Does this sound like a tulpa or a headmate?

[Ice909]

Goodness me, how did I not see this sooner? 

 

That sounds like DID, I third Ranger's suggestion to see a professional. We're all here for you Bubbles, alright? But even so, you just described DID. A professional is who you need to be seeing. Best of luck, my dear friend. 

[Ranger]

I would not assume you have OSDD or DID. Unless a professional says otherwise, I think that will hurt you in the long run.

 

If you assume you have OSDD/DID, you may neglect the possibility you have a different condition and not get the correct help. It can be surprisingly easy to convince someone else they have OSDD/DID, so much so professionals are encouraged to avoid suggesting it. Even if someone is convinced they have that disorder, they still have something serious lying underneath and still need help from a professional.

 

A lot of people in the OSDD/DID community claim they were misdiagnosed or never bothered to be diagnosed officially, I think embracing the label and congregating to OSDD/DID spaces has done them more harm to them than help. I have been alarmed by how common anti-doctor claims are thrown around and how distrust in the medical community is encouraged and spread. Additionally, the spaces tend to devolve into a toxic echo chamber of insecurities and second hand trauma, none of which is being monitored by professionals. If you have an official dx from a medical professional, that can open the door to you getting an expert to help you without all of the toxicity in those kinds of spaces.

 

I want to clarify I am not a doctor and I'm only sharing my observations. In the past I too would have said something like "Oh, that could be OSDD/DID", but I had no idea how much harm I was potentially causing by even suggesting it. Letting a professional do the detective work is the best way to get the correct diagnosis and help you need.

[Adagio]

As it has been said by many others, I'd advise you to see a professional if possible.

 

9 hours ago, Ranger said:

If you assume you have OSDD/DID, you may neglect the possibility you have a different condition and not get the correct help.

That's an interesting thing to think about! It's also possible to have two or more conditions as well. I've honestly never considered that assuming you have a label is that bad, especially since not everyone can get diagnosed or get professional help, but I do get where that's coming from.

[ruleofthumb]

Stone: Yeah I understand why professionals would avoid suggesting it unless but some people will only get help if they recognize their symptoms as abnormal enough to warrant help. I was careful not to name a specific disorder but I also don't want to purposefully leave someone in the dark either, going on to think they're, idk, a forgetful person with some anxiety or other vague mental issue who's natural good at tulpamancy when they're having blackouts.

 

Also, it is true not everyone can get professional help. That's why I'm pretty enlightened centrist on self-diagnosis. I think it's naive to assume everyone should know when they need professional help while simultaneously not having an idea why and also wait until they can access quality professional help before doing any introspection. Sure, maybe it would be nice, but that's not how most people operate and it's not practical in our current world. Perhaps normalizing mental health check-ups the same way people have your typical medical check-ups as well as making mental healthcare more affordable worldwide could lessen this issue.

 

Edit: I still think not assuming is optimal but I do think suggestions can have a utility.

Edited December 5, 2021 by ruleofthumb
clarification