What’s the difference between PTSD and DID?
Jesse Hanson, Ph.D.
– Written by
Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.
– Updated on September 7, 2025
Question
Hi,
I read the previous question about diagnosis of PTSD vs. DID. My therapist also diagnosed me with PTSD. However, I do hear voices, like loud thoughts in my head, and they can carry on a lengthy dialogue. This particular part talks to me a lot, and there have been times where I feel possessed by her. When another person comes out, I go to a place like in my head and hide in the distance. It’s like she’s in the drivers seat and I’m in the back seat. She buys things I do not like, and she does things I hate. The therapist even admits she comes out in therapy, at times, plus I feel different when she does, like another person.
Anyway, his diagnosis is PTSD. He also feels once the abuse is dealt with, her volume should diminish greatly, and she won’t take over as much. Are these symptoms of DID or PTSD?
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Answer
You are diagnosed with PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and you experience Dissociative symptoms that your therapist diagnosed as DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder. You report that you also hear voices that you experience as thoughts in your head. Your question is whether you have symptoms of DID or PTSD. The most probable answer is that you have co-occurring symptoms. In other words, you have PTSD and a Dissociative Disorder.
Dissociation is a way for the mind to escape overwhelming trauma. Through dissociation a person alters their state of conscious. There are many accounts of political prisoners, Holocaust survivors, people trapped in mines when they collapse, and etc. surviving altering their conscious so that they can live in an alternate world until the trauma passes. At it’s worst, dissociation becomes Dissociative Identity Disorder, sometimes known as Multiple Personality Disorder. In this, the individual escapes the present by becoming someone else with a different name and a different set of talents and abilities. In this shift of identity, amnesia may occur about the previous identity. Usually, this shifting personality is temporary. In addition, it is possible for a person to have more than one personality.
Having said all of this, it is also important to understand that a high percentage of those with PTSD also experience hallucinations, in which they hear voices that do not exist in reality.
For you, the question is not whether you have PTSD vs. DID but whether you have hallucinations along with DID and PTSD? By the way, I apologize for the alphabet soup.
Therefore, its possible that the voices you report are a result of dissociating. It’s also possible that these are symptoms of a psychotic illness brought on by the trauma. If these are psychotic symptoms you may need anti psychotic medication. Hallucinations in causing harm to yourself or others if the voices tell you to commit these types of violent acts.
Your psychotherapist is in the best position to diagnose what is going on with you. I suggest that you ask your therapist about this as a way of clarifying your confusion about difficult psychiatric matters.
Best of Luck
Best of Luck
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We are a health technology company that guides people toward self-understanding and connection. The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities. Its purpose is to educate, support, and empower people in their pursuit of well-being.
Jesse Hanson, Ph.D., is a somatic psychologist with more than 20 years of experience in clinical psychology and neuropsychology.
Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. is a medical writer with more than 30 years of clinical experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He writes on a wide range of mental health topics, including mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, trauma, abuse, stress, and relationship challenges.
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Jesse Hanson, Ph.D.
– Written by
Allan Schwartz, Ph.D.
– Updated on September 7, 2025
Additional Reading
The Clinical Affairs Team at MentalHealth.com is a dedicated group of medical professionals with diverse and extensive clinical experience. They actively contribute to the development of content, products, and services, and meticulously review all medical material before publication to ensure accuracy and alignment with current research and conversations in mental health. For more information, please visit the Editorial Policy.
We are a health technology company that guides people toward self-understanding and connection. The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities. Its purpose is to educate, support, and empower people in their pursuit of well-being.