Otherkin identity and psychological disorders?

Are you diagnosed with a psychological disorder?

What is it, and what is your otherkin identity?

Do you think that the two are linked at all? If so, why and how?

For instance, I have general anxiety disorder, and I identify as hawk. I feel the two are somewhat linked; I even call some anxiety attacks "birdpanic", where my brain goes wordless and my senses are on high alert and I'm experiencing sensory overload. Focusing on my physical body rather than the bird-shift, focusing on hands/fingers/knees/normal human positioning of limbs, focusing on words/human-mind, can often bring me out of the anxiety attack.

Now, I'm not saying that one causes the other. But framing my anxiety as "birdpanic" gives me useful coping skills with which to deal with the anxiety. Such skills (essentially body awareness and mindfulness) are also normal therapeutic techniques (dialectical behavioral techniques, really), so could have nothing to do with birdness at all. But it's nonetheless useful to me to frame it in terms of birdness, because it helps me remember to use those skills and it works for me.

How about the lot of you?

I have spent a period of time with a psychologist and a psychiatrist discussing both my belief in Otherkin and seeing if there was any psychological disorder as well as to determine if I was suffering from depression. The result was negative on both aspects.

I believe I am an Incarnate Angel.

Wish I could contribute more, I know others who suffer mental disorders and are Otherkin, but I have not been diagnosed with anything thus far.

I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I don't believe it has much to be with being 'kin: there's a history of anxiety disorders on both sides of my family, and I believe my dad probably has bipolar disorder as well.

It's actually gotten better since I accepted my otherkin identity and started connecting with that part of myself more though, which is nice. I believe a lot of my symptoms were exacerbated by me trying to "split" myself into a kin-self and my "normal"-self.

Dysthymial and "gender identity disorder".

Major Depression and possible Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder (Advanced Sleep Phase type) - we haven't been diagnosed or tested but we're responding well to melatonin. It looks like we would also meet the criteria for DDNOS if our plurality were considered to interfere with one or more life functions. However, we don't perceive the plurality or the sleep issues as disorders; we perceive them as areas where society has a problem with the way we naturally function. But, again, not diagnosed, and for that we have less professional verification that we would probably meet the diagnosis.

Some of our perceived vampiric traits disappeared or were reduced when we were finally treated for depression. I think the remainder of the vampiric traits (Kheprian Counselor style but not able to function well in that role ritually) and the elvan stuff are more likely related to personal history - family of origin issues, social isolation, all that - if they're purely psychological/allegorical.

-Kearil

I'm a shadow, and I have no mental or psychological disorders.

I jokingly say "I'm a bit OCD" . . . this means that when I tried to crawl under a gate beside a bar and my friends stole and hid my shoes, when I found the left one, I couldn't put it on until I'd found the right one. That's a faaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrr way away from an actual disorder that causes discomfort in day to day living.

I'm sure a psychoanalyst could have lots of fun with me, but I think most psychoanalysis is BS anyway, so it's all good.

I'm Otherkin, I've seen a mental counselor with my family, and he said I had no major issues. (I even told him about my headmates, which he didn't see as an issue either, since they tended to help rather than hinder me, if anything. Tho this was before Domah made himself obvious.) I sometimes see things other people don't when I'm stressed, which may be a sign of Schizotypal Personality Disorder, but I've never been diagnosed with anything.

I might be the oddest person without any actual mental disorders.

I'd like to mention that I've been diagnosed.
No self-diagnosing here.

I've been treated for depression but I think the reason the doctor agreed with my self diagnosis at the time was that I'd just had a grandparent die and I was sitting there with tears welling up. He put me on the 'cat-dose' of paxil and when I figured out I that I A) Could manage my mood swings without it and B) Had more of a danger from FORGETTING to take the pills than benefit from taking them I got weaned off them. May end up using them again some day but this runs in my family---as far as I know my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were not all incarnate angels suffering from home-sickness deluxe. Personally, I think we're just a bunch of crazy depressed bitches with psychic tendencies that run in the family.

I've never been diagnosed with any mental disorders, but then, I've never been tested since there really was no reason. Like most children, I had (and still do) a hard time focusing and concentrating on certain things; usually schoolwork and being given specific instructions. It's possible that I have a form of attention deficit disorder. However, mental disorders are not hereditary in my family so other than having to work extra hard with schoolwork and often ask people to repeat or clarify things for me, it hasn't effected my life. And I doubt having a terrible short term memory counts as a mental disorder!