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Amelia Passias

Mr. Maite

HumanitiesVII-4B

2 March 2015

Depersonalization Disorder
Depersonalization disorder is when you have periods of feeling
disconnected or detached from your body, thoughts, and even the world
(Depersonalization and Cleveland Clinic). Some people say that it feels like
you have no sense of reality or it also feels very dreamlike and may have
an uncanny strangeness. Then you feel like this you are feeling one of the
main symptoms called de-realization (Noll). An episode of depersonalization
is normally during a panic attack or following a traumatic or stressful
experience (Depersonalization).

There are many different symptoms including feeling like you are an
outsider looking into your thoughts, feelings, your body or body parts. It may
also feel like you are floating on air above or beside yourself. You could also
feel like a robot or that you have no control over what you say or do. To a
person without this disorder some of the symptoms may seem unimaginable

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such as when they have the sense that their body, legs, or arms appear
distorted, enlarged or shrunken, or that their head is wrapped in cotton. They
can also feel emotional and physical numbness of your senses or responses
to the world around you. They can also sense that your memories dont have
that much emotion, and they may or may not be your own memories (Mayo
Clinic). A symptom called depersonalization can also be happen to normal
individuals when they have sleep deprivation, are using certain anesthetics,
during experimental conditions in a laboratory, and emotionally stress full
situations (Depersonalization).

There are many different reasons that are believed to cause

depersonalization disorder. Many researchers think that this disease is the
aftermath of someone being abused as a child. In the past few years many
symptoms of depersonalization disorder have been linked to differences in
the brain and in the way it functions. A group of British researchers found
that the emotional detachment portion of depersonalization that
characterizes it is associated with a lower level of nerve cell responses in
regions of the brain that are responsible for emotional feeling and increased.
Even with all of the research being done the causes of this disorder are not
fully understood(Depersonalization).

Not many people have this disorder. Only 200,000 people in the
general population in the United States are affected by it (ieTherapy) There

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are twice as many women with the disorder than man. About a third of
people exposed to any life-threating dangers develop brief periods of this
disorder. This is the same as about 40% of psychiatric inpatients. Many
people think that this disorder is the same as or similar to depression. There
were tests done by American researchers that showed that patients with
depersonalization disorder can be clearly distinguished from the patients
with major depression. This happens by tests of the functioning of the HPA
axis. This disorder can be classified as one of the dissociative disorders. It is
also its own distinct diagnosis category and should not be considered one
form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Depersonalization disorder is
sometimes called depersonalization neurosis (Depersonalization).
This disorder is curable. Many people recover from this disorder. Most
people recover completely, particularly people who develop this disorder
because of traumas that can be resolved in treatment. Sometimes this can
be resolved on its own. If the symptoms are persistent, recurring, or
upsetting it is recommended to go to treatment. There are many medicines
that have been proven helpful including benzodiazepine and tranquilizers
such as lorazepam, clorazeplate, alprazolam, and tricyclic. You can also use
antidepressants such as amitriptyline, cloxepin, and desipramine. There is no
one form of psychotherapy that is effective treating all patients
(Depersonalization).