#also note that the symptoms im observing can be explained by all manner of things but electrolyte problems are very much possible for reaso

[otherworldlyaffection]

HI!!! Im this is really random and stupid but how did you know you had osdd - b1? i’m really questioning if i have it myself or if i’m just really delusional with mood swings and making it all up… i dont know. If this makes you uncomfortable or you don’t know how to reply then feel free to ignore.

I think the OSDD-1B experience varies highly from person-to-person. Most of my headmates don’t have the typical purposes to the system, rather having specific internal struggles they individually need to work through, because (in my system) other alters will not experience the same issue as another. I also would not resort to labeling anything or self-diagnosing unless you are absolutely sure you have it after ruling everything out OR, better, plan on getting diagnosed someday/getting help for whatever it is, even if it’s not what you think. I AM ALSO NOT AN EXPERT BY ANY MEANS! The symptoms listed below are simply observations I have made that seem to track with OSDD-1B’s diagnostic criteria. Do not use the symptoms given as medical advice, rather just something to explain your experiences or understand yourself better! This is how we personally figured we were a system.

We can’t remember how we first found out, but we do know what specific signs we experience that are explained pretty well by OSDD-1B. I am also pretty lazy and crashing out right now so this will unfortunately be a bit short. But do DM me if you need help identifying this better.

1. Difference in handwriting

I notice that “my” handwriting is never quite consistent, often flip-flopping between “fonts.” Right before I noticed that my handwriting was even changing, I felt I had ‘switched’ into a completely different person. The first time this happened, I remembered thinking something like, “I was not writing like this a second ago. What the fuck”

2. Mannerisms

Our friends have noted that our body language and mannerisms seem to change sporadically. Not quite switching between a few types of body languages within a few minutes, moreso a few hours or a few days— this estimate is unreliable however, as sometimes we can go full school-days without switching once.

3. Voices that are not yours

NOT a schizophrenia thing, however this did nearly get us diagnosed with it when we were only 14. Alters may mentally speak out of term? Turn? While they are not in front in response to certain stimuli from other people/situations. This happened a few times before we discovered OSDD was a possibility— voices that do not sound like your internal speaking voice trying to respond or advise you to do certain things. Say I am in a jealous BPD episode. I may hear 💔’s (headmate, not naming due to anonymity AKA I don’t want any of my IRLs to know who is behind this account LOL.) voice telling me to cut them off, break up with them, kill them, or get back at them for whatever they did. In response I may think “No, I love them too much. I can’t do that”, and I will hear her tell me I’m lame or something.

4. Inconsistent identity as a whole

This symptom could be confused with BPD’s identity disturbance. If you find yourself changing your name/identity/style every week and not going back to previous identities or styles you may have had, it’s possibly it could be identity disturbance. If you find yourself changing your name/identity/style about every few months or weeks or so and rotating between previous identities and current identities, I might not rule out a dissociative disorder. In our experience, our identity tends to, for the most part, change approx. every 6 months to a year. Since finding out we were possibly a system, though, it’s been easier to identify what’s going on— some alters take more autonomy and control than others, and as such, most of our identity changes were due to a change in a host.

Sidenote: Experiencing mood swings vs. experiencing completely different identities every so often (OR any of the symptoms that I felt like typing) are VERY different experiences. It is important to note that a depressed mood can change your outlook on the world and thus seem like an entirely different person than how you usually are, and on the flip side, experiencing mania/euphoria can induce the same effect. To be short with symptoms: Varying levels of empathy, cognitive awareness, maturity, different handwriting styles, varying levels of motivation, and different perceptions of the world at different points are all signs of OSDD-1B. (In our experience, at least… this may not all resonate for other systems especially in different experiences, but it’s moreso a general idea kind of thing.)