Polyfragmented

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Polyfragmented refers to systems with a complex inner structure. There are several definitions and connotations of the term, including the presence of sisasystems, a high member count, or number of fragments. Some definitions mention thresholds of 100+ members or fragments, while some mention as little as 26. Other definitions do not mention member count at all and only refer to sisasystems, layers, etc.

Common Traits
Commonalities among polyfragmented systems are:


 * Complex internal structures like subsystems, sidesystems, and layers
 * Active and detailed inner worlds
 * Co-consciousness being more frequent
 * Splitting easily, both during and after trauma, and splitting multiple fragments at once or in certain patterns
 * A number of "well defined" headmates that may be similar to non-polyfragmented systems, including a relatively small fronting group
 * Internal divisions based on time periods of splitting (epochs)

Multiple numbers have been given for the minimum number of headmates required to be a polyfragmented system; anything from "dozens", 26 , 50+ to at least 100 , which is why the exact number of headmates is less relevant than the other symptoms listed above.

Related Experiences
Several speculations have been noted for what may cause a system to become polyfragmented. Among polyfragmented patients seeking treatment, the following experiences have been observed and are theorized to contribute to or result from polyfragmentation:
 * Long-term trauma that is or was integrated into day-to-day life
 * A history of ritualistic, organized, "creative", or notably "vicious" abuse
 * Lack of non-dissociative coping mechanisms
 * Obsessive symptoms
 * Mass introjection
 * Purposeful exploitation of dissociative responses by abusers.

History
Originally, "complex" and "polyfragmented" were separate terms originating from separate researchers.

"Polyfragmented" originates from Bennett G. Braun in 1986, specifying 100+ parts, most of which are one dimensional.

Richard Kluft defined and studied "complex MPD" in his paper The Phenomenology and Treatment of Extremely Complex Multiple Personality Disorder from 1988 focusing on a little over two dozen cases, despite first being introduced in 1979. The minimum number for his definition is 26, coming from double the upper modal number of alters in a system he found from an earlier study. (Kluft admits it is an arbitrary number.) It covers common patterns within complex systems, treatment outcomes, and highlights some of the cases that exemplify certain points. The paper even includes a table highlighting commonalities.

Eventually, these terms merged into one, but favoring the latter's title (possibly because of the emergence of the Complex Dissociative Disorder label creating a redundancy). The term "super multiple" has appeared in community literature with no known origin as well.

Related Terms
Polyfragmented Dissociative Identity Disorder is the most studied form of this phenomena, with DDNOS being a distant second. Polyfragmented Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder has no clinical recognition but can exist, as OSDD is a reworked version of DDNOS. Poly-synkró is a related term to describe polyfragmented OSDD-1b experiences.

"Complex" in reference to system structure or type (for example, C-DID) can be used in a multitude of ways, but is commonly used as analogous to polyfragmented with a lesser focus on headmate count, similar to the original definition laid out by Kluft. Additionally, "Highly Complex" (HC-DID) has been created by online communities to even further signify a level of intricacy and complexity, due to experiencing programming.

Modular systems are similar to those with polyfragmentation, and can be considered a subtype under some circumstances.

Polyfractal is a term for systems that have an even larger number of headmates than most polyfragmented systems, but is not commonly used, as polyfragmented does not have an upper limit. When a system has many non-fragments, they may prefer polymultiple. For median systems, polyfaceted is a similar term. Polyplural encompasses all of these.

Multifragmented is a less-medicalised alternative or one for system that somewhat but not quite match the definition of polyfragmented.