http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_identity_disorderI have been through the mill on this, several times diagnosed as such, but in the end, the diagnosis proved to be wrong.
It is easy to self diagnose when you start to name and think of gender identifiers you may have as identities separate and distinguishable.
Most often one identity cannot retain the memories of the others very well if at all, if it is true DID.
It's the most distinguishing characteristic and most telling of the condition itself.
PTSD has some roots in it as does Borderline Personality Disorder, another misunderstood disorder.
It is wise to look into information is these diagnoses as well as the disorders themselves.
DID is usually a long term lifetime disorder, it rarely responds to treatment and takes a lifetime for it to self correct.
Gender identities are not separate identities, they are accumulations of identifiers that may be lumped together as almost separate identities.
Most often I refer to these identities that must be portrayed as such to satisfy the 'binary privilege' as merely reflections as they are not a part of the so called genders of male or female, but can be loosely described in those terms to satisfy the status quo that cisiety requires to be considered as normal.
To look at them as an identities can in a lot of ways be useful, but if it is leading to ideas of multiple personalities, then you have taken that idea to far.
In a 'universe' of possible identifiers of gender, the concept of male and female are simply a set of rules that tell you what identifiers you must have.
To be non-binary is also to be able to not use those rules and to simply have and use the identifiers you do have.
Trying to break them down into terms of male and female is the only way to satisfy the cis 'binary privilege' that exists as a concept that most people consider to be more than a concept of gender but the only way to distinguish it.
When you do that yourself and think in those terms, you, in a sense have bought that concept as true as well.
There are an endless number of possibilities, male and female are just two of the stars you could be in this 'universe' of gender identifiers.
To be able to identify which ones you have as a reflection of gender describes a galaxy of gender vs a couple of stars or small star clusters.
You can be your own gender once you drop the idea that you must also have parts of the male/female gender requirements.
The ability to do this is the self discovery of oneself as non-binary (not being a part of the binary).
It is a journey and it is always about the journey, as the destination could last until it is the end of all of your journey through life..
You are not required to have a destination as is described in the male/female binary concept that is the core of the cis 'binary privilege'.
Gender is a concept, the one most widely accepted is the cis binary version and has evolved into a rigid set of rules to enforce that concept.
Life isn't required to follow those rules, there are no gender police, no gender prisons.
Be yourself, not a rigid concept of gender, you can be your own gender, if you wish to use that concept of self.
It's true we have to live and are sometimes forced to abide by some of the societal parts of that binary concept.
But there is no requirement that you have to tell them, prove to them, or even follow those conceptual rules.
You are non-binary, you decide and discover your own identity, there are no rules you are required to follow.
It's a journey of self discovery of identifiers that is yours to have and to keep.
You can be yourself and ignore those cisietal rules as much as you want.
If you are non-binary, then there are no rules.
Ativan
