Please be aware: Marvel’s Moon Knight gives a somewhat decent portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder, but the series is still a work of fiction and misses a lot of very important things.  In my opinion, it is the best of a *really bad* bunch. Films like ‘Split’ and ‘Psycho’ are 1000 times worse when it comes to DID.

I recommend looking at the website: First Person Plural, if you want learn more about this condition. https://www.firstpersonplural.org.uk 

I have a bunch of links in the description box of my YouTube vid on what Moon Knight gets right and wrong when it comes to DID.  You can watch it on my channel Team Me, Team Us: https://youtu.be/dHa6SYNWMZA .  There are also several other videos about mental health on that channel.

• Alter identities can have different ages, genders or sexual orientations to the Host body.   When it comes to intimacy and/or sex, things can be really tricky sometimes.  One of my Alters is on the Asexual spectrum, and feels really uncomfortable when I do or even think about sexual things.  I have to talk to my three child Alters beforehand as well, to let them know they cannot move to the fore during this time.  I also need to reassure them that the sexual things that are happening doesn’t mean we are being abused again - but that we are safe now.  It has taken me a lot of communication and time to get to this stage.

• It’s always strange to me when different Alters love foods that I as the Host absolutely hate. Even stranger is what happens when I indulge in those foods: the Alter who likes it will often come to the fore and stay there for hours or sometimes days. I’m not going to use food to lure out any of them though, as I already have a lot of issues around eating, plus it feels kind of creepy.

• There’s a recommended protocol for trusted people to follow when a new Alter surfaces for the first time: introduce yourself, let the Alter know where they are, and then ask for their name if they’re able to speak.

• Alters who hurt the Host body is a very real thing. Some of them may self harm when they’re in emotional distress, but some Alters may dredge up body-memories of physical pain caused by the abuse or trauma. Sometimes this happens as an attempt to stop the Host talking about their experiences, because silence is what kept them alive in the past.

• It’s disconcerting as hell when Alters do something non-dangerous I’m unaware of and only find out later. I’ve had them pay the same bill multiple times without my knowledge, bought clothes I would never wear, and once an Alter reported a broken light to my landlord’s repairs service, using my old phone that I haven’t picked up in years.

• The term “Multiple Personality Disorder,” and “Split Personality Disorder” hasn’t been used as an official medical term in the U.K and many other countries since 1992, when it was replaced by Dissociative Identity Disorder. Please don’t use the old terms when talking about people with this condition, unless they specifically say they’re okay with it.

• Time travel and time manipulation has been a lifelong obsession of mine.  Like many Trauma/Abuse Survivors, the way I move through time feels very different to how other non-traumatised people describe it.  Time regularly loops for me, to replay horrible experiences as if they were happening right now.  I also have  Alters/Head-mates who live in their own bubble of time, so some exist thinking it’s still 1972 when I was 3 years old.  Alongside this is the fact that I occasionally ‘lose’ time and another Alter takes the wheel so to speak.  There have been a few instances where I’m sitting somewhere indoors and then I blink and I’m on a bus, travelling back to the place I grew up.  On other occasions I’ll find myself standing in the middle of the road with no clue as to what I’m doing in that dangerous situation.  All of these types of time disturbances makes things very difficult for me when they arise.  

• Alters having different skills and talents is something that always surprises me.  One of mine is incredibly good at maths and can work out percentages before I even think about it.  Other Alters are good with baking, and one is great with design.  I don’t know why they have these abilities, but they really do come in useful at times.

• Unless its an emergency, please don’t demand to speak to another Alter who isn’t at the front.  Passing messages along from one Alter to another, or writing notes and sticking them to a mirror, are both alternatives that are less painful to everyone.  Also remember that the vast majority of Alters were formed due to repeated and severe trauma on the Host’s body at a very early age.  Dragging an Alter out, so you can communicate with them, may also drag up memories of the very thing that created them.  It is not something to do without a lot of thought.

• Adult Alters having their own romantic partners, separate from the Main Host, is always a delicate issue. When there is amnesia between Alters and the Host, things can be even more difficult and end up leaving people they love in the dark.  Good communication is essential for any System, and when it comes to love and sex, it’s doubly important.