2. Myth: Depersonalization can turn into schizophrenia. Fact: Depersonalization-derealization disorder and schizophrenia are two distinct illnesses, and one does not turn into the other. Not everyone who experiences a depersonalization or derealization episode has depersonalization-derealization disorder.
Introduction: The phenomena of depersonalisation/derealisation have classically been associated with the initial phases of psychosis, and it is assumed that they would precede (even by years) the onset of clinical psychosis, being much more common in the prodromal and acute phases of the illness.
Derealization symptoms
Symptoms of derealization include: Feelings of being alienated from or unfamiliar with your surroundings — for example, like you're living in a movie or a dream. Feeling emotionally disconnected from people you care about, as if you were separated by a glass wall.
Depersonalization is an anxiety spectrum condition, while Schizophrenia is an organic brain disorder. One cannot lead to the other. One of the most common symptoms of Depersonalization is the constant, intense anxious thinking. It can really wear you down.
Fahr's Syndrome Misdiagnosed as Schizophrenia: A Case Report.
However, unlike personality disorders, with derealization, the individual senses something isn't quite right with their perception of the world - they have some awareness that it's inaccurate. For this reason, derealization can be highly distressing.
Derealization is one of a range of symptoms coexisting in a panic attack. Some youth who have panic attacks don't experience derealization but for those who do, it can cause them to think, “I'm going crazy,” or, “Something is horribly wrong with me.” Fortunately, they are not going crazy and probably are quite healthy.
Someone who is experiencing derealization may feel like the world seems distorted and unreal, as if they're observing it through a veil. They may feel as if a glass wall is separating them from people they care about. This aspect of disassociation can also create distortions in vision and other senses.
3. Myth: Depersonalization is a permanent condition. Fact: Many people recover from depersonalization-derealization disorder, often without treatment. Some mental illnesses are considered lifelong conditions, but this is not the case with depersonalization-derealization.
States of subjective detachment (e.g., depersonalization, derealization, and numbing) may help to create an inner distance to the overwhelming experience by dampening unbearable emotions and reducing conscious awareness of the event.
Causes of Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder
Emotional abuse or neglect during childhood. Physical abuse. Experiencing or witnessing domestic violence. Having a severely impaired or mentally ill parent.
Depersonalization also differs from delusion in the sense that the patient is able to differentiate between reality and the symptoms they may experience. The ability to sense that something is unreal is maintained when experiencing symptoms of the disorder.
Schizophrenic patients have significantly more dissociative symptoms than controls. Moreover, patients with a plus type of schizophrenia show significantly higher levels of dissociation than patients mainly exhibiting less productive symptoms.
Derealization is a mental state where you feel detached from your surroundings. People and objects around you may seem unreal. Even so, you're aware that this altered state isn't normal. More than half of all people may have this disconnection from reality once in their lifetime.
Depersonalization/derealization disorder (DPDR) is a mental health condition in which people feel disconnected from their bodies or sense of self. They may also feel disconnected from other people around them and the outside world in general. DPDR is one of a group of disorders known as dissociative disorders.
As symptoms of a panic disorder, depersonalization and derealization may feel very scary and disturbing, but they aren't considered either dangerous or life-threatening.
A specific type of dissociation—persistent derealization—may put individuals exposed to trauma at greater risk for mental illnesses and functional impairment. Derealization involves feeling detached from people, places, or objects in one's environment.
Schizoaffective disorder.
People with schizoaffective disorder have the same symptoms as people with schizophrenia. But they also have episodes of depression and times when they feel extremely happy or have lots of energy (mania). For more information, see the topics Depression and Bipolar Disorder.
Bipolar is one of the most frequently misdiagnosed mental health issues. Somewhere between 1.4 and 6.4 percent of people worldwide are affected by bipolar disorder. However, it's hard to say which number is more accurate due to the frequency of wrongful diagnosis.
People with a major psychiatric disorder, including severe anxiety or panic disorder, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and schizophrenia, and people with neurological conditions such as migraine and epilepsy, can experience depersonalization as a symptom.
Dissociation, especially depersonalization, has been routinely linked to post-traumatic auditory hallucinations. As a phenomenon, depersonalization may transform mental activity into strange and foreign experiences that manifest as auditory hallucinations.