Erase The Stigma
When people look at me they see someone who looks too small for their age.
I still find myself enjoying childish things, so I don't mind it sometimes.
When people find out I've experienced trauma, they're very quick to offer comfort.
I appreciate it, I say thank you, and I pray that the conversation ends there.
When people think of mental illnesses related to trauma they think of one thing.
"Post traumatic stress disorder is often what soldiers come back from war with."
While PTSD is not limited to just war, there are more than just the one.
It is considered rare, but there are DID and OSDD to name two more.
How is it then that I suddenly turn from a childish adult to something more sinister?
Those with PTSD are considered brave and given all of the support in the world.
So why do things change when I finally decide to open up about my DID?
Why am I demonized? Why am I shamed? Why am I compared to horror films?
When people find out I have DID they say that it's rare and lots of people fake it.
They don't realize that 1% of 7 billion still means there are millions of us out there.
We're told that we're scary and that there are killers living in all of us.
People without the disorder don't know what it's like so they're scared of it.
No one wants to ask questions it seems, they just want to run away.
I really don't think there's some derranged murderer inside of me somewhere.
All I see are a group of plain people just trying to get through this crazy life.
A headspace full of adults and kids, boys and girls, trapped inside of one body.
#EraseTheStigma #DissociativeIdentityDisorder
This piece was written to be educational. Yes, I do have Dissociative Identity Disorder. I am a system of almost 15 alters. If anyone has any questions about this disorder or what it's like living with it, I will do my best to answer. There is such a stigma around DID and I'm just trying to do my part to erase that, because we deserve the same respect as everyone else on this earth, regardless of if we're a singlet or not. Thank you for reading and please be respectful.