DID Information Carrd!
This is a carrd created by the Aoi System, made to explain DID, alters, systems, and everything in between!
We will be explaining sytems, answering frequently asked questions, and defining any terms that are used.
There will be brief mentions of trauma, all medical. There will be no in detail mentions of anything potentially triggering.
This is directed to singlets who want to learn more about DID and systems who need some help!
Click here to begin!!
Hey! What even is DID?
"Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder (MPD), is a mental disorder characterized by the maintenance of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The disorder is accompanied by memory gaps beyond what would be explained by ordinary forgetfulness."
With a quick google search, we get a brutal run down on what DID is.
DID is, in my words, a trauma response.
When a child is developing a personality, normally they spend their formative years (1-12) forming into a person. Hence the name, formative! But, if a child is abused during these formative years, they will experience what is known as a split.
The first split is always before age 12. This occurs because the developing personality is interrupted by trauma, in which the brain has trouble processing it all and creates another person to comprehend what's happening to it. Another thoughtform, another "personality", another person. This is done to protect the body and the host.
This defense mechanism is known as a system! A system is a group of alters (short for alternate state of consciousness) who each have their own thoughts, ideas, choices, memories, lives, experiences, ect.
Lets go to our hub, shall we?
So wait, is DID the only dissociative system disorder?
Short answer, nope!
Long answer.
DID is one of many, many dissociative disorders. Not all dissociative disorders are system based, but all systems are dissociative.
There are two kinds of system based dissociative disorders.
DID: Dissociative Identity Disorder.
This is the one you'll hear about the most. Featuring complete and total amnesia between switches, and distinct people and alters.
This amnesia is known as dissociative amnesia! It is simply forgetting what the alter did while they were fronting, though the other alter will remember what they did.
OSDD: Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder, previously known as DDNOS, or Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
To form a system, you must have OSDD-1, not OSDD-2.
What differs OSDD from DID is that it is partially or totally missing a symptom of did.
People with OSDD-1a have complete memory loss between switches, but do not have highly distinct alters.
People with OSDD-1b have little to no memory loss between switches, but their alters are highly distinct.
MPD: Multiple Personality Disorder. Outdated and offensive and ableist. Don't use this term, avoid this term, bad bad bad!
Most people actually remain unaware of their system until much, much later in life! This is due to the point of a system being to protect the body and mind, therefore they will often have to go though life as quietly and covertly as possible to avoid suspicion and panic from the core/host.
Some people spend their entire lives without knowing, some people find out early, it all depends on when or if they let you know they're there. This is the entire purpose of a system! To protect the body and not be a system, if that makes any sense. Alters are great actors!
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Okaaayyy..... what's an alter?
I am glad you asked, my dear friend! This is actually a really important part to having a system, who would have known? Hahahaha!
An alter is the short form for alternate state of consciousness.
They are the main component to having a system. Without them, you are just dissociating.
Don't get the "personality fragment" thing all caught up in your head, though, alters are their own people! Every alter is someone with their own thoughts and memories etc etc.
Treating them like diet people is rude, since they're just people. They may share a body, but each one of them is unique!
Every alter has its own unique role, which will be explained more in definitions. Some have no roles at all! All alters should be treated like people regardless of what they do, and none of them are inherently bad.
Alters can be of just about anything! Though you never get a choice in who you split. If we did, it'd be so much nicer. Influence to create a new alter is possible, but it's very traumatizing. I will not go into detail.
Fictives are alters based on fictional characters. These are not X character in real life, mind you. These are real life people. They arent kin, don't assume they remember something or act a certain way.
Factives are alters based on real people, like youtubers, celebrities, ecetera. This isn't like factkin, as this isn't a choice we can make.
Introject is a blanket term for fictives, factives, and anything else based on existing people. Yes, you can get alters of your family members, abusers, or friends.
Nonhuman alters are, well, alters that aren't human! Usually they know the body is human, and don't often growl or bark at people, but this can result in a disconnect from the body.
Littles/Middles are alters younger than 16. Middles are teenagers, and littles are children. While they may have the mind and body of an adult, they may not be able to process things like an adult, and experience things through the mind of a child. Little and middle alters should be treated as their age, and often have their internet usage restricted by caretakers (see definitions) for their own safety.
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Ok, you've said the words "split" and "switch" a lot. Like the movie? What are you talking about? Why are you standing outside my house with your weird dripping brown bags?
(The title is a reference to a glorious comic. It isn't serious! If you get it, kudos! (･ω<)☆)
Splitting is a term used for when a new alter is created. Think of it as a strange form of asexual reproduction, except there's no reproduction, and there's no sex, and it isn't a physical thing.
When the body experiences trauma, or a stressful situation, it may split to cope with the situation. This creates a new alter, either from the host or another alter. This doesn't mean it's a copy, or anything like the other alter.
This new alter may come with memories, or be completely confused. Splitting is very stressful for everyone involved, and can come with a lot of headaches. Literally. These are called split headaches, not to be confused with splitting headaches.
Switching is the body being controlled by another alter, who moves into front. When you switch, it changes which alter is in front. Switching can be as easy as stepping into the "front room" in the inner world (see definitions), or it can be a little more mental with someone pushing forward to say hello.
When another alter is in front, other alters are not fed the information about what happens to them.
Unless...
Cofronting and coconsciousness are two phenomena that occur when two or more alters are at the wheel.
Cofronting is when two alters have control of the body. This can be archaic and out of control and heavy, or it can be peaceful and easy. This entirely depends on whos in control. This can vary from an alter using your hands and eyes to write or draw while you talk to someone over a call, or to one simply reaching out to grab something that's about to fall over while you clean. The first time this happens is disorienting, yes, but it's very normal. You get used to it like everything else!
Coconsciousness is when an alter is at front, but not forward enough to actually be in full control. They can watch what you're doing and experience things, and pitch in directly through the headspace, but they aren't actually in control.
If more than 2 or 3 alters are fronting at once, you can get blurry. This is when the identities all blur together, and you end up suffering intense dissociation on who you are or how to act. This is highly distressing for the people involved, and not something to be taken lightly. Please be patient with people who are feeling blurry.
No, switching can't change your appearance on a whim. There's no transforming going on here. It's just a mental thing!
However, this does mean alters can walk differently, have accents you don't have, have skills you don't have, have different tolerence levels, preferences, or even allergies and intolerences in rare rare cases.
All mental illness carries between every single alter. One alter cannot have ADHD if the body doesn't have ADHD. Though not all alters are affected as strongly by said mental illness as others.
And finally, the movie Split is ableist, don't watch it.
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Aahh! Integration sounds scary! What is it?!
Don't fret about the word integration. It can be very scary in theory, and for some it's actually a bit triggering! It's a very scary thing to think about, mostly because you are never really sure what's going to happen to you.
" The main goal for treatment is the integration of the separate personality states into one cohesive, unified personality, unless the person with DID is not ready or motivated to work with trauma.
Psychotherapy for dissociative disorders often involves techniques that help work through the trauma that triggers dissociative symptoms.
Treatment may include the following stages: uncovering and "mapping" the alters or parts; treating the traumatic memories and "fusing" the alters; and consolidating the newly integrated personality. "
There's a rough outline of integration. While integration is the ""cure"" for DID, you can always split once more even if you fully integrate into one person. Some systems never integrate, too. It's not always going to be the end goal for people.
I am not the most knowledgeable on integration. If you need more help, please please talk to a professional or just do some google searching.
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Now for the list everyone is waiting for...
What do these words mean?!
Alrighty kiddos. It's time to get a giant list of words and define them. These will be short and sweet!
System: The collective of alters in one mind.
Singlet: A person without a system. A single person.
Subsystem: A smaller system of alters that can communicate closely, or an alter with a system of their own. (Yes, alterception!)
Alter: Alternative State of Consciousness. A person needed to make a system a system.
Switching: The act of an alter leaving front, and another taking its place.
Fronting: An alter being in control of the body.
Co-fronting: Multiple alters being in control of the body at once.
Co-conscious: Multiple alters being aware of their surroundings at once.
Inner World/Headspace: A dreamlike place made to be a sort of getaway where alters reside. This can look like whatever the alters desire. This isn't required to have if you are a system. Some experience it firsthand, and some simply get memories of being there when they come to front. They can feature buildings, landscapes, cities, and NPC's, who are people in the inner world who aren't actually alters.
Splitting: An alter being created due to trauma or stress.
Polyfragmented: A type of system with 100+ alters. Highly complicated form of DID/OSDD-1 with a lot of layers and alters. These systems split easier than other systems.
Dormancy: An alter can go dormant, aka sleeping for a very long time. During this time they are difficult or impossible to reach or contact.
ANP: Apparently Normal Part. An alter who appears normal from the outside and doesn't face much impact from trauma suffered.
EPs/Trauma Holders: Emotional Parts or Trauma Holders contain the trauma of the system. These alters keep traumatic memories away from other alters to prevent splitting.
Core: The first ever personality. Can go dormant. Not always the host.
Host: The most frequent fronters. Not always the core.
Protector: Alters tasked specifically with protecting the body in certain ways. Physically, emotionally, mentally, or others.
Caretaker/Soother: Alters who take care of the body and other alters. Often known to tend to littles and act as a parental figure to them.
Persecutors: Misguided protectors. Persecutors are not always edgy and/or evil, and should be treated as people regardless of their intentions. They are not bad. Persecutors attempt to protect the body or others by hurting themselves, the body, or other alters. Persecutors do not harm anyone outside of the system.
Littles: Alters who are babies, infants, or children.
Middles: Alters who are tweens or teenagers.
Fictional Introject: The medically recognized word for Fictive. An alter of a fictional character. (Podcast, TV show, comic, etc.)
Factional Introject: The medically recognized word for Factive. An alter of a real person. (Celebrity, youtuber, influential figure, etc.)
Fragments: Alters that aren't fully developed. Usually formed for a single task. Can develop into full alters.
Gatekeeper: An alter who controls when and who switches, goes places in the inner world, has access to certain memories, etc. Often gatekeeper alters are ageless and nonhuman in order to process the trauma they experience, due to almost always being close to front.
ISH: Internal Self Helper. Alters who have a good understanding of the trauma and alter relationships. They are very knowledgeable on DID, and will handle therapy. Usually ISH's help new alters get acclimated to their situation.
Avenger: A type of alter who is protector adjacent. Focused on avenging the system and getting justice against their abuser.
Non human: An alter who is not human.
Traumagenic: The term for a system created from repeated childhood trauma.
Age-Sliding: Alters who will slide between ages. This can be as simple as 20-23, to something highly drastic like 5-30.
Sources: The origin of a fictive/factive.
Sourcemates: Originally coined by the DID community and stolen by the kin community, sourcemates are alters who share the memories of other alters. Used when memories line up close enough to say they came from the same time frame.
Memories: Memories of a past life, also known as psuedomemories or exomemories. These are real and valid, though often times didn't actually happen in reality as we know it. This doesn't mean you should invalidate them, though.
Pos Triggers: A positive trigger is something positive that brings an alter to front.
Neg Triggers: A negative trigger is something negative that brings an alter to front.
Frontstuck: The alter in front is unable to switch out for long periods of time, even if they need/want to.
Switchy: When you can tell if you're about to switch.
Blurry/Blurring: Alters unintentionally blending together regarding thoughts, actions, personality, etc.
DID: Dissocative Identity Disorder.
OSDD: Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder.
OSDD-1a: Alters are incomplete, includes dissociative amnesia.
OSDD-1b: Separate alters, no dissociative amnesia.
UDD/USDD: Unspecified Dissociative Disorder. Placeholder.
MPD: Multiple Personality Disorder. Outdated.
DDNOS: Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Outdated.
All terms below this message are considered false in the medical and system community.
Please do not take these seriously. They are not real, and are medically impossible, or in the case of tulpamancy, cultural appropriation.
Endogenic: Shortened to Endos. A system formed "naturally" or at birth. This is not possible because a system must be formed from trauma and only from trauma.
Quoigenic: A system of questioning origin.
Cryptogenic: A system of unknown origin.
Protogenic: A system that has existed since birth.
Paragenic: A system created through maladaptive daydreaming.
Parogenic: A system created intentionally via tulpas.
Nihilumgenic/Agenic: A spontaneously created system.
Iatrogenic: A system caused by medical treatment. Occurs due to suggestions from medical personnel.
Psuedogenic: A fake system, symptoms are simulated for cruel intentions.
Spirigenic: A system created from/for religious means.
Metagenic: A system created from/for spiritual means, but not directly religious.
Pariogenic: A system that consists of parts coming from other worlds/dimensions/universes/etc, also known as a Gateway System.
Neurogenic: A system developed due to pre-existing disorders.
Sociocognitive: A system created via influence from social circles, distorting actual existing symptoms or creating new ones to fit diagnostic critera. Intentional or unintentional.
Median: A gray area of singularity/plurality, consisting of fragment alters exclusively.
Mixed Origin: A system having mixed origins.
Sysmed: A transphobic term used for people who say that systems formed without trauma aren't real.
Traumascum: See above.
System-Hopping: The act of an alter jumping from one system to another. This is not possible because we do not have telepathy.
Alter Death: An alter dying for good. This is not possible due to alters not being tangible and not having actual bodies to die with, they can only go dormant.
System Reset: The act of an entire system being "deleted", and replaced by new alters. This is not possible because it's essentially wiping your brain clean. You can't do that.
Walk-in: An alter who existed outside of the system, and "walked into" the headspace instead of being created in the mind.
Fake Claiming: Claiming a system is fake for X reasons.
Tulpamancy: A closed religious practice. The act of creating tulpas. Please research this if you need more information, but do not practice it unless you are part of said religion.
Western Thoughtforms: Western cultural appropriation of Tulpamancy, which is a closed religious practice.
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I've still got questions, don't go yet!
I will be answering some questions people have! These are all personal experience as an alter in a system.
Q: How do I refer to a system when I don't know who's at front?
A: You can either refer to them by the hosts name or by the system name if you are in system spaces. When in doubt, call them by the host or body preferred name.
Q: What's it like when you aren't fronting? What do you experience?
A: Some systems have an inner world (see definitions) they escape to. Some do not. Some alters simply fall asleep and wake up back in front days, weeks, months, or even years later.
Q: Okay, what's it like being in a system?
A: Personally? It's strange. I spend most of my time in the inner world. Coming to front is a little disorienting at first, but after I ground myself it's very natural.
Being a system, though, is like being stuck in a room with your family. They won't stop talking, they won't go away. Sometimes you can go into the bathroom and have a moment of respite, but then you have your little brother knocking on the door asking to go pee.
Q: How do you keep track of what other alters do if you don't remember anything?
A: They will either tell you, or write it down somewhere. A lot of systems have a system journal to track what they've done over the course of the time they fronted. Worst case scenario? Read chat backlog.
Q: How do you know who has what role?
A: Oftentimes they are created with the intent of that role. If not, they will naturally fall into one over time. It's easy to distinguish a protector from a caretaker, because a protector fronts when you're in danger, and a caretaker fronts when you're sad.
Q: I think I have alters/I think I am a system!
A: Please do research, first. See if your symptoms line up. Then, write some notes and try and reach out to them. Let them know calmly you're here, and you want to know if they are here too. If they don't respond, you either do not have alters, or they are not ready to see you. Give it time, they need some time to adjust too. It's difficult for everyone involved.
Q: You told me like 3 times, but I still don't get it. Why are Endogenics so bad?
A: Endogenics appropriate the suffering you have to go through to get DID. They minimize it into something you can be born with, and not a life-changing disorder that affects every aspect of your life. It's not fun. It's not quirky.
Q: How is the word "Sysmed" transphobic?
A: Comparing actual medical fact to transphobia, aka transmeds, is super transphobic. Saying Sysmeds is like calling people who think that you need a nose to sneeze Nosemeds.
Q: I'm a singlet, will I ever understand what having DID is like? Is it not like just switching moods?
A: No, you will never ever be able to understand. It's not just a mood switch, it's a highly complex disorder involving multiple people who can take control of the body.
Q: Is it wrong to try and get someone to integrate, even if you think its whats best for them?
A: Yes. You are forcing people to do something that is actually quite scary and daunting if you aren't adequetly prepared. It's borderline cruel, as these are real people. Leave it to the therapists.
Q: Is there a limit to how many alters one brain can have?
A: Nope! Some brains have 500+ alters, some have thousands.
Q: Is there any way how you can support your system friends as a non system/singlet?
A: Treat all alters with respect and as people. If they don't know you well, don't act like you know them well. They may be complete strangers. If they knew you prior to coming out to you, they will tell you.
Q: Can alters date others? What happens if I date a system? Do I have like 30 spouses?
A: Alters can date individual people, however this doesn't excuse cheating. Many alters can love a single person, but dating a system doesn't mean every single alter loves you. I would discuss and set boundries with your s/o if they are a system.
Q: Why do alters speak to each other in chats or writing? Can't they just talk to each other in their heads? Think really hard at each other?
A: Dissociative barriers, my friend! Sometimes texting is a lot easier than thinking, especially because the head can be so archaic. A lot of the time, we have multiple people talking at once, making conversation difficult. Remember, you are sharing some thoughts with other people, it's not going to be quiet.
Q: Can an alter be constantly blurry? Must their identity always be solid?
A: Yes! Not all alters are clean cut in identity. In fact, most alters start out very confused and unsure of who they are or where they are. Over time, this will smooth out, but it's not guaranteed.
Q: How do alters know what age they are? I’ve seen some alters with very specific and different ages and I can understand why some would be younger mentally but how can some be older than the body? Is that just referring to maturity? Same with sexualities and genders!
A: Most of the time they are created with this information put into them, like how you know your own age/gender/sexuality. Sometimes it takes a little discovery, hunting down names and identity to pin down the one that fits.
Littles typically form to deal with childhood trauma, or were created when the body was young. Alters that are older are created as a way to form a proper parental figure, as fictives, to represent forced maturity, or just because!
Q: Can alters have different beliefs than the core? (homophobia, transphobia, racism, etc)
A: Yup! While it can be harsh, some alters will have radical or right-wing beliefs. They are individuals, after all.
Q: Should I introduce myself to alters of a system I havent spoken to yet like I would meeting a new person?
A: Yes, you should! Unless they state it directly, they likely don't know who you are. It's nice to be introduced!
Q: My friend just came out as a system! What do I do?
A: Be patient with them, and accept them. They have been through a lot to end up here, and the last thing they need is more stress. By the way, saying "cool, lots of friends!" is kind of weird. Instead, approach it as "I will accept you, regardless of who you are".
Q: If the body is male, but the alter whos fronting is female, do they experience any discomfort or dysphoria? Also, if the body is trans male and the alter whos fronting is female, how do they feel?
A: They will often feel discomfort if their identity doesn't match up with the body, but almost all alters experience this due to having appearances separate from the body. This is somewhat remedied by dressing how they feel like dressing!
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"Bro, are you okay-"
WHO ARE YOU TO ACCUSE ME
You may be wondering, hm. Who's this goon writing? Why are they writing about systems? Are they qualified?
I think I'm relatively qualified.
I'm Grimm, the ISH of the Aoi System. I wrote this specifically for one server asking questions, and it got a lot longer than I expected it to. About 4 hours of work accumulated into this.
I hope this helps someone out there understand more about DID. And if you're a singlet, please don't push yourself into DID spaces or conversations because you read this. This is only scratching the surface!
If you have any more questions, any concerns, or spot a mistake, please tell me! You can find us at:
AOI.SYS#1082 on discord!
AOI.SYS on instagram!
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