SO, while I was away....

[victor_kaleb_kay]

I've been gone for almost a year now, due to I was too young to be on the site. But now that I am sixteen, I was told I could come back. I'm so happy to be back and so much has happened since I was gone!

It starts off like this, I'm victor and kaleb and kayla, and I was diagnosed with DID/MPD, which is fancy mumbojumbo for having split personality. I had a triple split before I left here. A day after I left, Victor [he was the newest then] went dormant and My girlfriend and I started to get worried that maybe something was terribly wrong. And then eventually he was okay. And then, only a few days ago, a new split took place and she has come to call herself Mono. We were extremely worried about her because with her forming I had been getting serious headaches and I got a really bad cold that still hasn't totally gone away. We are still worried that she might be bad, but so far, she is just a cute adorable sweet little girl.

But anyway, that's the mental background stuff, not to mention the bipolar depression where I almost killed myself again [great...] and my OCDs have certainly gotten worse

But the issue I come to put up is this: I really want to go onto college and major in psychology. Some people say it's a bad idea because of all the mental-ness that I have on my plate as it is, but others say it's a great idea because then I can really connect with my patients because of my experiences. And, well, I'd really like to know what everyone here thinks about this predicament. So, pm me, post it here, whatever you like. But I would really appreciate the feedback!

Thanks as always everyone!

~VKK [my new nickname so people don't have to ask who it is...]

[randomperson]

I think this is something that you will have to determine for yourself with time.

I think if the illness effects your patients then no, but if it does not, truly does not in any way then suffering through the same type of pains knowing what having a mental illness does to you and what the pains feel like gives you a gift that many in the profession do not have.

I do think studying up in that field would help regardless. To better understand the human mind and better understand your own problems.. what could it hurt am I right

[JaneE]

I say go to school!! Give it a good try! I didn't finish school, but a lot of things I learned in college have very greatly contributed to my quality of life. I've struggled with mental illness and personality disorder my whole life, but even I could have contributed something better than I have. Haha, that sounds like such a cop out! But when I was young I needed support and guidance to have done something like that, I couldn't do it on my own, though I did try later when I was older, and had to quit for other reasons.

I had wanted to be a doctor. Looking back I might be overestimating my abilities, but maybe not! Maybe I'd have been a GREAT doctor!! XD They say the world is run by C students anyway, and that would have to include doctors too, right? In some ways I might have been better than average!!

I think a lot of us with disorders have great insight. Yes we might also have some disordered thoughts, but how can education not help that???

Ah this world. Well I think if you are interested in psychology as a profession you should definitely pursue it. Even if you have Dissociative disorder. Perhaps you'd need an assistant, or you'd have to work within the field in a more limited capacity, but maybe not?

When faced with the choice to get educated or not get educated, I think the choice should always be get educated!! ^_~ And good luck to you and yours

jane

[victor_kaleb_kay]

Thanks for responding and giving me so much confidence. I haven't been on here in awhile and have developed two more splits. [that's DID lingo for...nope it kind of explains itself. nevermind.]

I'm not back in school yet because it's summertime, but I've been working on homework because I'm gonna be in some crazy honours classes this year. And I had homework over the summer! How suckish! Oh well...It's not like it was that difficult or anything. I still have to read a book and write out a journal to go with it and I still have to write an essay for US History...

I don't like school this year....

~DDVKK

[LaLa]

Hi, DDVKK,

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it's 'prohibited' to become a psychologist for anybody having a mental illness - that's what I've read in several places (but not in English, so I can't post links here) .

It's surely good to educate yourself by reading about this field, there are lots of books for patients or just interested people... But I recommend you to think out a good alternative to your dream - another field you would like to study...

You can be very helpful to people even without studying psychology and being a therapist!!! Your insights can be shared at sites like this one and this would be surely very appreciated by many!!

So... is there something you can imagine yourself to study?

Good luck!

L.

[Guest ASchwartz]

Victor and LaLa,

Actually, it is not prohibited to become a psychologist if you have a mental illness. Some of our greatest psychologist had a mental illness and I suggest you read the wonderful autobiographical book by Jameison. She is a psychologist, has bipolar disorder, had it very bad before medication and even hallucinated and was delusional.

So, Victor, if this is something you really want then you can pursue it.

Allan

[58corvette]

Always Giving People HOPE & ALTERNATIVES Allan. THANK YOU.........We ALL Need That!!!!

Best Of Luck VKK. Go After Your Dream & Pursue Your Goal!!!!

[victor_kaleb_kay]

Thanks Allan, that makes me feel a lot better and now I'm definately sure that's what I want to pursue. I think I'll be great at helping others. Thanks for all your help everyone and LaLa, I hope you won't be upset that it turned out that it isn't prohibited. I hope you'll also back me on this.

and thanks 58corvette, I'll do my best. I'll always try to keep you guys updated on events and such. I start school again tomorrow. Junior at last! I'm almost there!

[malign]

KKVDDDVDNS,

{I suggest you start thinking of names that begin with vowels; this is starting to get to be hard to pronounce.} ;-)

I'm not arguing with what you do to cope, but ... the accelerated pace of new names suggests that something is starting to lose its efficacy. Before it gets out of hand, and the list of names is longer than the posts ... would it be worth trying to identify what it is you're coping with, and maybe finding different ways to do it?

[LaLa]

LaLa, I hope you won't be upset that it turned out that it isn't prohibited. I hope you'll also back me on this.

I'm not upset, don't worry . But I have to add that "it turned out that it isn't prohibited" is not entirely true, as it's only true for some countries. As you can see, I'm from Europe. I don't know the rules in other European countries, I just know that in ours, there is a rule that a therapist has to be psychically healthy (I checked it in a trustful source). I don't argue, I just inform you . It would be great if you became a good therapist and I don't say/think it's impossible. The way to become a therapist includes several years of therapy (called training, but it's therapy in fact - just with other purpose than when it concerns a patient) - I hope this is true also for the USA!!! - so... it is even probable that the training will help you with your own problems.

I have to say I agree with Malign - he opened a very important question. As Malign, I don't "attack" anyhow the way your mind copes - I don't criticize anything, I just think (and see, from some of your sentences) that it's hard to have so many personalities and to acquire new and new ones. Even if you don't feel it like a problem, it might cause you problems in your everyday life - and... maybe this could be a reason to think about Malign's question...

[victor_kaleb_kay]

So...who exactly counts as psychologically sound then? Because technically, everyone has some sort of OCD, and that counts as a 'mental disorder', does it not? So then that would further ensue that there would be no psychologists in Europe beause no one is perfectly psychologically sound. Everyone has some discrepencies, that's why we are all different, and there is no real diffinition of perfect.

Yours Truly,

SETh

[malign]

Well, "healthy" and "perfect" are not closely related concepts. No one said you had to be "perfect" to be a therapist. Nor did they specifically say that you can't be multiple, and be a therapist.

But "healthy" would mean that the therapist not be impaired in their functioning as a therapist. What if, say, a non-therapeutically inclined persona were to take over during a session? Just as important would be a situation where one might not be equipped to defend oneself against hurt coming from the client, unless one were healthy. As I understand, it's hard enough even when one is healthy (and I'm not judging whether you are or not; that part I leave up to you.)

Would it be helpful to address what sort of stress might be causing you to continue to split?