Alter Identity Syndrome (ALTIDS)

(Similar terms: outcast / alienation syndrome. Imposter spirit or phantom body syndrome)

A lifelong condition where you have one or more different identities from your physical body, but neither meet the diagnostic criteria for psychosis, dissociative identity disorder (DID) or other specified dissociative disorder. Nor it is just an alter ego or buisiness persona. Also, it can't be explained by any disorder in the DSM. (Just its own unique condition).

(e.g: 'I don't have psychosis or clinical DID-just Alter Identity Syndrome (ALTIDS)!')

(Notes:

ALTIDS isn't a psychotic illness, but a unique way of thinking, perceiving, expressing and identifying.

Unlike psychosis, in ALTIDS, you kind of believe the alter is real, but know it's not physical. You are still very much grounded in reality around you.

Unlike an alter ego or buisiness persona, in ATLIDS, you strongly identity with your alter/s all or most of the time-not just for your buisiness and kind of believe it's real, while staying grounded in the reality around you as I mentioned before.

Unlike DID, ALTIDS can form during adolescents / adulthood and isn't necessarily caused by trauma, including during childhood).

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Alter Identity Syndrome (ALTIDS) by Diana Lucius DeCollis July 20, 2026