Bigender/multiple system chiming in-
In and of itself a dissociative identity does not have to be a "disorder." By the definition of DSM-IV, so long as the condition does not threaten a person's health or have a negative impact on their ability to function in society, it's just another way of living life; a "healthy multiplicity."
The big red flag for Dissociative Identity is time loss and memory lapse. It is a coping mechanism typically developed as the result of early childhood trauma. Although Dissociative Identity is fairly rare, there is a growing belief that the condition has historically been misdiagnosed as schizophrenia and bipolar. It is most often experienced by FAAB's and it is common to have both male and female identities.
A rose by any other name, "Multiple Personality" was replaced by "Dissociative Identity" in the United States with the release of DSM-IV. It was a semantics change to explain the condition within the premise that a person can only have "one" personality. "Multiple Personality" is still the accepted terminology in the rest of the world and in the ICD-10.
The DSM IV and ICD-10 descriptions of the condition are essentially the same:
A. The presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states (each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self).
B. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person's behavior.
C. Inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
D. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during Alcohol Intoxication) or a general medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures). Note: In children, the symptoms are not attributable to imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.
http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=57#It took a full psychological profile; three years of self discovery; 2 ½ years of therapy with a GT, a psychologist specializing in gender and another in couples counseling; and 2 years on a full transition level HRT to control my gender dysphoria to come to the professional diagnosis that my male and female self are separate identities. After being clinically diagnosed as transsexual, then as an androgyne, dysphoric about my maleness to the point indicating MTF SRS
and dysphoric about my femaleness to the point indicating FTM SRS, "Bigender" was closest transgender box for me. But ever since I began to explore my gender, it has been vitally important for me to present as both of my genders
AND that I am accepted as cisgender regardless of whether I am presenting as a girl or a guy. My psychologist encouraged me for over a year to limit my compartmentalization, accept that my male and female self are personas of a solitary self, but my dysphoria about both of my genders will not let me do that. When I began to experience time loss and memory lapse, it finally became clear to both of us that male and female self are dissociative identities.
Am I bigender because I am a dissociative identity or a disssociative identity because I am bigender? I'm not sure if what we actually
are is as important as expressing what we want others to
perceive us to be. Whatever we chose to call ourself has its own unique stigma; to us and the world we live in. The key is finding the one that "fits." I can accept that my male and female self are a psychological coping mechanism better than the idea that I am trans-anything. It's not about being right; it's about what gets us through the day.
