she switches should I tell her that she switched? She often switches while she is asleep and wakes up in the middle of the night as one of her alters. So she doesn't even know she switched. She has an idea bc she is super tired although she slept "all night" but in reality she didnt. So do i tell her or do I just not say anything about it?

Thank you for letting me know. I'm sorry this blog is no longer. Maybe someone will want to take it over...such a valuable site.

Robbin, We no longer have a moderator on this site and I do not have experience with what you are asking about. I have had my DID diagnosed for about 9 months and have been married for 22 years to the same man. I only have two alters and they are child alters. Although my husband misses me when the children are out, they do not act out towards others. It sounds like your partner probably has many more alters than I do. I would really encourage you to get counseling if you are still considering pursuing a relationship with this man. It will give you the support you need and a better understanding of DID issues that will help you make decisions based on the big picture of what is going on.

I really need some insight. I have been seeing a man with DID for about 8 months. It's an odd relationship. We have texted daily. We used to see each other every other week for intimacy but that has now trickled to once a month. It has lessoned since he has told me he has DID and the more alters he introduces it seems the more he pulls away. I have told him how honored I am that he has shared this part with me and that he is so very special to me. He has one alter that wants to engage in wild sex parties with him. I told him I wouldn't want to ruin my chances with others if I engaged in that with him. Also, the few times I have indicated that I want him as a partner he said as good as I am it cannot be because he is DID and I have only met a couple of them. However, he has introduced me to a few more since he said that. He also tells me that DID people are best solitary.
I am so confused. I'm trying to make some kind of sense of it all. I have fallen in love with this man and I can't even tell him because I am afraid I will scare him off. I do know he has been divorced 4 times and his longest marriage was about 4 years.
Do I engage in wild sex with his alter since he is the one that really likes me? would it ruin my chances with the others? His mains don't have sex because they have responsibilities. What hurts the most is we will be so non-sexually intimate via texting and yet he won't see me. Why is that? Can anyone help?

Hello Debra, I have been newly diagnosed (in the past 6 months) but have read several books and several articles on DID. In short, no, not every DID person cheats. Not every DID person has total amnesia during a dissociative episode (I have all my memories when another alter comes out but I do not necessarily have control). But, those people that do not remember what happens when an alter comes out does not mean that the alter will cheat on a partner. None of my alters have cheated on or even flirted with other men. Now, not all my alters happen to like my husband ( my abuser was my father) but that is something we are addressing in my counseling as my husband gets more and more comfortable with the idea of my having DID.
My husband and I are in counseling together and that really helps us communicate through issues like this. Are you and your partner in counseling together? It would also be helpful for you to have your own counseling during this time. It can be a very traumatic time for you also. Please remember to take care of yourself.

Is it a fact that all people with DID cheat? I have been I thought happily married to someone we just recently discovered has DID. I am now scared to death. Please someone explain this. Also, my husband denies knowing of ever cheating and I of course believe him in the states I have seen he would not cheat. He was abused horrifically and originally believed he was to fault for it or at least responsible and that some of it was consensual but that is now obvious it is not the case at all. There was no consent to what a dx sociopath does to a child. I may be reading these messages wrong but advise do not have a monogamous relationship? One Alter may not know what the other is doing?? Please someone help!!!

Holly,
I'm 57, my girlfriend is 49. We've been in a relationship for about two years. The relationship is magical to say the least, in many ways. We enjoy many activities together. The physical part is great . Lots of affection, cuddling, hand holding and kissing. Her sex drive is very high which is one of the concerns I have. She is sweet, caring and thoughtful. We basically never fight. I found it difficult from the beginning of our relationship to bring up any issues. Seemed as if she has a wall which makes her unapproachable. In some ways it seems if she creates a wall so that she is not noticed or parts of her are not noticed. We've not had any intimate or personal conversations other than the ones I've initiated. At our stage of relationship I would think there would be talks of the future and how to work that out, etc. I did break up with her in February at which she pursued me with texts for two months which I ignored except for one in which I asked her to leave me alone. She didn't leave me alone though the attempts lessened. About a month ago she sent me an inoccuous, "hope you a are well" to which I responded. Well we ended up meeting and she said she had tried to make things nice for me. I responded I had everything I wanted from her except honesty and mentioned specific situations which she didn't respond to and I didn't push it There had been and seem to be a number of situations of lies, dishonesty. I'm almost certainshe is a pathological liar. Been many situations of suspicious activity on her iPhone and iPad. My INSTINCTS tell me something is going behind the scenes. Maybe she's on dating sites. I just dont know. Originally I thought she was sociopathic though I don't think so. I have confronted her and she denies everything. She seems very hurt when I confront her on my suspicions of her being dishonest. Strangely she seems to be apologetic to me where I would think she would be angry at me accusing her of such things. She is tactfully very manipulative.
I do love her though I need to end this relationship. I don't want to hurt her at the same time I don't want to be manipulated into staying in the relationship. Any suggestions on a kind way of ending a relationship with a person with DID?
Thank you,
Dave

I just wanted to say thanks for this post. I am currently in a relationship with someone who has DID and for the first time last week I experienced a switch in personality.
This website and the comments gave me some insight and a better perspective of my situation. I think the hardest part for me was not the switch itself but the aftermath.
My boyfriend is currently working on recovering his memory before the switch so at this point he doesn't remember me or he doesn't remember us. That's hard. How does one deal with that? I feel like I am talking to a stranger.
This is my first time experiencing a switch and him recovering so I'm not sure how to handle it and would like advice or information on such. I read some comments but still would like more insight if any could be offered. Thank you.

This weeb site really has all of the information and facts I eeded about this subject and didn't know who to ask.

Sorry im in and out of a same sex relationship. I love my partner to bits id put her before myself. But recently have come to realise. Its abusive. The watching someone self harm the negative vile speeches they throw at you. The nightmares you have at night. Waking up in a bed with god knows what. Coming home to find seens of a horror film. Where is the support for the family and partners and how do you ever come to terms with this.

I lived with and was married to someone with DID. She told me when we got married but it wasn't until the marriage ended that I truly grasped the disorder and even still struggle with the person's struggles. Our marriage had moments of love, but very little intimacy. I'm not sure it's truly possible with people who have DID to be intimate. I tried very hard to understand it, but in the end I couldn't live without an intimate connection anymore. We felt like roommates rather than a couple. I wish there was more research into DID and help that could be offered. Deep in my heart there will always be a place for my ex with DID. I'm saddened that I felt powerless to do anything to help change.

Have been reading and learning... it is a very different situation in the parent child situation..my mother having this /and or severe bipolar with psychotic features. The damage done to children's mental health is tragic. Much work needs to be done in long term therapy for those of us who have had a parent with this disorder. My prayer is that there is full healing for all MI and illness when we reach our heavenly home.

I have been reading these comments and I have been identifying so much with a lot of the persons on here. The guy that I am talking to had DID and he has not committed to me but I know that he is talking to someone else. Recently he has told me that he think it is best for us to see less of each other because one of his alters has decided for them to start a relationship.
I am not sure if he sees me as a threat but most all of his alters gets along with him except one. they all appreciate me and he thinks i am a diamond that he has found, and even though i have known of the alter that isn't attracted to me from the beginning he has allowed us to get closer. So the fact that he is tearing us apart now confuses me. I have not asked him to get help or move out with or pressured him to commit. So i am finding this confusing. I know it is a choice especially since he told me that he has analyzed it and the odds are against me but i love him.
Any suggestions

Not sure how I can reach him...it seems I've tried everything, but open to any suggestions. I can't stand that the system thinks I am the abuser :-(

This is Elizabeth from the posts way up above. It's now 3 years later. My former boyfriend with DID is still with this other woman. His entire system has blocked me from talking to any part of him, and he reacts with pure hostility and ugliness anytime I see him around our small town.
I don't think the other woman knows what she's dealing with, and I am still heartbroken that I can't even have a conversation with the man (or other alters, like the Little who also loved me) that I had a relationship with for over 7 years. The system has me completely blocked out.
Every now and then though, I will still see some very small "pop-outs" and he will wave at me like a little kid when he passes me in the car on the main road, or sometimes I'll see him standing in the distance, and he'll be looking longingly at me like he's going to burst out crying. But he can't seem to speak to me...
It breaks my heart, and I still want to reach him and be able to have a conversation with him again. I did have one conversation at the town post-office with an alter who not only did I not know, but who had no memory of us ever going to Hawaii together (we would go each year on vacation), and when I asked him why he left me for another woman, he said, very confused as to why I would say that, that he never left me for another woman. That WE were never together!
It was then that I saw the extent of his dissociative amnesia and why this alter felt I was "a stalker" who was always running into him. He had no memory of our 7 year relationship at all.
It still breaks my heart to see him with this other woman, and I still have never given up on trying to one day reach him. I live my own life now, but am always still open to reconnecting with him, to have some kind of connection.
I've tried emails, texts, letters, saying hello and always being friendly and as non-threatening as I can be when I see him around town, but the one who is out, or the ones who are out, not only don't remember me, but have developed some kind of paranoid delusion about me, and believe I am the abuser who is out to get them.
I am hoping that one day it will change, and the ones who remember me will come out again. I was always incredibly kind to him.
So, 3 years later...no change.
Elizabeth

I have been with myso for 16 years Bout 8 years ago be was dn with did . He has a side that hates females and we have had so many issuez . I try to reassure him and try to give him love but he responds with hateful things he doesnt want to work and i have no idea what to do. He says i say things i dont or that like right now im talking to a guy. I try to show him what im doing but he refuses to look. Now he is on fb looking up females to talk to . I know i shouldnt let it bother me but i feel overwhelmed . What if anything can i do to help him see

thank you for putting up this article and all the comments ive been able to relate to so many of them in such a big way my partner has did i struggle to cope with her most of the time

Thank you for being here. I am in a relationship with the most beautiful soul who happens to have DID. We recently became very close we love each other, however, my being so close along with recent upheavals in his life has caused other alters to start coming forward. He did try to warn me away from him by telling me about the DID but I stayed and I don't regret doing so. I understood the concept of DID. Because of growing up in an home with physical abuse and being sexually and emotionally abused as a child, emotionally abused as a teenager, raped as a young adult and then living in an emotionally abusive relationship for my adult life, I split. However, I usually simply step outside myself and the other me(s) is a spectator like watching a movie but unable to feel the pain that she feels.
My background with DID is pretty limited. But I am one of the few people who can understand and recognize his pain. His DID is different from mine in that, mine work together to and for the most part protect the main me and I know when I split because I can sometimes tell who is in the room and who is manning the wheel (kind of like the crew taking turns manning the periscope of a submarine). With his some of his personalities try to hurt him and they are totally different persons, some know of the others but I think others don't.
My SO did tell me about the DID and tried to keep some distance between us because he was afraid to lose me. One of his alters is beginning to see me as a threat. That alter got a girlfriend and is using her to sabotage us and him. He wants me to abandon him to teach the others not to trust, I have not given in so far.
We live in the same home. He is my room mate. I would like for him not to have his girlfriend over because it hurts the main me. Last night I had a standoff with his GF and this caused me to split for the the first time in a year. I had to put the main me to sit in the corner while I deal with this because she is hurting too much, but, she really loves him so I need to handle this cautiously. BTW I do not think she knows about the DID and I don't think it is a bad thing he needs that and her right now. But I just don't want her in my home. I guess the question to you who have more experience with this is - Is saying that I do not want his GF in my home a reasonable boundary?
Thank you for sharing so that I know that we are not alone.

My boyfriend's alter is taking over and sabotaging our relationship. He is now in a another relationship. He is trying to get me to break up with him because I am the only thing holding him steady. If I do the breaking up it would mean that I have rejected him and he will spiral. I think at worst he wants to kill him but I am standing in the way; at least he wants to get me out of the way so that he can take over unopposed. Is this typical? I am laying down definite boundaries but sometimes feel like I am not being respectful to him by not cutting him loose. I know that our relationship is difficult for him because I see the pain that he is trying to hide. Is this typical?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I have recently found out that I'm pregnant..also recently found out that my boyfriend of a year has DID. He originally told me about one other altar, according to him this person didn't like females or sex. This altar for the most part was someone on his head that didn't show himself.
Last night he went out and didn't come home, after arguing I got a text msg telling me it was Steve..my boyfriends name is Steven..Steve is the altar..he told me I would not take his child from him..which I never considered..he said that he planted his "seed" in me to make sure he would live on. This has me really freaked out because it means that he has been having sex with me. He went on to ask if I knew who was in control,him or Steven. This is all freaking me out. Is it possible for him to be a functioning father?

Hi,
First of all, I'd like to start by saying your blog has been immensely helpful to me. I don't have DID, but my fiance does, and a lot of what I know has come from here. Helped things to not seem like such a mystery, I guess.
But I guess I'd like some advice now. I've searched the web a hundred tunes over, and can't seem to find anyone in my situation, though I'm sure others exist.
Without getting into the long back story, I'm dating a girl who I'll call Sara. I found out a few months into the relationship that I was really saying aboy we'll call John. John and Sara can communicate with each other, transition easily back and forth (I can request John back, for example, and Sara is generally okay with that.) The only problem we're having right now is sex- John gets jealous if I sleep with Sara, but Sara has expressed that she's going to do stuff, whether it's with me or not, though she'd prefer me.
I don't really know how to phase what I'm asking but... do you have any advice about this situation? I know if Sara dos something, it's not John, but I'd still view it as cheating and I'd be heartbroken. But John would see me with Sara as cheating. In our entire relationship, this is the only thing that's caused us any kind of stress, and while we're not fighting about it, I don't want it to get to that point...
Thank you for any insight, and again for all the help your blog has provided me already.

I am so grateful to have found your blog. Thank you for the information that you post.

Thank you so much for this article. I have been in a relationship with someone with DID for 8 years now and for the longest time I have tried to crawl through the contradictions and relationship 'games' and endless questions about my trustworthiness and agenda and on and on and on. Yes, I have sacrificed myself time and time again to keep the relationship together, albeit that may not have been the best thing. We have a 7 year old daughter and for her sake I have kept it together. It has been Very Rough to put it mildly.
My partner has finally written a full article about her experiences and what is like inside of her and has trusted me enough to give it to me to read. It was hard for her to do this, I know. I think that she may have been encouraged by her psychiatrist to do this. I am not sure, but I suspect that this was the case.
Basically, what I am saying is that she has admitted to me that she has DID and she had never really done that before and nor had I researched enough on my own to put a name to all of this. Heretofore, I just saw our 'relationship' as the most difficult human relationship that I had ever known. It may remain that way from here on out anyhow, time will tell, but I can say that just putting a name to it all has helped me personally in an immense fashion.
Thanks for being one of the first stones to step on in my walk across the river to a broader, more comprehensive understanding.

Thank you so much Healthy Place and Holly Gray. This blog has been a lifesaver.
I finally became convinced today that my wife has DID. We’ve been married over four years. She has one daughter from a prior relationship who doesn’t know any other father than me.
What persuaded me away from the diagnosis for so long was the Hollywood portrayal. At first I thought, well she doesn’t introduce the alters with other names. And I hadn't noticed them dressing differently.
In addition, I had heard that the condition was “very rare.” It’s prevalence actually is close to 1-2% in the general population, which means its just as common as schizophrenia.
But many other things in her life and ours together finally convinced me enough to look into it more today.
We initially met and corresponded by e-mail. I wonder if writing is one way to communicate more systemically.
I appreciate the advice to establish and hold to firm boundaries. I’ve therefore established some written guidelines that must be maintained in order for our marriage to continue and prosper.
I love both my wife and my daughter very much. The worst thing however is that one alter is, at best, callous, and at worst, prone to violence. Although she usually only destroys furniture and other objects, she also may take to all-out fighting. The police have been called twice. The first time was about a year ago, when I called. A few days ago, she called.
I had slipped into being DID’s puppet. I really would love for our marriage to succeed. I’ve spelled out some basic ground rules in writing. Either we stick to them and our life together improves, or I must begin the search for a divorce attorney.
Thanks for all the advice. I know now that discussing the diagnosis with her would almost surely come off as a confrontation to at least one alter. She’s been very amenable to therapy in the past. But we've recently moved and she has yet to establish with a new one. I succeeded in finding some excellent group therapy which seems to be helping me quite a bit. Hopefully, she'll find a beneficial therapist soon.
She also has done much better to have scheduled responsibilities in her life. She even held the same professional job for close to a decade. But she’s had some difficulty finding even a volunteer job since our move. I’ve asked her to have at least 12 hours of scheduled time per week in volunteer, school, or employment. Since our recent altercation she has become very motivated to obtain even more work.
Questions for you & others familiar with having or living with the diagnosis: (1)Any way to improve our daughter's chances of avoiding it? (2)What are/is the best thing/s for me to do when the violent alter returns? And, (3) do you agree that writing, especially regarding important subjects, may help?
Thanks again.

Thank you so much Healthy Place and Holly Gray. This blog has been a lifesaver.
I finally confirmed today that my wife has DID. We've been married over four years. She has one daughter from a prior relationship who doesn't know any other father than me. We'll be unable to have more children.
What persuaded me away from the diagnosis for so long, was the Hollywood portrayal of it that made such an impression on me when I was a child. At first I thought, well she doesn't introduce the alters with other names nor dress differently. In addition, I had heard that the condition was "very rare." It turns out it's prevalence is close to 1-2% in the general population, which is just as common as schizophrenia.
But many other things in her life and ours together finally convinced me enough to look into it more today.
Our initial courting was electronic. I wonder if writing is one way to communicate more systemically.
I appreciate the advice to establish and hold to firm boundaries. I'm even considering the composition of some written guidelines that must be agreed to and maintained in order for our marriage to continue.
I love our daughter very much and most of Tracey as well (yes, she has the same name as your partner). There's one alter that's prone to violence - usually destroying furniture and other objects, but also prone to all-out fighting. The police have been called twice. The first time was about a year ago, when I called. A few days ago, she called.
I had slipped into being DID's puppet. I really would love for our marriage to work. I'm going to spell it out in writing. Either we stick to the guidelines and our life together improves, or I begin the search for a divorce attorney.
Thanks for all the advice. I know now that discussing the diagnosis with her would almost surely come off as confronting to at least one alter. But she's been very amenable to therapy in the past. I'm going to insist that she get back in.
She also seems to have done much better to have scheduled responsibilities in her life. (She even kept a job for close to ten years!) We recently moved and she's had some difficulty finding a job. So I'm going to ask her to have at least 12 hours of scheduled time per week - volunteer, school, etc.
Questions for you & others familiar with having or living with the diagnosis: (1)Any way to discourage our daughter from developing it? (2)What's the best thing(s) for me to do when the violent alter returns? (3)How do I nurture love, respect, & compassion in both her and me?

I am a psychiatrist involved with a brilliant man who I did not realize had DID. I found out in our last phone call. He disappeared for two weeks which was frightening and confusing for me. Then out of the blue I started getting texts from him asking if he could move in with me and saying that I was his soulmate. I said we "we need to talk." He finally called and while playing the piano in the background told me that he had met a woman named Lisa whom he was living with now and although she was not his soulmate she gave great back rubs. I said "do you understand I am breaking up with you?" His reply was "are you breaking up with all of us?" That's when I got it.
Here is the rough part. Then another alter told me the details of his sexual abuse at age 3 by. a neighbor. He indicated he had never told anyone before. I gently said, "do you have a therapist?" He said, "you are my therapist." I said "no Honey I'm not." Then he went back to the piano playing alter and said he had to go and hung up.Late that night while I was asleep he texted "I love you. I miss you."
I don't know what to do. I don't think that trauma alter had spoken to anyone before. I think when he found out I was a psychiatrist he was drawn to me. He trusted me but is also sexually acting out at the same time. Any advice from the DID community would be much appreciated. Right now we are out of touch. I assume I will hear from him again, though. Obviously I cannot be his therapist but I do not want to betray his trust either.

Do you have a blog or own website?

Hi,
I have read most of the comments in special yours Elisabeth.
I am glad I found this website. Off course I searched for some info on multiple personality (dis)order. For me it is an order. I have a guy friend, in fact he is the love of my life who appears to be having mpd.
We started hugging when he helped me because I felt depressed and it became for me a deep passionate love and much much more than I can describe here.
He constantly switches parts - often in the middle of a conversation.
It helps me a lot what I read here, it sounds so familiar. Unfortunately or fortunately I switch also. I am not certain what those switches are and I can never be totally certain if I am mp or if he is mp. I know you call it DID but I like the term mpd or plain mp better.
I also have been pushy with my friend. I just wanted him to tell me what is up and to say "yes I have more than one part" or "I am DID - do you know what that is?" I also have the feeling often, that he has NO idea that he switches. Once he says "I am clairvoyant" and he IS. Then he says "I am not clairvoyant" and argues with me when I said "yes you are". Then one time I made a comment to him that "you always change" and he says "You wouldn't want me to be always the same".
I truly love him. He often lets me know that he loves me too. Even if he did not tell me that... I can feel it. All parts of him seem to like me. I am most irritated when I sometimes be with HIM and then he is just a friend and has a wife and I am blablabla... Then next thing I know he holds my hand and looks so extra deep into my eyes and says have a good day my love. I know he means it.
He also has a part(?) who seems to be my boyfriend. This part seems to be younger.
I can not talk to him about those things, he seems willing to talk in many parts, but there is no time (I see him only at his business). Then a few times he arranged meetups where we could have some time together... and when we did he was the other guy. I am not always aware right away who he is. Then he may be very protective - I also feel this part is insecure. Ah ya - and he has the hell of an ego at times - that matches my ego very well.
All in all I meetup with him in exactly the same vibration as I am in. I am aware of the LOA also! So that's that.
I came to the conclusion - I wont push the matter of "why do you change and do you know it" any longer. Its just hard because the only "judge" that he is mp or DID is my own self. That should be enough I know, but I would like to communicate it with him. Fact is I love him more than I thought.
As a note aside - for me HE as a whole is the most precious best interesting loving kind special etc. person I ever met. I honor this person. I seek or learn and it is a spiritual practice. Honoring him seems at times or always be more important than his hugs and his touch. Another of my parts dies our of heartbreak for not being touched. Don't try to talk me out of loving him or out of stick to him.
Thanks JN

So I am in a relationship with someone and have been for a little less then a year. I have DID and we are trying to decide whether or not having sex with my other personality would be cheating on me?.. What do you think?

Hi Folks,
I know how horrible all this is/was for you and wanted to say thank you for sharing, it really has been most helpful.
My wife and I have long known she was multiple, but for many years it was not on our radar at all - we both blanked it out and had married before the internet age. That she had been abused we also knew, but this certainly did stay on our radar.
Then a couple of years ago a significant family member died and not long after more memories of abuse returned, and with them came the alters. Gradually we started reading up, but as she became more and more unable to cope she started to seek help. She was denied medication or a referral by her psychiatrist, so eventually last October her union agreed to pay for a formal diagnosis, which came back severe on all counts.
And yes, the process of being diagnosed, being taken seriously by professionals who knew what they were talking about, and the actual diagnosis, was triggering and played havoc with her system. We both hoped the formal diagnosis would enable her to access appropriate therapy, but as her psychiatrist refused to offer this or medication to calm her down it became like banging a head against a brick wall.
Eventually she flipped after one more rejection letter. I was out of town for a conference (for the 1st time in 9 years) when it arrived - the next I knew was a call to say the police, social services and the mental health team had been out because one of her alters wanted to kill herself and the kids. The kids went to friends and she eventually flipped back.
Then a couple of months later she disclosed memories so bizarre, fantastic, paranoid and seemingly contradictory I started to wonder if she might have paranoid schizophrenia as well. I made the suggestion to her and all hell broke loose - any suggestion I couldn't take all of her memories seriously, even if she herself would admit they couldn't all be true, was a red rag to a bull. There was an unholy row that upset the kids.
She calmed down after she talked to a good friend, and things seemed better between us. Next day was a beautiful spring day. It was Easter, so she took the boys out while I went for support counselling. No big surprise when I got back to find no one home. Only when I got a message to say her purse had been found, and I couldn't get hold of her, did I start to worry. Eventually after ringing round friends, her GP, and the mental health team, I called the police. Later that evening she walked into a police station with the kids, in a confused state, and accused me of abuse. The kids went to stay with friends while the police tried to sort out what was what. They spoke to her GP and tried to get her into hospital, to no avail, but at last the MH team agreed to medication. After a night away my wife moved back in, but she was changed. There was a new, over confident and manic alter in charge, one neither me nor her closest confidents had seen before. It later came to me. that day was the first anniversary of the death of her close relative.
After a few days, social services agreed to let me have the kids back, so long as my wife moved out and only saw them for a few, supervised hours a day. For a month my wife had to doss on friends' sofa's and floors before she was allowed into sheltered accomodation. It was a further month before she was allowed home, but by then the damage was done.
Though she is a lot calmer now on the medication, it only helps so much. I now understand that as soon as the kids were taken away from her, out came her strongest protector personality. Of course that protector hates me, and social services, but it is now the dominant alter. Occasionally there are glimpses of the old person, but that alter has so many difficult memories and thoughts to process, I don't blame her for not wanting to hang around long. I liken it to having a bang on her head - the shock of having the kids removed has changed her personality, and only time will tell if it will ever change back. For now I am living with a wife who considers us 'living together for the sake of the kids'. No other alters are allowed out, certainly not those who professed undying love to me. She has changed her politics and her religious beliefs quite radically too.
I choose to stay because of the kids, and because this is my home and their home as much as it is hers, and because of course I entertain the hope she will one day switch back after 15 years of marriage. Perhaps once social services are finally off our back her protector will no longer feel the need to be in charge. Therapy for her is still a long way off. In the meantime I have some support mechanisims in place for myself, though I could do with more.
I also found this website, which has some useful advice and suggestions:
The Significant Others Guide to Dissociative Identity Disorder
http://www.op.net/~jeffv/so1.htm
I also found a chat with another DID, who admitted to me that even though she was a married minister of religion, she had alters that did not follow her faith or want to be married to her partner.
Once again, many thanks for sharing, it has certainly helped me see what has been going on in my wife's life and our relationship a bit clearer.

Just found this and wish I had found it years ago! I have just left my husband who has DID last year. Couldn't take the confusion any more.
Elizabeth, other than the infidelity (as far as I am aware), your story and feelings read like mine. The confusion is just phenomenal! My instincts tell me one thing and the therapists and hubby something else. From the outside he looks like a lying, lazy, man who cannot be bothered to support his family (we have a number of children). I struggle with this, as that is how it feels on the inside too. Therapists tell me the opposite. He has states that adore me, although this is only lipservice. Deeds not words would be nice.
Whilst I hear what you are saying Holly, and in an ideal world that would be great. But when you have children that need a father, and need providing for, and their father half the time does not turn up, etc. It gets really hard.
I think I have learnt that, at least in my experience, that I cannot have any needs as they will not be met. Life must revolve around the DID partner. Again I really struggle with this. I have to meet the needs of our children too and cannot do that well if depleted all the time from fighting to go food shopping or whatever the seemingly harmless triggers are.
I couldn't see a way forward with him, and apart from him I am intermittently finding it hard as I feel the love and the glances and the teary looks (or is it just manipulation?). That is also the problem for me, I had a DID hubby that also lied within state.
It is lovely to read other people's experiences too and see Holly contribute from the perspective of someone who has DID. What you said Holly made an awful lot of sense. :)

Just found this Blog. My ex-wife was diagnosed with DID, however, it was aftershe quit attend marriage counseling. I continued to attend sessions trying to get a grasp on what was going on. The counselor was a bit hesitant to discuss his thoughts, but felt it was important given my make-up to provide information to give some clarity.
He then handed me a "white paper" study on DID and asked me to read it. Wow! It was her behavior right there in black and white. I believe that what triggered the "switch" was shortly after we were married she became pregnant and just after the birth of our son, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. The next two years was all about survival.
Following her remission, she began exhibiting what I now recognize as a switch. She became secretive, withdrawn and within 6 months abruptly announced that she was moving out with my step daughter and by taht time 2 year old son. Two years of chasing her and on again and off again counseling ended in divorce.
Later I found out there had been at least one affair, I am sure there were more. At this point she seems to have no attachment to me what so ever and thinks that we somehow came to a mutual decision to divorce. I saw her with a friend in the mall the other week. We passed by each other and I said hello, but nothing more. A few minutes later she texted me wondering why I did not stop and chat. I told her considering the circumstances that would be awkward. She texted again wondering why that was so "we talk all the time". Side note we rarely speak unless it is about our son, but I think in her mind we are some how still in some kind of ongoing friendship.
I hqve since read that those who live with DID often lose the concept of relation orientation or have no idea that the relationship has been damaged and have very little concept of the pain they have caused.
It is interesting, baffling and still painful even after 3 years of being seperated and divorced. A part of me feels sorry for her because of the full life that she is missing, but I often wonder if she is even aware of what she has done and it impact on her, me and the children.
Do people with DID HAVE MOMENTS OF CLARITY? I guess the key word is moments...
At any rate prior to the divorce I confronted her with a video tape of her and another man having sex. Of course even with the evidence right in front of her and viewing the video 3 times. She still denied it...probably to be expected. Q
All in all I still love her and pray for her daily. Maybe the only help she is getting is from my prayers.
Thanks for your Blog! It is rare to have so much insight into this disorder...