FAQ
How does DID form?
Everybody younger than 6-9 years old has separate parts of themselves that make up who they are. Nobody is born with a personality or opinions or ideas, they grow to have them. What happens is while you're developing, is that these parts gain an understanding of the world and feeling and people and all these new concepts, and eventually, around 6-9 years old, they slowly integrate into one single personality or person.
During this development period before 6-9 , if there is reoccurring and/or severe trauma, especially with no sort of stability or comfort from adult figures, these parts start to develop separately, because the brain is too busy surviving to develop properly. The brain forms amnesic barriers between these parts to filter out any harmful, unwanted memories, and with this, these parts become alters and are often times unaware that they are separate identities and not one whole person.
How does OSDD-1a/1b form?
Practically the same as DID! The only difference is that with 1a, the alters that form are all similar in identity, but they have memory amnesia, where in 1b, the amnesia barriers aren't to do with memory but emotions. On occasion, OSDD-1b systems can experience memory amnesia with reminders of trauma or stress, but otherwise, memory between switching is usually normal.
Emotional amnesia where you forget how another alter was feeling while they were fronting, as opposed to what they were doing.
Diagnostic criteria as stated in the DSM-5
The DSM-5 states that all of these symptoms must be present to be diagnosed with DID:
"A. Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states, which may be described in some cultures as an experience of possession. The disruption of marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning. These signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual.
B. Recurrent gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information, and/or traumatic events that are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.
C. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. The disturbance is not a normal part of a broadly accepted cultural or religious practice. Note: In children, the symptoms are not better explained by imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.
E. The symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during alcohol intoxication) or another medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures)."
The only difference in DID and OSDD-1 is:
OSDD-1a does not have distinct alters, or sometimes has no alters at all.
OSDD-1b does not have blackouts or lapse in memory. If any memory amnesia is present, it is amnesia for past traumatic events, not current ones.
What is PDID?
PDID, or Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder is just like DID, the only difference is that there is one main alter who is always in front, while other alters exist more so internally. Non-host alters may interfere with the host's life by intruding on cognition, emotion, movement, perception and behavior. In more simple terms, they can be in co-con or cause passive influence, but cannot take full front. Other alters may take main or co-front, typically in during breakdowns, flashbacks and/or ||self harm.||
What is UDD?
UDD, or Unspecified Dissociative Disorder is usually a placeholder diagnosis for when it is known you have a dissociative disorder but it isn't specified which one. And yes, this could include ending up diagnosed with DPDR, a dissociative disorder without alters.
Integration and Fusion
Integration is the process of alters losing amnesic barriers between one another. It is the first step to healing and can be achieved through communication and therapy!
Fusion is what can happen after integration, it is when 2 (or more) alters form a completely new alter! This alter can identify fully or partially as one or more of the previous alters they comprise of, and can have all, some or none of the emotions, opinions and/or memories the previous alters they comprise of had. Fusion most often happens when there is some sort of healing. For example, 2 alters who have already integrated finally overcoming and accepting their trauma may end up fusing.
What is dormancy?
Dormancy is what happens to an alter who is not currently serving a functional purpose in the system. Alters may go dormant for other reasons added onto this, such as emotional issues, or frontstuck host, but the main reason is lack of purpose. Dormancy does not mean the alter will be gone forever. The alter may be gone weeks, months or years, and if they don't come back, they could have split during dormancy, fused and appeared to be dormant, or maybe they just haven't come back yet.
What is splitting?
Splitting is when the most common form of gaining a new alter. Splitting is when something traumatic or stressful causes an alter to split off a new alter. It's like slicing a slice of cheese from the block. Or, another way of splitting could be an alter completely splitting into 2 or more new alters, leaving no trace of the original alter behind.
Overt vs. Covert
Covert is defined as “not openly acknowledged or displayed.” In the context of DID, a covert system is one which the host is unaware of their system, while people outside of the system may be more aware of switches and inconsistencies in personality, identity, etc. Covert systems may experience more memory loss and amnesia, as well as stronger feelings of not being themself.
Overt is defined as “upper, outer or extra.” In the case of systems, this would mean a system that is recognized by the host, but may be hidden to people outside of the system due to heavy masking. Overt systems may find it harder to get a diagnosis, may be fakeclaimed more often, etc.
What is headspace/innerworld?
A headspace or innerworld is an imaginary place where alters can go when they aren't fronting. Headspaces can be anything from a planet, to a town, to a single house, to not even having one. And for those who do have a headspace, the ability to enter it can even vary from alter to alter. Headspaces are very different for everyone, and are actually a thing done often in therapy!
Are alters different versions of you, or are they their own people?
Another thing where it depends. If you have DID or OSDD-1b, they are their own people, whereas with OSDD-1a, they tend to present as different versions of the host! In any case, the word alter in regards to systems is short for "alternate state of consciousness," if that helps with explaining anything.
What if an alter doesn't fit a specific role?
This is completely normal! Not every alter will fit into a role, especially not immediately. If one of the more known system roles doesn't fit you, you can either look in <#1001200996615209010> for one that our system has coined, or you could make your own to suit you better!
Alters and allergies/other physical issues
As a system, you all share the same illnesses, allergies, disabilities, etc. However, alters can tolerate things differently. This can even be the body mimicking an allergic reaction to something due to stress. Alter A may eat something like seafood, but when Alter B fronts and eats seafood, they may experience the feeling of their throat closing up and even may gain hives (due to stress, as hives can be a stress response.) Tolerance is a huge thing from alter to alter, and can include things such as experiencing pain, temperatures, fatigue, mental health conditions, eyesight, and physical disabilities. These changes are neurological, NOT physical. The brain is incredibly powerful.
Alters with accents/alters that speak different languages
Alters can definitely have different accents! That happens often, especially with introjects who have a source with an accent. This can also happen in brainmade alters. Alters who speak different languages can only actually speak a different language if the body/someone in the system has learned the language. Otherwise, alters can appear to speak a different language in headspace, but in reality, are speaking complete gibberish.
What is a core alter?
A core alter is an alter who was the "original" alter. This is not possible simply because that is not how DID/OSDD-1 forms. As stated before, a system is formed when different parts of your personality, called states, never end up integrating, and instead develop separately. A core group of alters can exist as the original group of alters before any splits or fusion occur, but one core alter is not a thing.
How does communication work?
Communication within systems is a difficult thing to learn. If you're a system, once you're aware of your system, it can become much easier to start with communication because you have an idea of what you should be doing. Communication in systems comes in a lot of different forms, such as leaving notes for other alters before leaving front, writing little intro things, fronting with another alter in your system, reading over messages other alters had with friends, family, etc. The list goes on. Communication can be a difficult thing to achieve, and the level of communication differs from system to system and alter to alter, but if you start small with trying to learn small things about your system, communication can improve significantly.
Is having little to no amnesia normal?
Absolutely! Some alters are formed specifically for that purpose, or you may just have good communication with other alters. Not to mention, if you don't have memory amnesia, you could very well have emotional amnesia. That being said, this is normal in OSDD-1b systems because they do not have any current day memory amnesia, only past memory amnesia as well as current emotional amnesia!
Why do systems call me a singlet? What does that mean?
Simply put, a singlet is a term for somebody without DID/OSDD-1. A singlet is the opposite of a system. Singlets can still be traumatized and not be systems! Systems are only systems because their brain had no way to handle trauma on it's own. System or singlet, you and your experiences are valid nonetheless.
Am I a system?/I think I may be a system.
This can be something that's really difficult to figure out. If you think you're a system and you're able to talk to any sort of respectful professional who understands the disorder, then you should absolutely talk to them! If they don't believe you, talk more in depth. If you are unable to talk to any sort of professional, do more research! If your symptoms truly fit that of a CDD (complex dissociative disorder,) then self diagnosis is a valid way to go about things, as long as you have done thorough research and plan to heal and get help for it.
How can I learn more about my system friend(s)?
Short answer, just ask them! Long answer, if that's too vague, then you could start by asking about alters names, roles in the system, headspace, their boundaries when it comes to the system, etc. It's never harmful to ask questions as long as they are well-intentioned!
Why is that bot talking?/ Why are you a bot?/ How can I use a bot?
Systems use bots like Pluralkit or Tupperbox to proxy when different alters are fronting. It can be very helpful for communication to people within the system as well as people outside of the system! It can help with keeping information organized, too. Some systems prefer not to use proxy bots, which is completely okay, too!
Where do alters go when they're not fronting?
Depending on the system and alter, they may go into a place called the headspace/innerworld, or maybe nowhere. It all depends on the individuals.
How do different alters come out/how do you switch?
All alters are triggered to front by one thing or another. This trigger can be something positive, neutral or negative. They're a little different from triggers of breakdowns, anger, sadness, flashbacks, etc, because these triggers are solely things that get said alters to front. If it's a positive trigger, it could be because they enjoy something a lot and want to experience whatever is happening, where with negative triggers, it can cause panic, distress, fight or flight mode, etc, because negative triggers are often situations where the system needs that alter to do their job.
How can you tell if someone else is fronting?
If you're a system, wondering for your own self, it can be difficult. If you don't know who is fronting, you can try reading a list of alter names, assessing why you fronted and when, as well as other things like your innerworld appearance, your personal likes and dislikes, etc, and match it to someone in your system until it feels right.
For someone outside of a system asking this to know who in someone elses system is fronting, you can try to pay attention to different characteristics of different alters, such as their mannerisms, habits, likes and dislikes, and situations they seem to front in. You can also probably just ask your system friend if it isn't clear enough.
How do alters switch in real life and not just online/on a bot?
If an alter is "switching online," they are switching in real life. If Alter A is proxying, and then Alter B proxies, then the 2 alters are either cofronting, or Alter A left front and Alter B took their place. Pluralkit and Tupperbox are solely tools for systems to use when chatting online to show who is fronting better.
What is a kinnie, irl and endo?
These are all different terms for different things.
A kinnie is defined in a few different ways. Usually, a kinnie is someone who spiritually or emotionally relates to a character, person or species of some sort. They may believe they were the character, person or species in a past life, or may just identify with them currently.
An IRL, also called a DA (delusional attachment) is someone who genuinely believes they are a person or character and identifies as them. They may have false memories that relate to the person or character as well as people they interacted with. IRLs are a huge topic for discourse due to the argument that people with delusions are unaware their delusions aren't reality, and by putting the label of IRL or DA, you are admitting to being delusional. The other problem with this label is that the term IRL used to be used in kin spaces before it was used for DAs.
An endo, short for endogenic, is someone who claims to be a system formed without trauma. This label is problematic because simply put, you cannot be a system without some sort of trauma occurring before 6-9 years old. A lot of endos could be in denial of having trauma at all, or may just not be a system, but have another disorder. This is why you shouldn't attack endos for being endos.
What is System Responsibility?
System responsibility is an important aspect of being a system. System responsibility is when you take responsibility for the actions of other people in your system, even if you personally did nothing wrong or, due to amnesia, forgot what happened. It's when you can apologize on behald of other alters regardless of if you were involved in the situation personally. System responsibility is incredibly important because it isn't okay to let someone off the hook because they forgot what happened or they personally weren't involved in the other alters issues.
What is a collective?
Really simple answer, when you see people calling themselves a collective, it's just the same as calling themself a system. Like for example, someone's system name could be "The Dinosaur Collective," that's basically the same as saying "The Dinosaur System." It all boils down to preference.
How does gender and sexuality work in systems?
Sexuality and Gender can be very confusing for systems. I'll start with sexuality. Very simple, sexuality works the same as it does with any singlet, really.
Gender is the difficult thing, but I'll try to keep it simple. Let's say our example system is bodily biologically female. There may be an alter in their system that identifies as a cisgender male. This alter is not actually cisgender, since the body is biologically female, but he can present as such in the system, although he can't claim to be a cis male when he isn't. It gets a little more difficult for trans alters. Let's say, in this same system, they have an alter that is transfemme to them. Maybe in headspace, their perceived anatomy is that of a male, but they identify as female, she might consider herself transfemme. The problem with this is that her body is AFAB, assigned female at birth, so she is not transfemme. However, our system has created a term to separate these alters from trans communities while still acknowledging their experiences. AFAF/AMAF stands for assigned female/male at formation. This is solely a system term. AFAF/AMAF can apply to cis presenting or trans presenting alters.
Front, Co-front and Co-con
Fronting is usually when one alter is controlling the body. Co-front is when other alters are fronting with the person in front, and co-con is when other alters are able to talk in the head and can observe what's going on, but can't control the body. Personally, we see front and co-front as different types of fronting. To us, front is being in control of speaking, moving, really any body function, whereas co-front is being able to control one of those things.
Figuring out who you are as an alter
Identity is hard to figure out. Start small. Name and pronouns as well as your alter age is a good start. Try drawing your innerworld appearance or making a picrew. Go bigger after that, find hobbies and other things that interest you, find your own way of talking, find your own style, etc. More related to your role in the system, again, start small. What is your general purpose in the system? Figure out why you formed, who you split from or who you're a fusion of, so on and so forth.
Can alters die?
NO! Alter death is not a real thing! Alters can fuse or split, which can appear as death in headspace, but is not actual death.
How can alters all be different ages?
Alters aren't actually different ages. They can be more or less mature than the host, which may have to do with some alters ages. Example, a 30 year old alter may use more logical thinking than an 18 year old alter in the system, and an alter who is 10 may act way less mature than either of them. This happens because the system needs more or less mature alters in the system for survival!
How do you date?
It depends on the system and alter you're talking to! Some systems prefer to collectively date one person, whether singlet or system. Some prefer to all date separately. Some prefer to have one main partner and a few other. This sounds confusing, and it is! I don't blame you for being confused.
How can I tell if a system is faking?
You can't! You can never tell if a system is faking because every system is different and there's nothing that can tell you they're faking. The only person who knows for sure if they're faking is the person themself, and even then, sometimes people subconsciously convince themselves they are a system or get misdiagnosed, so on and so fourth. It does more harm than good to assume somebody is faking DID/OSDD. Fakeclaiming is bullying. If you really want to fakeclaim someone, do it in DMs with a friend or something... Or just find a better hobby.
How do phantom limbs work in systems?
Some alters may appear to be non-human in headspace and may have ears, tails, extra limbs, or even genitals that are not on the body. Some alters can feel as though those limbs/parts are still there on the body, just as you would get phantom limbs if you got an amputation, or a possibly more relatable example, a tooth removed. This could lead to confusion, dysmorphia or dysphoria.
What is a little alter and how should I treat them?
The definition of a little alter depends on system to system, but typically, a little is an alter who is 0-10 years old within the system. Most littles are mentally very young and can perceive the world in such a way an actual child would. Other littles may be more mature and understand more mature topics. Again, this all depends from system to system. Usually, you should treat littles like they are younger, so maybe avoid profanity and mature/adult conversation. Still treat littles like human beings, as they are human beings.
A few more things to add on: Littles can often be trauma holders or protectors due to, well, trauma. Littles can be very sensitive, as they are practically children. Littles are not faking. Littles are not just age regressors. Littles cannot consent to sexual acts just because they are in an adult body. And at the end of the day, ask the system questions, and ask protectors and/or caretakers in the system what is and isn't okay to do around littles.