Everything You Need To Know About Dissociative Identity Disorder

Diagnostic Criteria

The DSM-5 outlines very specific diagnostic criteria for DID. If an individual experiences dissociative symptoms or alters without meeting all the dissociative identity disorder criteria, they may have another dissociative disorder. Other specified dissociative disorder, or OSDD, is used for presentations of dissociation and identity fragmentation that don't fully meet the DID criteria. To be diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, the individual must experience two or more distinct identities with consistent patterns of thinking, perceiving, and relating to the world. The disruption to their identity must change their sense of self, agency, consciousness, behavior, cognition, motor function, perception, and memory. DID patients must have frequent memory gaps that aren't explained by ordinary forgetfulness. Symptoms must also cause serious impairment in day-to-day functioning or distress.

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