Affects of other Disorders

Other disorders can drastically change how dissociative disorders are expressed and experienced, just as with any disorder. The following are just a few examples of how different disorders can change dissociative disorders, this is by no means a complete list or even set in stone for the disorders mentioned. Everyone has their own unique experiences, these are merely some common examples. Talking to systems and understanding their unique experience is key to understanding different disorders affecting this one.

Autism - People with autism and a dissociative disorder may struggle with identity even more. This may be expressed by a larger amount of introjects than non-introjects as it's easier for their brain to latch onto characters rather than themselves.Psychotic disorders - This may alter someone's perception of their dissociation. Voices may seem like an alter but be a hallucination or vice versa. Reality can change for them and break due to sources and pseudo memories.Anxiety disorders - This can make dissociation even more frequent as dissociation is a response to stress. This can also make it easy to split or form new parts.BPD - Can greatly affect BPD splitting and cause worsening mood swings and external relationships as different parts can hold different splits, favourite people, etc. Multiple obsessions can also form, and splits can be more frequent as different emotions, dissociation, identities are present.PD's - These can greatly affect a system depending on which they are. ie. a system with DPD may experience persecutors that go against their nature by depending on others. A system with ASPD may experience more tension between parts and make them more aggressive toward each other or with added amnesia may experience less guilt/regret. PD's can make systems feel even more isolated.OCD - Parts may form from an obsessive compulsion. ie. a part that only speaks through numbers, parts that constantly wash their hands, parts that refuse to front out of fear, etc.Bipolar - Systems can suffer from emotional disregulation, and experiences like mania can affect the whole system in unique ways and affecting their purposes or their ability to do their job.Physical disorders - These can affect why an alter is formed and who is in front. Some parts are formed to be able to better cope with things like flare ups, chronic pain, illness, medical trauma, etc.Depressive disorders - All alters can feel depressed and not function as a system or do their proper roles. In some episodes, even soothers/caretakers/mood boosters can experience depression which can allow persecutors to be more active.

Some disorders can also falsely present as DID or be comorbid. Multiple sources say 30-70% of people diagnosed with DID are also diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder. There are a lot of symptoms of disorders like schizophrenia, autism, bipolar, etc. that can seem like DID but aren't. It's important to research your symptoms with an objective lens as DID is rare and other disorders are far more common.

Many systems create roles for their parts or recognize the "purpose" of a part forming by labeling them. Some systems take widely known terms such as gatekeeper, protector, etc, while others create their own terms to best describe their system.
The following list will include the most common role labels in system spaces:- Gatekeeper - controls the comings and goings of a system and its parts, usually have access to different parts of headspace and can control where some parts are available to go
- Protector - takes control in situations that may be harmful to the body or other parts
- Persecutor - a part formed that recreates trauma or abuse to other parts, potentially intends to cause harm either to the body or other parts.
Prosecutor - A sub-type of Persecutor, a part who aims to harm external relationships. Some systems will just refer to these as persecutors though
- Soother - someone who cares for stressed parts or deals with the body in times of stressThere are also different types of parts, such as species, intent, sub-parts, fragments, etc.Some common examples are;
- Little - a younger part, typically a child, though a systems label of "little" depends on them and isn't a set definition
- Nonhuman - a part who is not a human, either mentally or physically in headspace
- Fragment - a part that is not a whole identity or fully formed. Fragments can over time fully form but some may stay as fragments
- Sub-part - typically a part in a subsystem who feels like they take up the same space as another sub-part. Usually part of a subsystem
- Twin parts - parts that formed at the same time for the same reason, usually mimic each other or stay with each other, fulfilling their role in a way that compliment each other
- Introject - a part that formed based on a certain source or media, this can be someone you know in real life, a show character, a celebrity, etc. This can even be something as "wild" as a building or a specific sound"Brain-made" is another term used quite often but requires some nuance and understanding. All parts are brain-made regardless of whether they have a source or not. Every single person experiences media differently and gets interpreted in different ways by your brain. Every single introject is just your brain's interpretation of the character/person/place/thing in a way it believes is beneficial to you.
Though some may use this term to describe parts who don't have a source, it is imperative you understand that no parts are their source and all parts are brain-made.