I was speaking to my other half today regarding Andrea when we both noticed ourselves talking about her in the third person. But she and I are one in the same. I have cross dressed in secret for years and only recently told my wife and that's when we gave my alter ego a name. Don't get me wrong I don't feel like I am mad but when discussing Andrea in the third person I cant help feeling a little bonkers at times do any of you feel like this or is it something you get used to?
Hi Andrea, sometimes I think using the term schizophrenic is an understatement, at least for me. I've noticed lately that when I'm out shopping for Lara in drab, I find myself talking to myself about her as if she were someone I know instead of someone I am. See what I'm mean. If being schizo means not being able to tell the difference between what is real and what is not, it doesn't apply so much.
If you assign the meaning of dissociative identity disorder, uh-huh, fits me now and again. I occasionally have to look down at what I'm wearing to remember who I'm being. I know that's nuts, but I already know I'm nuts. But I'm having a good time cracking up!
nice one LaraPeterson im laughing at your response and my wife too is having a good time cracking up. Brilliant
No! I think if you are a schizophrenic cross dresser you wouldn't be coming to this site because you'd be thinking you're not a cross dresser. I think that may make sense. What do you think Stephanie????
I think for some people, Lara, that might be part of what's enjoyable. Most people prefer consonance, and that's why many people might choose to crossdress (those with strong transsexual tendencies perhaps); however, I think some people like a small degree of dissonance as well, so the little shocks can be enjoyable. For example, forgetting you painted your nails, and then accidentally noticing that you did. And some people just like mutating their brains, as a means of exploration and personal growth. So, no idea if that applies to you, but I don't think it's crazy at all. It's only a problem if one truly loses track.
Of course, what is real and what one should keep track of, isn't so clear. After all, I'm pretty sure there's no genetic predisposition that says men cannot wear dresses, and yet people seem to act like it's a big deal.
As Andrea's original post though, not sure what I thnk. But Bob Dole thinks that Bob Dole considers third-person addresses of Bob Dole pretty normal. Bob Dole....
Yes!!! and now I'm never alone. And now that it's fashionable to use one of those idiotic bluetooth headsets, you can talk to yourself all you want, and everybody thinks you're on the phone.-Celeste
No, I feel like the male and femme in me are one in the same person. But when I'm in drab, my wife will ask me a queston about Steph, as in, "Do you think Steph would like this?" It feels kinda wierd. When I'm out and using a public restrooom, sometimes I do need to look down see how I am presenting, and thus if I am headed into the correct room.
Stephanie
In reality cross dressers exhibit slight personality alterations in their “femme” role, but in general, their personalities only change to the extent that many people’s do when assuming different roles in life, i.e. CEO, husband, father.
According to the revised fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, three diagnostic criteria must be met:
1.Characteristic symptoms: Two or more of the following, each present for much of the time during a one-month period (or less, if symptoms remitted with treatment).
Delusions
Hallucinations
Disorganized speech, which is a manifestation of formal thought disorder
Grossly disorganized behavior (e.g. dressing inappropriately, crying frequently) or catatonic behavior
Negative symptoms: Blunted affect (lack or decline in emotional response), alogia (lack or decline in speech), or avolition (lack or decline in motivation)
If the delusions are judged to be bizarre, or hallucinations consist of hearing one voice participating in a running commentary of the patient's actions or of hearing two or more voices conversing with each other, only that symptom is required above. The speech disorganization criterion is only met if it is severe enough to substantially impair communication.
2.Social or occupational dysfunction: For a significant portion of the time since the onset of the disturbance, one or more major areas of functioning such as work, interpersonal relations, or self-care, are markedly below the level achieved prior to the onset.
3.Significant duration: Continuous signs of the disturbance persist for at least six months. This six-month period must include at least one month of symptoms (or less, if symptoms remitted with treatment).
If signs of disturbance are present for more than a month but less than six months, the diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder is applied. Psychotic symptoms lasting less than a month may be diagnosed as brief psychotic disorder, and various conditions may be classed as psychotic disorder not otherwise specified. Schizophrenia cannot be diagnosed if symptoms of mood disorder are substantially present (although schizoaffective disorder could be diagnosed), or if symptoms of pervasive developmental disorder are present unless prominent delusions or hallucinations are also present, or if the symptoms are the direct physiological result of a general medical condition or a substance, such as abuse of a drug or medication.
If you feel that you are having any of these symptoms, please seek professional help. Also note, crossdressing is not on the list.
National Institute of Mental Health
What is schizophrenia?
------------------------------
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. About 1 percent of Americans have this illness.1
People with the disorder may hear voices other people don't hear. They may believe other people are reading their minds, controlling their thoughts, or plotting to harm them. This can terrify people with the illness and make them withdrawn or extremely agitated.
People with schizophrenia may not make sense when they talk. They may sit for hours without moving or talking. Sometimes people with schizophrenia seem perfectly fine until they talk about what they are really thinking.
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From your post, it sounds to me more like you are asking if crossdressers might be dissociative rather than schizophrenic. There is a wide range of dissociative behavior and speaking of your female identity is more of a mild dissociative thing than a schizophrenic thing.
I also sometimes think of Deedee in the third person - I don't think that is bonkers. I think it is a fairly simple way to distinguish between what I feel are 'normal male' behavior and behavior that I don't think 'normal males' (whatever that means) generally indulge in. While I sometimes speak of Deedee in the third person, I don't feel I am a different person when I'm dressed and 'being' Deedee.
Deedee :being me:
It's not wrong... but it is forbidden!
That was kind of my point, too, Jorja - the word schizophrenia has a vastly different medical meaning than the way it is generally used in conversation. I would say that most crossdressers do not fit the standard definition of 'normal' rather than some scary psychological terms to us.Originally Posted by Jorja
Deedee
It's not wrong... but it is forbidden!
Well if "we" are, so is Dr, Victor Von Doom. He always talks about himself in the third person.( It's all Reed Richards' fault)
Second star to the right and straight on till morning
I certainly hope that this is not in any way serious. After years of being listed as a mental illness we really don't need to reinforce it in our own community.
But when you talk about yourself in the third person it isn't anything more than making sure that the person you are speaking about the person you see when you are dressed. Otherwise it would be confusing....right?
The earth is the mother of all people and all people should have equal rights upon it.
Chief Joseph
Nez Perce
“Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.” - Fred Rogers,
I come to the site and am a paranoid shizo with bi polar. Type 2 Schizo Affective specifically. But I'm medicated quite well. The definitions posted above are real schizophrenic stuff. Just talking to yourself or about yourself in the 3rd person doesn't signify a mental disorder. That being said I have heard that being a transsexual like myself is symptomatic of what I have. I don't think it should be as there are plenty of mentally sound people who are TS or CD's. But there is evidence that it is quite common among people with moderate to severe mental issues... as I've read at least.
Last edited by Sylvermane; 01-15-2013 at 07:34 PM.
How often do you daydream about finding a genie's lamp...
mental illness seems to be a concern for many people, including crossdressers like me and you.
i have referred to myself in the third person before in conversations concerning my crossdressing and transgender feelings. i have to laugh at myself, it's the newness of it combined with new reference points and new vocabulary. some things i can't assimilate, so i have to accommodate for them until they make sense to me, just like any other new situation.
the 'Pearl' folder in my mental filing cabinet has lots of stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else, and sometimes she feels like a separate person to me. i like her. i want her around, and i am very lucky, because the woman i love wants her around too.
Schizophrenia is a very ugly malady. I once had a brother who sufferred from it. It does not make you feel like two people at all. Referring to your girl side is not even close.
All I ever wanted was to be a girl. Is that really asking too much?
Not in my view its just a convenient was to compartmentalize the different presentations of self.
Oh wow, this is good. I don't need meds, I just need a bluetooth headset. No more strange looks and I can act like I know what the h*** I'm talking about.
My feminine "persona" is barely separate from my masculine "persona". The only reason I use the name "Sarah" on is that I prefer to avoid using my real name -- that's all. I generally just feminize my own name, and barely, because it's mostly gender-neutral, and feel I'm only being myself. I always speak in first person when referring to my behaviors and experiences. However, if it's compartmentalized under another name, that doesn't make you crazy -- it just means you prefer the other approach.
"None is more cruel and violent than the coward"
-Italian economist and sociologist Vilfredo Pareto-
I'm proud that my wife and I consider Tina to be a separate personality, because she is, and we see nothing wrong with that. I'm clearly not in the majority, but some of us seem to have major sections of our brains that are devoted to our feminine selves. My wife calls it, "two applications running on the same database". Not only does Tina have different likes and dislikes, but she's primarily left handed! My male side is primarily right handed. I know that sounds wierd but I'm not making it up!
My wife has even asked me the same kinds of questions in both genders, as she thought the answers might not be the same, as she really sees Tina as looking at issues from a feminine perspective. Well, not all the answers were different, but some were.
We don't view this as abnormal at all. After all, how does one learn about one's feminine self without letting her blossum on her own...hence my bi-line on this forum
Viva la difference!
When I was still struggling with my trans identity, I thought I might be schizophrenic. But schizophrenia is a really serious illness that gets worse with time, and being trans or ts or cross dressing is a perfectly healthy way of expressing your inner gender(s), and seems to get better with self-reflection and authentic expression (whether that's dressing, hormones, surgery, you name it). Here's how I solved my dilemma: You could be any number of different genders, AND be schizophrenic. But they are separate issues. If you think you are truly schizophrenic, you should go see a therapist and a psychiatrist, or else it will only get worse. But part of your treatment plan should include allowing yourself to express whatever sense of gender you have in a way that is healthy for you.
Speaking for myself, my drag self has a separate name from me and my birth name (which is androgynous so I've kept it). She's called 'Princess Preach' (not the real name, you think I'd give out my real drag name, for shame), and she's fabulous. Her hair is so high, people come to her to pray. You know, cos it brings them closer to the heavens? I think, "I should get this wig for when I'm performing as Princess Preach." Or, "These heels would make make Princess Preach's dance moves super on point." Like other people are saying, our culture teaches us that anything other than having one static self is bad or unstable. But that's simply not true in my opinion. I think it's perfectly natural to have different identities or personae that you go to when you need them. It shows that you are an adaptable and flexible person, and to me, that means you are probably a strong person if you can deal with that. As long as you're not blacking out and waking up to discover you've robbed a bank or something. Then you probably need a different kind of help. And a lawyer.
When I dress, I'm me with a dress on.
When I become Sherry, she's usually me. But once in a while, she's as different as she looks!
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
I think of my self as being 2 people in one body. That is not being schizophrenic at all. At least not according to medical definitions! When I am dressed completely enfemme I am like docrobby. Ususally I am Stephanie, but sometimes..........................!!
Stephanie
Lady on the outside, but man underneath!
I do it all the time. Kim doesn't like it but I will talk about myself that way if I want....oops....
I think I am Kim. I have a male and female side but although I do talk about "Kim" as a different person I know she isn't. She's just a part of me. One and the same. But it's force of habit I think.
Last edited by Kimberlyfaye; 01-16-2013 at 12:03 AM.
I've always been the kind of girl that hid my face, so afraid to tell the world, what I've got to say. But I have this dream bright inside of me. No more hiding who I wanna be. This is me.
Wait until they have a fight in there.I do it all the time. Kim doesn't like it but I will talk about myself that way if I want....
I think I am Kim. I have a male and female side but although I do talk about "Kim" as a different person I know she isn't. She's just a part of me. One and the same. But it's force of habit I think.
FYI, I have ADD, and a hearing condition that I was born with called Otosclerosis.
....no, I am not schizophrenic,or me either.
I just happen to prefer womens' clothes.
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