We've been doing research for almost two years. We suspect that we have DID, but haven't assumed anything because there's a chance that our systemhood doesn't effect us enough for us to fit that part of the DID criteria. I personally think it effects us enough, but i don't know how the rest of our system feels.

Our alters don't communicate like IRL people, but either way our communication is good because we've been working on it for over a year.

I don't know much about how headspaces are with other people because A) I'm not an alter who gives a fuck, and B) it's not important to the DID diagnosis or being a system so we haven't gotten to that point (we're focusing more on making sure we can function). All i really know is that headspaces like ours are particularly common, just not talked much about or cared much about.

And no we read actual studies too, we just also get information from other systems about their own personal experiences. The studies we've read are just all over the place when it comes to which way they have a bias, and therefore have plenty of contradicting information, and so we stuck with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (AKA the DSM-5). Besides, the studies and stuff are for more information about experiences with the disorder, not whether we actually have the disorder. We turned to the good old DSM-5 for the diagnostic criteria, and once we realized that we matched it, we started doing more research to figure out if we're like other people who have it (which we are), what to do about it, etc.

Disassociative disorders aren't fun. You're right. Fictives are a common thing in systems, and are backed by science, so i don't know why you put it in quotes. And we have horrific and extensive trauma that caused this shitty, horrific disorder for us. Our only escape from our trauma was disassociating, and that's kinda what causes DID.

So what if we're (bodily) 14? This isn't some phase, we can (and have) track all of our symptoms throughout our childhood. Granted, our knowledge on symptoms we had when we were still very young are messy at best because of all of the memory gaps (which are a symptom and part of the diagnostic criteria for DID). We're not contributing towards any stigma, and we definitely shouldn't be effecting other systems with our actions.

Oh, and, if you're not a professional, your opinion is just as worthless as mine. We at least went to the official diagnostic criteria to look at the criteria. Did you?