Am I too old to start therapy for DID?

In this video from The CTAD Clinic, Dr Mike Lloyd (Clinic Director) discusses a question raised by a subscriber - am I too old to start therapy for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)? The question added whether enough time or resources were available to achieve anything meaningful, so Mike looks at what may be possible within shorter, more realistic, timeframes for some people. #otherspecifieddissociativedisorder #osdd #dissociativeidentitydisorder #did #therapy

[MaureenHart-xw]

hi Dr Mike - first, love your videos. I am 78 yrs old and have suffered from BPD for many years. Recently I was diagnosed with OSDD and with the help of my therapist am slowly learning to communicate and understand an extremely angry part. One is never too old to embark on an inner world of discovery. Please keep the videos coming for my therapist and me.

[emmalyckajacobsson]

To start sharing that heavy burden with a therapist, is good in itself. So one doesn"t have to walk alone.

[faithwalker]

I was diagnosed with CPTSD at 53, but by the time I was 54 it became apparent that I have DID. I’m 56 and in therapy, making progress.

This is random, Dr. Mike, but we love your duck videos. You make my littles happy. ❤️

Could you please talk about shame in relation DID and other dissociative disorders? I try not to live under the burden of it, but sometimes when I switch or trance out when I’m with other people, it is so embarrassing. I realize these are just symptoms, and I shouldn’t be ashamed. Sometimes it’s hard to be different. Thanks for listening.

[alysmarcus]

I got very lucky to have the only therapist in our city that worked therapy for DID. He passed in 2021 and there are no doctors here now. I get tired of doctors at a family clinic saying 'would you like to see a social worker for 6 sessions' - - - First i'm wasting someone else's opportunity for that time; that the social worker would not have the education to do any help. As for age to start therapy- well, i sought out help when i was 14; I kept asking. One person actually accused me of lying (yes, a doctor) and i kept looking . Finally i got a doctor who specialized in EMDR and when he realized that myself and 6 other clients had DID - he got his training in that and away we go . That was at age 54 for me . . . I am now 62 and bumbling along .

[debbiev.]

Hope renewed @ 63years young...thank you!! 🩵

[MARCIA.Z]

Thank you so very much, being 65 and living with a very difficult husband I just felt hopeless and financially I'm not in a good place either, but I did find a very wonderful therapist who is more than willing to learn. I told her about you. I am glad you did this video. Feel Very hopeful. Thank you.

[autiejedi]

We were diagnosed at age 52 and appreciate this so much! Starting EMDR after 2 1/2 years and feeling very hopeful. We're so lucky to have a wonderful therapist who takes our goals as a focus to help us. Thanks so much for discussing this! 💜

[GoddessEye]

This is BEYOND helpful....you have no idea how bad I've been going over in my head if I'm too old or if it's too late to start and I"m only 31. Thank you for this video.

[ceridwentaliesin]

Thank you. I'm 60, with multiple subsystems
This is very encouraging.

[samdiamond]

I began therapy 2-1/2 yrs. ago and am glad I didn't know I needed it till then. I'll be 68 in July.

[wackygurl]

Started therapy at 31 and man has it helped. It’s helped me and given me answers to questions I’ve had my whole life. Highly recommend therapy with a knowledgeable therapist who specializes in trauma and DID.

[DeAnnMorris]

My first alter appeared in a therapy session. That was three years ago when I was 79. I am fortunate that I can have therapy at least three times a week. Of course, I have no idea whether I’ll live long enough to complete therapy. DeAnn. California.

[u.m.]

that is soo true, to find the right therapist changes all. even if its only an appointment every 4 weeks.
before I had a therapist that didn't really help us becoming a team. and I wennt there way too long, but didn't know that it was doing more harm than helping. since it was helping in the beginning it was difficult to find out that its not anymore.
now I know the difference and would like to encourage everyone not to give up to find the right therapist on your side. it makes such a big difference.
thank you Dr. Mike Lloyd for all the content you show here, that also helpes so much.

[amandaball]

We had zero awareness until about 6 years ago in our late 40’s. Since then there always seems to be something happening in life that means we haven’t been able to make us much progress as we thought we would. We really it seems haven’t even scratched the surface and have spent so many decades numbed out we really are trying to learn everything right from the beginning. Sometimes we feel like a failure for not being further ahead.

[RobinHerzig]

Appreciate this. At 62 I'm just now discovering that after 50 yrs of treatment for depression, meds, ECT + now ketamine, that what I've really got is complex CPTSD. It's like a revelation. I don't have DID per se, but I space-out a lot, like I kinda go into a trance. Also social isolation + social anxiety. Never realized it but I see now how I have that too.
So much makes sense to me now and it feels really encouraging to think it's not actually too late, despite financial limits + difficulty finding specialists, it's still worth doing.
Thanx for that 👏

[Rat_Queen]

The issue that I had was getting a diagnosis.
I started therapy last year, I was 35, but to that point, I had been diagnosed with an array of other disorders, none of which fitted, and led to a lot of one way streets which deepened the issues and made the other symptoms linked to the C-PTSD a lot worse, as well as the dissociative episodes. I have gaps in my memory that span months prior to treatment.
I have a great therapist who is privately paid for (I'm in the UK) and between myself, her, my husband and my team (or alters) it has been tough but its working. But hard.
So, my advice to everyone who is new to therapy for DID or any other dissociative disorder, it can get better :-) So, always go for therapy for it if you can- the clarity that I got was astounding.

[jessqinn]

Beautifully addressed, held, and said. I’m only 35, yet at a point of such exhaustion at the thought my “whole picture” will always be a mess. For me, this video gives me hope that maybe the whole picture will never be seen and addressed as I would hope yet perhaps finding the right things to focus some work on will take some rocks out of my shoes and make this thing called living somewhat easier to continue on with. And that is a timely and huge thing for us to hear today. Thank you.

[kellyschroeder]

Thanks for the hope. 58 been suspecting it for years. Also ASD. It’s been so hard dealing w my protector and persecutor ??? Thanks again 💙👊

[crybaby-jen]

In my late 30s and just am discovering my diagnosis. Am currently in an intensive program all week. It is never too late. I agree, find therapist who goes slow and understands trauma. ❤

[andersonsystem]

Good video Dr Mike. We think you are never to old to get therapy for DID. We are 45 and been diagnosed with DID and so you can still do it and finding the right therapist that understands trauma will help. But therapy is expensive. Good video ❤