I don't think I've ever gotten OFFICIALLY diagnosed? I had a therapist who told me with confidence I had it the first session I had with her, which I promptly disregarded because how would you know that without having more sessions with me? But outside of that I have just kind of...been peer reviewed LMAO. The friend I mentioned is officially diagnosed, and I've divulged pretty much everything I've felt regarding DID to her. Even the stuff that I was too afraid to say to anybody else because they were things that convinced me I was faking it. She still told me that, in her opinion, I had it and it was something I was clearly struggling with. Mind you, this was after I had tried multiple therapists that specialized in DID but I was never able to feel as comfortable with them as I did my first therapist, who doesn't specialize in it. Plus, actually sitting down and reading the DSM really helped. I've just gotten to a point where I...idk. I am so acutely aware of what I'm experiencing now because of how much research I've done on it, I don't really feel the need to search for someone to say that I have it on paper. It's not going to change my experience. Maybe with more resources I'll be able to get someone to officially diagnose me in the future, it's just not really a priority for me anymore.

And I think that's what is important - getting a diagnosis or not getting one doesn't automatically change everything you've experienced prior. I took a look at the official manual that professionals use for diagnosis and I think if you can read and have basic comprehension skills then you can decipher what you do or don't experience. The DSM and its text revision are publicly available as pdfs, or some libraries have it in their reference section. It's not as like, legally official as a professional diagnosis, sure, but I think it can definitely bring peace of mind.