Depersonalization Disorder (DPD) Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

What Is Depersonalization Disorder?

Depersonalization disorder (DPD) is a mental disorder in which the sufferer has persistent or recurrent feelings of depersonalization and/or derealization.

It occurs when one persistently or repeatedly has the feeling that they are observing themselves from outside the body or have a sense that things around them aren’t real, or both.

Feelings of depersonalization and derealization can be very disturbing and may feel like one is dreaming.

Causes Of Depersonalization Disorder:

The definite cause of DPD is unknown.

However, it may be related to:

Childhood trauma, such as:
verbal
emotional abuse
witnessing domestic violence
Growing up with a significantly impaired mentally ill parent
Suicide or unexpected death of a close friend or family member
Severe stress, such as:
relationship,
financial
work-related problems
Severe trauma, such as a car accident

Symptoms Of Depersonalization Disorder:

Some common symptoms of DPD include the following:

Feelings that you’re an outside observer of your thoughts, feelings, your body or parts of your body, perhaps as if you were floating in air above yourself
Feeling like a robot or that you’re not in control of your speech or movements
The sense that your body, legs or arms appear distorted, enlarged or shrunken, or that your head is wrapped in cotton
Emotional or physical numbness of your senses or responses to the world around you
A sense that your memories lack emotion
Feelings of being alienated from or unfamiliar with your surroundings, perhaps like you’re living in a movie
Feeling emotionally disconnected from people you care about, as if you were separated by a glass wall
Surroundings that appear distorted, blurry, colorless, two-dimensional or artificial, or a heightened awareness and clarity of your surroundings
Distortions in perception of time, such as recent events feeling like distant past
Distortions of distance and the size and shape of objects

Diagnosis Of Depersonalization Disorder:

DPD can be diagnosed if one fulfills the DSM criteria.

The criteria include the following points:

Longstanding or recurring feelings of being detached from one’s mental processes or body, as if one is observing them from the outside or in a dream.
Reality testing is unimpaired during depersonalization
Depersonalization causes significant difficulties or distress at work, or social and other important areas of life functioning.
Depersonalization does not only occur while the individual is experiencing another mental disorder, and is not associated with substance use or a medical illness.