#dinosaursindisarray

[the-kepler-system]

dinosaursindisarray replied to your post: hey um. so is it a flashback if something severely...

It might be if it’s a memory or you think it might be a memory? It might be a trigger too though, that you dissociated from maybe? Sometimes I get triggered by something that seems to come out of no where (rather than from something I saw outside or something) and eventually it just… stops. I think because I dissociate away from it, or if it was like, an alter experiencing a flashback or something, they moved away from front. I’m sorry that happened though. :C

It was a memory, and it certainly had a trigger, i know what did it. Idk why it stopped suddenly but yeah. Idk, just trying to recover. thank you.

[fangirlinginleatherboots]

I really love your digital paintings, especially the ones with soft lines. And the stained glass works are amazing, and very unique to you, like, I recognize that style as yours right away. Those two are probably my favorites, but I love all of the art you do, and a very close third favorite would have to be the comic style!

thank you so much! this is very helpful!

[scriptshrink]

Critique of a Certain Cracked Article - The Bad

Oh boy.  So we’ve seen the myths about mental illness that Cracked got right, and the ones that were partially correct but mostly wrong. Now we’ve reached the ones that legitimately reduced the Shrink to incoherent screaming.

Lock and load, Shrinky-dinks. I’m taking no prisoners.

[Gif: The Winter Soldier loads a grenade into an attachment on his assault rifle while murderstrutting.]

[Cracked image: The charming psychopath is everywhere // Pictures of Negan, Walter White, Dexter, and Loki // They won’t stay charming for long. So many TV and movie villains are portrayed as charming ladies’ men. Even Walter White’s sex life improves after he starts cooking meth. There’s Negan, The Joker, Dexter, Patrick Bateman, Billy Loomis. The truth is, antisocial personality disorder causes a laundry list of symptoms that make a person impossible to be in a relationship with. // source is from the mayo clinic]

...Why is Loki up there? I am confused.

Anyways, people with antisocial personality disorder are very good at manipulating people. They can be very fucking charming, and very fucking good at it.

And I hate the phrase “laundry list”.  Guess what?  You don’t have to have ALL THOSE SYMPTOMS LISTED to get diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.

You just need three.  Let’s pull three from the list of criteria, shall we?

They lie, manipulate and con others for their own personal gain.

They’re impulsive and don’t plan ahead.

They are consistently irresponsible, don’t fulfill things expected of them, and / or can’t hold down a steady job.

I mean, that certainly describes an asshole, but “a person impossible to be in a relationship with”? Hardly.

[Cracked image - Adrian Monk suffers from OCD. // picture of Adrian Monk hiding behind his turtleneck // Actually, no, he really doesn’t. It’s easier to remember what Monk is not afraid of than what he is. He lists germs, needles, milk, death, snakes, mushrooms, heights, crowds, elevators, public speaking, and airplanes, to name a few. The thing is, that’s not obsessive-compulsive disorder. Those are phobic disorders, which are not related to OCD at all. Actual OCD involves a crippling dependence on repetition and rituals.// source is chicago tribune]

OKAY.  First off. A fear of public speaking IS NOT A PHOBIA. It is a part of Social Anxiety Disorder (Performance Only).

Also, OCD does not fucking REQUIRE compulsions. YOU CAN HAVE ONLY OBSESSIONS AND STILL HAVE OCD. (See my demystifying post here!)

AND GUESS WHAT?  ADRIAN MONK HAS COMPULSIONS.

Performing a ritual because of a fear (such as excessive cleaning / handwashing due to a fear of germs) is a COMPULSION.

Look at literally the first time you see Monk IN THE FUCKING OPENING CREDITS OF THE SHOW.

[Gif - Adrian Monk is walking down a street, and touches a parking meter without looking at it.]

You’d think, because he’s so germophobic, that he would avoid touching those things. NOPE. He has a compulsion to TOUCH ALL THE POLES that he passes when he’s walking.

Sure, he has phobias.  BUT HE HAS OCD TOO.

One last note. 

Those are phobic disorders, which are not related to OCD at all.

Hmm. Yes, that’s correct. Phobias are anxiety disorders, and OCD has its own category. I’m not sure why this is sticking out to me so much. But I’m sure it’ll be important later.

[Cracked picture - In Fight Club, the narrator has a split personality. // image of the narrator and Tyler Durden // That’s not how multiple personalities work. Those with disassociative identity disorder don’t just wake up and realize they’ve been living as another person. They don’t always know about the other personalities, and don’t black out and live as another person. Amnesia and fugue states do happen, but what you see in movies is writers combining them to suit their narrative.// Source is from mayo clinic.]

[Gif of Hades nearly being literally consumed with fiery rage, but calming himself down saying “Okay, fine, fine. I’m cool. I’m fine.]

It’s “dissociative”, not “disassociative”. We’ve had this talk in the last part, Cracked. Do a single goddamn google search so you know how to spell the goddamn names of things.

This part of the takedown comes courtesy of Maxx, one of @dinosaursindisarray’s alters:

DID isn't personalities, multiple or split or anything. That’s not just outdated terminology, it's also an incorrect description, because the alters aren't personalities at all, they're functionally other people.

“Those with DID don't just wake up and realize they've been living as another person.”

k, well, sometimes, they do.

Like, the person might not realize it as it goes on, but then something triggers an 'aha' moment (for some people) that make the symptoms more overt and noticeable, either to the person experiencing them or other people.

There could be a trigger that suddenly floods the person with enough memories to realize what's going on - memories of trauma, or bleedthrough from other alters, memories of that alter being out, etc, and then the person has enough to do research and be like 'something is /wrong/'

[For us], it was like, one day after a lot of stressful shit built up over a couple of weeks, I came out instead of Month and because I was tired and cranky. Her friends noticed and asked about it, I told the truth, and after she came back, her friends were like 'so this thing happened, what the fuck' and Month's blackouts and dissociation started making more sense and she was able to contact a professional to be like 'what the fuck is going on'.

The initial realization did happen sort of at once, which isn't entirely uncommon, especially with psych knowledge more readily available to people. (that can lead to people mistaking shit and thinking they have DID when they don't, cause misinfo, but it's still easier for people who do have it to figure out what the fuck is up and seek help than it was before).

“They always know about the other personalities"

The entire point of DID and OSDD is to keep shit hidden. Keep trauma memories hidden from the everyday life of the kid so they can function and not fucking die. Keep symptoms away from others around the kid so that they aren't abused worse. So this shit is supposed to be kept separate, and if you always know about what's going on, then it’s not happening.

"and don't black out and live as another person"

Yeah. Some people do. Like, full memory blackouts while another alter is out might not happen all the time or with every alter, but it can totally happen with DID. Not OSDD as much, I think, but still.

There are certain alters that Month has NO memory overlap from. Others that she only gets one or two things, others she remembers most of it like watching a movie, others that she remembers it like she was there but really out of it, etc. It's not necessary for every alter every time to be DID, but if there's any amnesia and blackouts between alters (and with trauma memories) then it's DID criteria.

"Amnesia and fugue states do happen"

Yeah, amnesia is that blackout thing you just said didn't happen. Might not be a full blackout but like, amnesia. not remembering. sometimes that means blackouts.

And fugue states are dissociative, but that's a separate thing from DID. Can it happen to someone with DID? Yeah. Does someone have to have DID for it to happen? Nah.

Writers do combine and add shit and dramatize the fuck out of the wrong things (see: m. night) to suit their needs rather than maintaining fact, but yeah. everything else is p much wrong

Thanks again to Maxx from @dinosaursindisarray for taking over for that one. That gave me a nice little respite! Now let’s take a look at the last one, surely it can’t be THAT bad...

[Cracked image - In Black Swan, Nina suffers from a host of conditions. // image of Nina // Real people don’t have them all at once. The film gave Nina the ballerina a cocktail of disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, cutting, and obsessive compulsive disorder, then had her descend into psychosis. The problem is that they’re incompatible conditions. People with psychosis lose touch with reality. Those with anxiety disorders like OCD and anorexia are too in touch with reality. // source is abc news]

[Gif of the only thing that can adequately convey my rage: Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever created, exploding and forming a gigantic mushroom cloud]

Okay okay okAY OKAY OKAY.

The only way I can get through this is to go from minor things to major ones. 

You are right about one single thing here, Cracked. You can’t be diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia at the same time. Congratulations. If someone has symptoms of both disorders, it’s either Anorexia with the Binge Eating / Purging subtype, or OSFED (other specified feeding/eating disorder, formally known as EDNOS - eating disorder not otherwise specified).

Okay. Next up. Unless you’re counting when Nina stabs herself with the glass shard at the very end of the movie, Nina never cuts herself. She scratches herself. But I’ll give you the smallest amount of the smoking ashes left of my benefit of the doubt and say you meant “self-mutilation” here, not cutting.

Those with anxiety disorders like OCD and anorexia

OCD AND ANOREXIA ARE NOT ANXIETY DISORDERS.

Besides, you just fucking said with the Monk one that phobias are completely unrelated to OCD!! PHOBIAS ARE AN ANXIETY DISORDER!!! AT THE VERY LEAST KEEP YOUR FUCKING BULLSHIT LIES CONSISTENT!!!!!!!

On that note, where the fuck did you get OCD from in the first place??? There’s only two things I can think of that even vaguely qualify. 

Nina’s compulsive scratching. But guess what???  THAT’S NOT OCD. THAT’S EXCORIATION (AKA SKIN PICKING) DISORDER.

Nina’s compulsive exercising. HELLO WHY YES THIS IS A SYMPTOM OF ANOREXIA.

People with psychosis lose touch with reality. Those with anxiety disorders like OCD and anorexia are too in touch with reality.

yhghgtfrrghyujuhnukjfgdcghgtfyughyhhjnyh

Sorry about that. I repeatedly smashed my head into the keyboard.

But oh my fucking god.

THE WHOLE GODDAMN PROBLEM WITH OCD AND ANOREXIA IS THAT THEY’RE NOT CONNECTED TO REALITY.

One of the fucking specifiers for OCD is WITH ABSENT INSIGHT OR DELUSIONAL BELIEFS, which means the person in question fully believes that their illogical obsessions are true, you fuckwads!

[[Shrink’s edit - a “specifier” is a possible subcategory of a mental illness. The DSM-5 also two other possible specifiers for OCD: “With good to fair insight”, meaning the individual recognizes that their disordered beliefs are definitely or probably not true; and “With poor insight”, where the individual thinks their disordered beliefs are probably true. It is a grading of severity, not a requirement.]]

Let’s look at a some fucking case studies here. Go ahead. Read them. I’ll wait.

Tell me, Cracked. Do these sound like people who are MORE IN TOUCH with reality?! Will a person really be transported into a mirror dimension if they turn on a light switch??? If they touch something, will their ‘power’ be stolen unless they touch it again multiple times??

Also, is someone with severe anorexia who still thinks they aren’t thin enough even as they’re FUCKING STARVING THEMSELVES TO ACTUAL, LITERAL DEATH “too in touch with reality,” Cracked???

[[Another edit: most people with OCD and anorexia are not at this extreme. But it is far more accurate to say that these disorders involve losing some touch with reality than saying that they are ‘too in touch’ with reality. Seriously though, what the fuck does “too in touch” with reality even mean???]]

Oh, and it’s not like there have been studies that don’t just say that eating disorders and psychosis can co-occur, but that they might be FUCKING LINKED TO EACH OTHER!!!

And now, my esteemed Shrinky-dinks, we come to the most horrendous part of this absolutely atrocious dumpster fire of an article. 

Real people don’t have them all at once.

Real people don’t have them all at once.

Real people don’t have them all at once.

ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME?!?!?!?!? 

Guess what, fuckfaces?  

COMORBIDITY IS EXTREMELY COMMON.  

Let’s look at this one study of almost 2,500 women with severe eating disorders. Guess what they fucking found?

97% had more than one fucking mental illness.

Ninety fucking seven percent.

[Image: “I made a chart since Cracked writers apparently can’t fucking read.” // a pie chart with a very small portion labeled Only ED, and the overwhelming majority labeled More than one mental disorder.]

Schizophrenia and eating disorders may not be a super common combination, BUT IT FUCKING EXISTS.  

PEOPLE CAN FUCKING HAVE MORE THAN ONE MENTAL ILLNESS!! 

BUT I GUESS IT DOESN’T MATTER TO YOU SINCE THEY’RE SO CRAZY THEY’RE NOT REAL PEOPLE, YOU ABLEIST FUCKING SACKS OF FUCKING SHIT.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH

[Gif - The Hulk fucking annihilating Loki by repeatedly smashing him into the ground, which is what I wish I could be doing to the writers.]

Concluding Thoughts

If I seem calmer at this point, it’s because I wrote it before the rest of this article. I have no doubt future Shrink will still be screaming into the void long after the queue finally gets to this post.

Let’s take a look at how Cracked introduced this article.

It's a losing fight, going up against the myths pop culture perpetuates. But, dammit, someone has to do it.

That someone is obviously not you. Your writers are willfully ignorant and unable to do even a simple google search of the names of the things they’re writing about to make sure they got the spelling right. 

You have failed to do the fucking most basic research possible. 

A monkey in a library could do a better job than you, as there’s an actual chance that in randomly throwing pieces of its own shit, a book might be knocked off a shelf and the monkey might fucking glance in its direction.

Because left unchecked, people go around spewing every dumb thing they learn from clickbait articles movies and shows that are really just using mental illnesses to advance a plot and make a buck from pageviews, instead of teach us anything useful.

You made a few typos. I fixed them for you.

So, dig in, because it's time drop a knowledge bomb on your ass.

How fucking dare you. 

You are not “dropping a knowledge bomb” on us. This article is nothing more than a fucking whoopie cushion. We sit down, all excited to see myths about mental illness being exploded, but are instead given a bunch of hot air that sounds like people’s ass cheeks flapping together.

Fuck you, @cracked.

I hope your pageviews tank. I hope you have to take on so many advertisers that your readers can’t even see your content anymore. I hope no one ever submits to your ‘contests’ again, forcing you to have a staff member make up all the entries for you. I hope your heads get so stuck up your own asses that you don’t even notice that your website has been spreading malware to your readers like the cancerous bullshit your content truly is.

Oh. Wait. 

Like my torment and suffering? Support me on Patreon.

[dangertoozmanykids101]

@dinosaursindisarray , this is fascinating. Thank you so much for spending the time and energy to write and post this. Your clarifications have peaked my interest even more, now plan to look up the recent books written. Thank you again.

Important facts about DID

DID is caused by repeated childhood trauma before the child has gained a personal sense of self. Most children gain this sense of self around 6-9 years old. Therefore, DID cannot form after the ages of 6-9.

DID is caused by repeated childhood trauma. Trauma can include physical, mental, emotional, or sexual abuse, invasive medical procedures, repeated natural disasters, severe neglect, and/or war. The trauma must have been repetitive. Without trauma, DID cannot form.

To have DID, amnesia must occur. Amnesia is defined as gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information and/or traumatic events.

If someone does not fit all of the criteria for DID, they’re diagnosed with OSDD (Other Specified Dissociative Disorder.) For instance: If someone does not experience amnesia, they do not meet the diagnostic criteria for DID, and will be diagnosed with OSDD.

Fictives (or Fictional Introjects) exist in some systems. Fictives are fictional characters that become alters. They are formed like any other alter, from trauma, either at a young age, or stress happening to someone who ALREADY has DID. They do not develop just from a love of a character, or from wanting that character to be real. They are not the same as imaginary friends, or roleplay characters.

DID is not the same as being kin with someone/something. Being kin with a character means relating to that character. This is not the same as an alter. Some people may believe they are the character that they are kin with, but this is not DID either.

Alters are not roleplay characters. People who roleplay and create characters might feel like their characters have their own personalities, to the point that the character ‘doesn’t listen to them’ about certain things, but this is a fairly normal thing for writers. It is not DID, and they are not alters. EDIT: Roleplay characters, like any other character, can be introjected into the system in some cases, if the person already has DID. (You can still do whatever you’d like with that character, even if it feels like they would disagree. Knowing how they would feel about certain actions, or feeling like they wouldn’t agree or approve of you doing something when writing what they would do is not the same as an alter. Take it from someone who has both alters and roleplay characters: they are not even remotely the same.)

Alters are made inside the person’s mind. Therefore, alters cannot come from outside someone’s mind. Some alters believe that they came from elsewhere, and even have memories of lives before being an alter, but this is part of DID, and is an illusion. (I have an alter who has memories of a life before becoming an alter. I am not belittling any alters who have these memories or beliefs.)

Alters cannot travel between people. No one can send an alter into someone else’s mind, or send one of their alters out of their own minds. (This is in fact a very dangerous idea that can be used by abusers to further hurt or control people with DID.)

Alters cannot die or be erased. They can be sectioned off so much that they are no longer felt, or put in a hibernation state, but they are not gone. Integrating is an option some systems choose to pursue, but even then, the alter is not gone, they’ve just become part of another alter or the system as a whole.

Alters are parts of a single person that has been kept from being able to gain a full sense of self or identity because of trauma as a child. This does not make the alters fake, and does not mean that the host or core (if there is one) can control them. Alters are not the same person, and do not identify as each other or the host or core. This is the entire point of DID, to not identify as each other in order to compartmentalize traumatic events so the person is able to go on living. (It’s completely normal and in fact part of the disorder for alters and the core/host to not see themselves as the same person. For all intents and purposes, they are not the same person.)

DID is a serious mental condition caused by trauma. It is not a fad, or a game.

Everyone experiences the symptoms of DID differently. This does not mean that if someone does not meet the DSM criteria for DID, they have it anyway.

DID is not accurately represented in media. If you see a show, book, movie or game that says it’s about DID, or seems to have aspects of DID, assume that it’s wrong, or take it with a grain of salt. (The exceptions being recent case studies, books from people who have DID, and the like. Sybil and other such media is not an accurate representation.)

DID has been around for a very long time, and has been recorded all the way back to the 1500′s. Just because they didn’t have the same terminology or understanding of it that we do today, doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.

[winggoyle]

tagged by @goylefriend like yesterday i think, i just saw it so sry for the delay! also be prepared, this’ll be a predominantly beyoncé list..... i aint even kidding when i say the only artist i’ve been listening to lately is queen bey.

rules: list 10 songs you’re vibing on and tag 10 mutuals 

1.  countdown by bey

2.  pray you catch me/sandcastles cover by jessica lá rel

3. blue ft. blue ivy by beyoncé

4. formation by beyoncé

5. bitch better have my money by rihanna

6. telepathy by christina aguilera

7. just you, not now (love theme) by grace

8. losing your mind by raury and jaden smith

9. dumb by todrick hall

10. penthouse floor by johny legend 

i tag: @strangesolace, @flyboyskywalker, @solunaria, @rainbowtubastudios, @maxcaulfield, @kurtwagnermorelikekurtwagnerd, @dinosaursindisarray (anyone that wants ta do it!), @nintendo-prince, @uxga, and @justraandomthings. it ain an obligation ta do it tho!

[mirrorsystemsblog]

Can you suggest any activities to help with building communication with alters? I've heard of the sandbox activity, I was wondering if there are others. (Sandbox activity was posted by dinosaursindisarray, /post/149445469230/so-sometimes-it-can-be-really-hard-to-communicate)

I have a post about this actually! But if you're looking for more activity related maybe make a poster and let them fill in their sections with what they like/ what represents them! Or maybe even have them identify with a character/person so you can understand them more without them having to say much! My alters have playlists that help me understand how they are feeling! You can even look up group building excersizes and modify those to something you and your alters can do!

[bluebellsandcamellias]

@dinosaursindisarray

[scriptshrink]

I'm the DID anon! First, thank you and ciel-inwonderland for your answers, so very much. Second, a character I have has DID. Do you think is it plausible for her to work as a medic/nurse? I know it can be very stressful and it can trigger her disorder, but I'd like a more professional opinion.

This answer comes courtesy of @dinosaursindisarray, who runs a blog about DID!

My answer would be definitely, but it depends. Like, the person would have had to done trauma therapy and have good communication with other alters. They’d have to be able to understand and cope with their triggers, either through switching or cocoon help or grounding techniques.People that have DID are also CEOs of multi-million dollar companies, which is very stressful. My therapist treats someone like that. And they function well enough to do their job. 

It’s like any other mental illness really: do the symptoms prevent the character from doing what needs to be done for the job?Depending on the system, it might be easier to have DID because of the irregular schedule and stress, because different alters can handle different aspects of the job. 

If they plan to write a dramatic, broken character who’s every bit of functioning is effected by DID, it probably won’t work. Like, they’d have to be as capable as any other person to do the tasks needed. But with DID, a new alter (or alters) could form who handles the aspect of the job and learning the medical stuff and research and treating patients, because that’s what’s needed. Then the person could seemingly be extremely put together on the clock, but still struggles with their own personal trauma because that put together part doesn’t know how to help their own pain. 

So basically, depending on what else they do with the character and how they’re developed, what traumas they went through and how much they’ve processed them, the character might be very helped by the presence of alters, or hindered. Either because they work well with their system, or their brain is still doing everything needed to help them survive ie splitting.No job is immediately off limits or unlikely for someone with DID. It’s meant to be hidden no matter what, even from the person who has it. Add in more stressful job and that’s more reason for it to stay under wraps. 

I’m really glad we can help, DID anon! It’s awesome that you’re dedicated to fully researching your character.

[dinosaursindisarray]

Hi tumblr, it’s been a very, very, very long time.

How is everyone?

[captain-habit]

Ginger tea helps a lot of stomach issues! Like, literally just ginger cut up and put in hot water. Let it steep for a bit, and add some honey for goodness, sip it. Maybe throw in some baking soda, cause that helps with acid too. <3

Ye I’ve made a boiled down ginger concentrate before that’s worked, 

I’ll have to get more ginger root tomorrow. Maybe I’ll make some egg drop soup while I’m at it @~@

[captain-habit]

dinosaursindisarray replied to your photo “One of the devils snare seed pods started splitting so I cut it off...”

Glue googly eyes to it and you have a new friend with a great smile!

What a smile indeed...splits open like Shovel from Stranger Things. 

[dinosaursindisarray]

Monthought is now dinosaursindisarray!

Since some of my old posts are still getting notes, I thought I’d make sure it’s know that I’m on this blog now!

Monthought was a sideblog, and I wanted to be able to like posts and follow other DID blogs!