Comment by Oswald MD on 27 Oct 2009 at 2:48 pm

What do you think about people to constantly try to give you suggestions? Do you take suggestions or not? What do you do when you decide to take a few days off? Thank you for writing your story with Richard Baer. The book was extremely well put together and informative. ST was needed to break ground on dissociative differences. I am in the med field and hate the fact the diagnosis name was changed from MPD to DID, A STUPID move on the Board of Psychiatry. What were they thinking? My curiosity of you has me wondering why I am concerned for your mental well being. Should I be? Should anyone be? Can’t explain why but for some reason find you never at rest or taking time off for yourself. Why work so hard for Richard Baer? What has he been doing lately to encourage knowledge of his treatment of you? Is he providing informative seminars, speaking at medical conferences, overseeing new cases of mpd? What? Anything? Haven’t heard a word about him, only you.

Oswald MD

Dear Dr. Oswald,

In my opinion most people love to give suggestions on what someone else should do, where they should go, and how they should live their life. I believe the people in my life, as well as in each of our lives, simply give suggestions because they truly care and want what’s best for us.

When I receive a suggestion from someone, I will listen intently to that suggestion, and if the suggestion is a good one, I will consider it, even if it goes against my own instincts. Just because I don’t know someone very well doesn’t mean they don’t have my best interests at heart. In sharing my story, I’ve allowed other people to connect with me. It’s just the way I am. Suggestions can be good. Trusting one’s own instincts first is always a must.

I’m not sure what the American Psychiatric Association was thinking when they switched the term Multiple Personality Disorder to Dissociative Identity Disorder, but I would love to hear what their thoughts were when they did.  In my opinion, when the term MPD is used, everyone knows it’s exact meaning. When DID is used, it’s vague and covers a wide range of dissociative disorders, leaving it unclear as to what kind of dissociation a person suffers from. Personally, MPD, or multiplicity, are my choices to explain the illness I suffered and survived.

Thank you for your questions, compliments, and concerns about my well-being. I continue to do the best I can to get through each day. I enjoy the work I do and am inspired to continue on in the hope I will help others through their own personal journeys. Dr. Baer and I worked very hard together to share our story. Sharing my story has given me purpose. I love what I do.

Karen