Overview

• Recurrent episodes in which a person has sensations of unreality of one’s own body or surroundings

• Feelings dominate and interfere with life functioning

• Only diagnosed if primary problem involves depersonalization and derealization

  • Similar symptoms may occur in the context of other disorders, including panic disorder and PTSD

DSM-5 Criteria

• Persistent or recurrent experiences of depersonalization, derealization, or both

• Reality testing is intact

• Symptoms cause significant distress

• Not result of substance us

• Not better explained otherwise

Features

• Cognitive deficits in attention, short-term memory, spatial reasoning

• Easily distractable

• Difficulty absorbing new information

• Reduced emotional responding

• May have dysregulation of HPA axis in brain

Facts and Statistics

• High comorbidity with anxiety and mood disorders

• 1 to 3% of the population

• Onset is typically in adolescence

• Usually runs a lifelong chronic course

• Having a history of trauma makes this disorder more likely to manifest

Treatment

• Research is very scarce

• No systematic research on psychological treatments

• Trial of antidepressant (Prozac) showed no effect above placebo