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WHAT IS DISSOCIATION, DEPERSONALISATION AND DEREALISATION?
WHAT IS DISSOCIATION, DEPERSONALISATION AND DEREALISATION?
Depersonalisation is often described as a feeling that you are not real, but that you are watching yourself from outside of your body or from a distance. Someone experiencing depersonalisation might feel like they are watching themselves carrying out actions on a TV show instead of feeling like they are actually carrying out these actions themselves.
Dissociative disorders are disorders in which people experience dissociation, depersonalisation and/or derealisation with a range of other symptoms. These symptoms can affect a person’s thoughts, beliefs and behaviours, as well as causing them to feel different physically.
Some dissociative disorders and dissociative symptoms do not last very long, but for some people they can be present for years. It is thought that dissociative disorders/symptoms can occur as a result of experiencing high levels of stress or going through traumatic life events.
COmmon Experiences
COmmon Experiences
Symptoms of dissociative disorders can include:
Feeling like you are not real
Feeling like your surroundings (including people and places) are not real
Feeling like you do not know who you are
Not being able to feel physical sensations, like pain and temperature (hot or cold)
Forgetting about period of time, things that have happened in the past or details about yourself
Not being able to recognise yourself, or people and places that you were previously familiar with
Feelings of uncertainty, where you do not feel sure about anything going on in your life
Having difficulty dealing with strong, or intense, emotions
rELATED EXPERIENCES
rELATED EXPERIENCES
Some examples of mental health conditions that can feature dissociation, depersonalisation, or derealisation can include:
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) (previously known as multiple personality disorder or split personality disorder) – where a person changes their identity which affects the way that they act and think
Dissociative amnesia – where a person cannot remember periods of time, past events, and details about themselves and their life. Usually, these periods of time that people with dissociative amnesia forget are times when they have experienced traumatic or stressful events
Depersonalisation-derealisation disorder – where a person experiences depersonalisation and/or derealisation regularly This can be every day and many times each day
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - where a person relives a traumatic event through flashbacks and dreams
Major depressive disorder - a depression that lasts more than a certain amount of time
If you feel like you are struggling with anything you have read or any other aspect of mental health, then there are services out there that can help. If you need to talk to someone you can sign up here for our peer coaching service.
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