Dissociative Identity Disorder

Known by the same name among humans, this is actually a thing for many Cykadians too. Specifically, Mist Elementals, because no one treats them right.

Transmission & Vectors

Genetic + enviornment. It isn't infectious, nor can it be transmitted from person to person like a virus. Like all mental illnesses, it is a result of your enviornment. If you're exposed to a lot of trauma before the age of 10, then you're going to develop this. It's why Mist Elementals are particularly affected.

Causes

Experiencing a heck ton of trauma before the age of 10.

Symptoms

Blank spots in memory, chronic headaches before blank spots, occasionally reporting being able to communicate with the person in your head, personality changes that happen during memory gaps. Standard DID symptoms that you'd see in humans.

Treatment

There is no treatment really, except trying to help the patient integrate the weirdness that is now their life. Antidepressants and therapy help deal with the trauma and reduce the need for the alters to come out, but only if done properly. And this is Cykadia we're talking about. If you want good therapy, you can't be a Mist Elemental.

Prognosis

Good news: you're not gonna die from it! It's non-fatal, and with proper therapy can mostly go away!
Bad news: Because the only way to get this is by experiencing vast amounts of childhood trauma, you're gonna have a lot of mental scars and co-morbid issues. In addition to all of that, you're likely going to be even more traumatised because you're very likely a Mist Elemental, and Mist Elementals don't deserve help.

Sequela

If you develop DID, you're likely going to have some other issues along with it. Namely, depression, PTSD/C-PTSD, anxiety, AvPD, and something very similar to OCD but isn't. One of the most common complications of DID is being exposed to even more trauma which only serves to worsen the problem.

Affected Groups

Mist Elementals

Prevention

Nurturing childhood environment!!!!!?!

History

The first reccorded case actually turned up in Merlaya Cyrin's daughter, Dialyy Cyrin. Dialyy was adopted out of an extremely abusive household at the age of 7, and she developed DID within the first three years that she stayed with Merlaya.

Cultural Reception

Since it's commonly found among Mist Elementals, the people Cykadians despise the most, it's usually scorned and people who have it might wind up in a mental institution. Among Mist Elementals, people with this are accepted and considered normal, and it's considered eggregiously rude not to try to help someone first developing it.

Type

Mental

Origin

Magical

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired & Congenital

Rarity

Unique

Affected Species

• Cykadian