DID ALTER EXPLAINS: TYPES OF CDDs
so, what are CDDs? complex dissociative disorders are dissociative disorders that occur with the presence of "alternate self states" - alters. this includes DID, OSDD1, P-DID & some presentations of UDD. in this post, i will cover quick overviews regarding the key differences between these complex dissociative disorders.
DID - DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
likely the most well-known complex dissociative disorder, DID is classified by:
the existence of two or more distinct identity states (as said before, i will be referring to these as "alters") accompanied by changes in behaviour, memory & thinking.
dissociative amnesia, which includes both partial & complete episodes of memory loss.
DPDR that affects daily life & functioning.
the symptoms must not be caused by substance use or another medical condition, & must not be part of normal cultural or religious practices.
this is a summary of the diagnostic criteria for DIDš, however there may be many other features present as well. common phenomena include: alters taking control of the patient's body in turns, the existence of an "internal world", as well as comorbid C-PTSD symptoms (flashbacks, hypervigilance, etc).
NOTE: DID with polyfragmentation (sometimes called complex DID) will be discussed in a later post.
OSDD1 - OTHERWISE SPECIFIED DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER (TYPE 1)
OSDD1 as a diagnosis - previously called DDNOS (dissociative disorder not otherwise specified) - is given to patients who nearly fit the diagnostic criteria for DID, however they lack one of the criteria needed to make a DID diagnosis.
OSDD1, therefore, is a spectrum of experiences².
in the online CDD community, you may hear talk of two OSDD1 subtypes: OSDD1-a & OSDD1-b. these are community terms that describe two of the most common OSDD1 presentations. take note, not all OSDD1 cases will fit neatly into either of these subtypes, but many still find these labels important when describing their experiences. here is a short overview:
OSDD1-a: the lacking criterion comes in where i mentioned "distinct identity states". in OSDD1-a patients, their alters are separated by the amnesia barriers present in DID, however the individual alters are often very similar in identity. these alters tend to seem more like "modes" of the same person, rather than distinct individuals. an example would be a patient named sarah, whose alters could perhaps be describes as "angry sarah", "childlike sarah" & "happy sarah".
OSDD1-b: the lacking criterion here is the presence of amnesia. those with OSDD1-b do not experience dissociative amnesia.
P-DID - PARTIAL DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER
P-DID is quite different compared to other complex dissociative disorders in terms of how it presents! the disorder is (typically) classified as such:
there are no episodes of amnesia.
one identity state exists as the "dominant" consciousness.
the dominant identity is intruded upon by 1 or more non-dominant self states, who do not recurrently take full control of the patient's consciousness & body (however episodes thereof may occur occasionally).
P-DIDÂł is under-researched compared to DID & even OSDD1.
UDD - UNSPECIFIED DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER
the diagnosis of UDD is given to those whose symptoms do not neatly fit into the criteria of another dissociative disorderâ´, including complex dissociative disorders.
as such, those with UDD may or may not note the presence of alters. it will all depend on the individual experience of patients with UDD.
this diagnosis may also be made in emergencies, or when a clinician is not able to gather enough information to diagnose a more specified CDD/DD.
these are all of the recognised types of complex dissociative disorders!
i hope i was able to set out this information in a manner that makes sense to those both within the online CDD community, & those new to it. thank you for taking this time to educate yourself on these dissociative disorders! if you have any questions, my askbox is open.
POST AUTHOR: finnđ (he/it) | dazeyđ (they/she)
SOURCES: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
DISCLAIMER: this post - alongside any other posts from @the-habitat-sysblog - is not a substitute for professional medical help. the DID ALTER EXPLAINS series is written with reference to the medical research of others, CDD community input & the author's personal experience.