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Depression & Mental Illness Resource Blog

@depressionresource / depressionresource.tumblr.com

This blog aims to help people with depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems get through basic, every day tasks and move towards the life they want to live. Content steers away from cheery inspirational messages (though there is some of that!) towards helpful, actionable advice.
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I noticed some confusion in the community about the difference between OSDD-1a, OSDD-1b, and DID. I’m going to explain in the simplest terms possible (like a sentence) the different between them.

DID means that you have differentiated alters (alters that have their own names, ages, different identites, etc) and amnesia between these parts. 

OSDD-1a means that your alters are not highly differentiated (meaning they’re more just different versions of one person, could be defined as EPs, probably don’t have different names or strong identities), however there is amnesia between these parts, like DID. 

OSDD-1b means that you have differentiated alters, like DID. However, there is no amnesia between these parts. 

Hope that explains things better!

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howscarletrolls
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howscarletrolls

Important things to know about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

- It is not schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder.

- It is the result of severe childhood trauma.

- The identities of someone with DID are called different things. Alters, parts and others to name a few.

- There can be as few as 2 alters or into the hundreds with the average number being in the teens.

- Alters are not hallucinations or characters and ignoring them or telling the person to “snap out of it” will not make them go away.

- Although for some with DID the goal of treatment is to integrate alters into one whole identity many with DID feel this is not the right path for them and rather work on cooperation between alters to live as a team. Both of these are acceptable forms of recovery and it is up to the person with DID what path they want to take.

- DID is found in 1-3% of the population (possibly even more) making it more common than schizophrenia and not as extremely rare as many people believe.

- People with DID (or any mental illness) are statistically no more likely to commit any type of crime, violent or not. They are however more likely to be the victim of a crime.

- The “evil alter” trope seen in fiction is not accurate and alters that hold trauma or anger are much more likely to hurt themselves than anyone else.

- Most people with DID don’t have to live their lives in inpatient facilities and can still live good lives despite experiencing different types of struggles than people without DID.

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Let’s Talk About Dissocation

Dissociation is a defense mechanism used by the mind to protect oneself from a perceived threat. Witnessing or experiencing a traumatic incident or enduring chronic abuse may result in the development of this mental process. Dissociation is most often developed during one’s childhood, as children are more susceptible to imaginative thinking and escapism during times of stress. Once this method of detachment has been learned it can be difficult to rid oneself of it, thus leading to interference in one’s daily life even after they have escaped the abuse. 

Dissociation can be difficult to handle when you’re in a public setting such as work or school, or when you’re around friends and family who are unable to recognize the signs. It’s common to be stuck in an uncomfortable situation dissociating and not knowing what to do. It’s common to dissociate without knowing you’re dissociating. It’s common to feel overwhelmed or controlled by your dissociation.

This post is going to focus on the impact of dissociation in each area of one’s life and how to deal with it. Recognizing when you are dissociating and how you dissociate is a great first step to becoming more self-aware and gaining more control over your trauma.

Signs at school:

  • Repetitive memory lapses, including forgetting assignments or forgetting taught material. Based on the severity, you may only remember the basics of a subject, or you may have forgotten the basics (such as simple division or multiplication in math)
  • Feeling like other students are robots, or are not real, or are duplicates. This feeling may be more intense when walking in hallways between classes, or during recess or lunch
  • Feeling as though your desk or reading materials are twenty feet away despite them being inches from you
  • Staring at the clock yet being unable to read it
  • Poor grades caused by memory lapses, or poor grades caused by apathy resulting from a sense of derealization
  • Static in your vision when reading or feeling like your peripheral vision is closing in on you or darkening 
  • Teachers or classmates repeating questions to you multiple times because you did not hear them, not being receptive to interaction
  • Writing letters backwards without knowing, presenting disarrayed and odd essays
  • Staring at your assignment unblinkingly for minutes, acting as if you are frozen or in a catatonic haze

What can you do?

  • Use your five senses to connect with reality. Without being distracting to other students, fiddle with your eraser or pencil, or flip repetitively through the pages in your book. Do anything you can to feel physically present. If your teacher would allow you to, using a stress ball to squeeze may help tremendously 
  • Keep your eyes moving. By remaining active, you’ll reduce the amount of “spacing out” you experience. Repetitively blink your eyes and look around the room. Avoid staring at one spot for a prolonged period of time.
  • Use humor. Look at your teacher and imagine them wearing something funny or saying something ridiculous. Think of a joke you know that always makes you smile
  • Look for opportunities to become more engaged with your surroundings. If you’re having trouble reading, volunteer to read out loud if possible, as this may help you process the information better. If the teacher asks if anyone has a question, ask one to engage in conversation and distract yourself. This is a good way of interacting with someone without getting in trouble 
  • If you have to, dismiss yourself to the bathroom and splash some cold water in your face. This may help you come to your senses
  • If you know of any specific triggers at school, whether it be a person or a certain room, try to avoid being around them, or in that room. If there is no way of avoiding your triggers, mentally prepare yourself before facing the triggers and have a plan set up ahead of time for if you do begin dissociating

Signs at work:

  • A sudden decrease in performance for seemingly no reason
  • Repetitively messing up orders or misconstruing information given to you by a customer or client
  • Feeling as though you are staring right through a customer or client
  • Severe memory lapses, such as forgetting tasks you’ve practiced for months, forgetting the name of the business you work for, or forgetting your name when introducing yourself to a customer or client
  • Coworkers commenting on your behavior, possibly saying you’re acting cold, quiet, rude, or distant
  • Reacting intensely to any mistakes you make; alternatively, acting completely indifferent towards any mistakes you make
  • Getting lost in thought when coworkers are talking to you
  • Feeling compelled to act in a certain way, monitoring your every action, feeling as though you are pretending to be you

What can you do?

  • If possible, walk as much as you can to remain active. This will be much easier to achieve for people who do not have desk jobs. If you have a desk job, interact with items on your desk. If you’re allowed to, bring an item to work that’s interactive that you can adorn your desk with
  • If you have a desk job, tape a piece of paper to your desk or cabinets to remind you of what to do when you feel this way, or tape a joke or something lighthearted such as a kitten image
  • If you’re given breaks, take advantage of them. Eat something, splash cold water on your face, listen to music, or if you’re allowed to, drive to a nearby gas station or store to get out of the building and become more attuned to your surroundings. Being in an open area with fresh air may help
  • Create games to keep yourself focused on something other than your dissociation or trauma. Examples would be seeing how many customers you can make smile, or seeing how many customers you can get to order a specific item, or seeing if you can convince a coworker to buy you a coffee
  • Talk to your boss if needed. The way you approach the conversation should be based on their personality and level of knowledge regarding trauma or mental disorders. You may need to compile resources for them to read or retrieve some type of note from your therapist for them to read. Effective communication is a vital key to maintaining any relationship, whether it’s romantic, platonic, or purely business. 

Signs at home:

  • Identity confusion, such as acting in a fashion you or your family and friends would consider offensive
  • Out of body experiences, feeling as though you are watching yourself from above
  • Feeling as though you are in a movie
  • Friends or family members saying you have a “glazed” look, or that your eyes appear empty
  • Experiencing an inability to feel pain, developing a numbness to it
  • Objects around you appearing diminished in size or looking artificial
  •  Severe memory lapses, such as forgetting the name of your street, forgetting who your close friends are, or forgetting specific periods of your life
  • Not recognizing yourself in the mirror
  • Tunnel vision or blurry vision
  • A lack of belonging when out with family or friends
  • Being unable to account for things you’ve done, such as not remembering completing a purchase, not remembering writing a letter you’ve found, or finding unexplained clothes in your closet
  • Time loss, or feeling as though you’ve forgotten everything during a period of time, or feeling like you’ve blacked out

What can you do?

  • Count different colored things in the room. Three red things, five greens things, and so forth. Doing this is a good way to distract yourself and stay aware of your surroundings
  • Take a cool bath or shower
  • Hold ice cubes in your hand or put your hand in a bowl of ice cubes. This will wake you up and is a good way to avoid self-harming if you want to feel something
  • Engage in a productive hobby you enjoy, such as drawing, writing, or reading
  • Start cleaning
  • Instead of texting, try calling a friend. Hearing someone’s voice may help ground you
  • If you have a pet, interact with them. Let them crawl on you or sit on you. Play with them. Talk to them
  • Take a long whiff of a strong yet pleasant scent, such as a candle, flowers, or air freshener
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recoversuggestions
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recoversuggestions

i’d like to take a moment for people who struggle with “scary” mental illnesses. psychosis, did, substance abuse, schizophrenia, aspd, paranoia, spd, etc. horror movies and bad jokes can portray such an ugly picture, but you are wonderful and so much more than what you deal with.

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sparklinggalaxies
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sparklinggalaxies

☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️

♡ feel proud of who you are and who you are becoming

♡ take pride in your achievements and don’t let your disappointments bring you down

♡ you are worth so much, you can achieve so much, you are capable of doing and being whatever you want to be!

♡ i believe in you. keep fighting for your dreams!

☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️❣️☘️

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positivity-center

You may not see it, but you’re important. Your life is so important. Maybe now you think nothing matters, but the universe has so much for you, so much ahead.

  • Tomorrow, you can do great things, you just have to give it a try
  • In the next month, you can do great things, you just have give it a try
  • In the next year, you can do great things, you just have to give it a try

No matter how long it takes, you’re still valid and important, you’re still able to do whatever you want. You’re still able to fight. Even if it is in your own time, even if you have to try again and again a thousand of times.

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furiousgoldfish
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furiousgoldfish

how to tell if your “friend” is not being a friend:

  • every time you talk about a problem, you have to spend time convincing them it’s a real problem
  • you have to convince them that your feelings are real and justified 
  • you have to explain to them, more than once, to stop saying things that genuinely make you feel awful
  • you have to be understanding of their point of view entire time, but that doesn’t work both ways, they don’t do it back
  • you have to be understanding to the point where you accept that they wont ever see your point of view
  • if your problems make them uncomfortable you have to stop talking
  • they compete with you and try to prove you that their situation is worse no matter what you struggle with
  • they try to convince you to get over yourself and to not think of yourself too highly
  • they make you feel like your opinions, actions or emotions are stupid, and like you should be ashamed for expressing anything to anyone
  • they pick up on your vulnerabilities then use them against you in critical times
  • they say things they know will hurt you, to get to you
  • they hurt you to prove their point and think it’s legit reason to cause you pain
  • they talk down to you, act as if you’re not capable of making good decisions, scare you into not doing as you wanted, make you feel inadequate and inexperienced in comparison to them
  • they don’t care if they tire you out with their problems
  • they don’t care if you’ve already given them more than you comfortably can give
  • they don’t find you worthy of their compassion and care
  • they don’t think you’ve deserved their attention or admiration
  • they neglect you and then come back to you when they need you
  • they act as if it’s normal for you to spend much more energy and time on them than they do in return
  • they expect unlimited compassion, kindness, energy, time and care from you, and act as if it’s the least you could do for them
  • they don’t even consider going that length in return
  • if they forget, even for a second, that you’re a human being

they’re not to be trusted.

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bpddreams4bpdscreams
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bpddreams4bpdscreams

Living with borderline personality disorder is challenging, but there are ways to reduce symptoms and help you live a fulfilling, healthy life. Personally, DBT saved my life and some of my most cherished relationships. If you have never tried it, I highly recommend. If you have tried it and you feel it didn’t do much, I encourage you to try going again. I went through DBT three times before it finally stuck and helped me learn to use skills rather than resort to some of my more unhealthy coping methods. If you need help finding a therapist, somewhere that has DBT available or even if you just want to talk, send me a message and we can figure it out together. Much love my darlings 💟

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thaliasixteen
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thaliasixteen

for all of the other sweet borderlions and cluster b’s out there, this is a free online dbt course, with worksheets/homeworks/a nice little community to talk to.

even if you’re not borderline or cluster b, it would be really sweet if you’d reblog this so more people can see it! :)

depressionresource
thefloret-deactivated20190114

Daily Positive Affirmations : - This day will pass. - Feelings pass through you, let them, they are only visitors. - The future is in front of you ; and so full of possibility for change. - You are in control of your life.