Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder

Ashley Curtis has dissociative identity disorder, which makes him feel like his world is small.

An assistance dog changed his life.

Now, a decision by the National Disability Insurance Scheme threatens his independence.

Ashley's first 50 years are just memories and unclear thoughts.

He feels like he's trying to understand someone else's life.

Ashley says, 'I wasn't there.'

'What I know doesn't belong to me,' he says.

Ashley had a good life with a family and a job, but it's all unclear to him now.

He was a cyclist and a mentor, but now they're all strangers to him.

Ashley has no memory of his past life.

Only recently has Ashley started going outside with his assistance dog.

His world was getting bigger, but now he faces another challenge.

It's been 13 years since Ashley had a breakdown that changed his life.

Ashley's partner, Rowena, says, 'When Ashley fell apart.'

Rowena wasn't there, but she knows more about it than Ashley.

Ashley had a seizure in a car, and it was the start of his mental health issues.

He was diagnosed with many conditions, including dissociative identity disorder.

Rowena says the diagnosis came after many visits to mental health specialists.

No one wanted to help Ashley because his needs were too much.

One specialist said, 'I wish you well,' but couldn't help.

Ashley's condition is complex and started when he was young.

He calls his 'alters' his 'parts,' and they're like his inner child.

Ashley's parts help him deal with traumatic memories.

For years, Ashley's triggers were common, and he couldn't do everyday things.

He would dissociate when someone knocked on the door or called.

Ashley's assistance dog, Ellie, helps him avoid triggers and stay safe.

Ellie is trained to stop Ashley from dissociating and to keep him grounded.

Ashley can now go outside and run with Ellie's help.

He's winning running competitions and feeling more independent.

Ashley loves running and the social part of it, but it's still a challenge.

Late last year, Ashley was told the NDIA would no longer fund his assistance dog.

The NDIA said Ellie didn't meet their criteria, and there wasn't enough evidence that assistance dogs help people like Ashley.

Ashley feels that the NDIA didn't understand what Ellie does for him.

He's stuck at home without Ellie and can't leave without her.

The NDIA said assistance animals are a day-to-day living cost, not directly related to disability support needs.

Ashley is not asking for more money, just for the money allocated to be spent on what helps him.

The decision to stop funding Ellie's care was surprising to Ashley's psychologist, Dr. Gemmel.

Dr. Gemmel wrote a report explaining the benefits of Ellie, but the NDIA didn't seem to consider it.

Ashley is now going through the Administrative Review Tribunal process again.

The system is challenging for people with disabilities to navigate without lawyers.

Ashley describes the process as 'dealing with a square wheel.'

He worked hard to get where he is and doesn't want to go back to a dark place.

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