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depersonalization versus derealization
have you ever felt detached from the
world or felt like you don't belong in
your own body when you look down at your
hands
depersonalization and derealization is a
psychological disorder in which this
experience is intense and prolonged
about 50% of the general population have
come across at least one of these
experiences in their lifetime but only
roughly 2% are actually diagnosed with
the disorder
it occurs equally in men and women and
can start as early as one's early or
middle years but the two terms
depersonalization and derealization are
often mixed up and misunderstood even
though they're often grouped together so
what's the difference
depersonalization is when you feel cut
off from yourself when you feel like a
robot or like you're not in control of
your own movements you're experiencing
depersonalization people with
depersonalization disorder don't feel
like themselves and struggle with
feeling in tune with their emotions
these patients may feel like they're an
outside observer of their own lives they
feel disconnected from their memories
and may not remember them clearly most
of the time they have out-of-body
experiences because they don't feel
grounded in their own bodies symptoms of
out-of-body experiences include hearing
undefined sounds such as a train going
by or soft murmurs and feeling like
you're sinking into a bed while your
body feels Naumann out of control d
realization is when you feel cut off
from the world patients who experience
symptoms of d realization feel as if
they're in a dream or as if there's a
glass wall or veil that's separating
them from their surroundings the world
feels funny and distorted objects around
them can feel and appear smaller or
larger than they actually are
surroundings may also be blurry or
unusually clear sounds can seem louder
and more overwhelming and time can feel
like it's slowing down or going too fast
the causes and treatment methods for
both depersonalization
d realization are similar anxiety and
depression are common in patients with
depersonalization and derealization
they're often developed in people who
have experienced severe stress in their
lifetime which includes but not limited
to being emotionally abused or neglected
during childhood physical abuse
witnessing domestic violence having a
severely impaired or mentally ill parent
and having a loved one died unexpectedly
symptoms of this disorder can also be
triggered by severe stress from toxic
relationships financial concerns and
work to get diagnosed for this disorder
one may get a doctor's evaluation take
questionnaires or tests and undergo
specifically structured interviews a
physical examination and urine tests are
also done to make sure other mental
health disorders seizure disorders and
substance abuse are ruled out this
disorder is diagnosed when symptoms last
for a long time or recur over time it's
important to note that getting brief and
temporary episodes of these symptoms
does not necessarily mean you have
depersonalization or deep realization
instead you may just be going through a
highly stressful situation to get
treated for depersonalization and
derealization many patients undergo
psychotherapy treatment of this disorder
must address all stresses associated
with an individual's triggers this may
help the patient become self aware and
give them the ability to take careful
measures to prevent the next stressful
episode in their life cognitive
techniques can also be used to help lock
obsessive thinking about the unreal
state of being and grounding techniques
can encourage the individual to use
their five senses to feel more connected
with themselves in the real world did
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other psychological disorders would you
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