I hope it's ok to ask a question? Is that annoying for you guys?
I went to my psychiatrist today, and told him about how I've felt like I'm spinning around rapidly outside my body, or floating around in a room leaving my body behind, and seeing my body from a distance. He said it was associated with stress and was called 'derealisation'.
Is this part of dissasocitive distress? Does anyone else have this?
i experience derealisation. it can be a symptom of dissociative distress and it can also be a symptom of anxiety/panic. though my understanding of derealisation is that it's when you experience the world around you as unreal. but i think with any types of experiences it's different for everyone. xxx
Just read most this thread, can I ask, does anyone find themself living in this unreal world most/all the time rather than just spells in it?
For as long as I remember I have not been real and have just been a puppet in their world.
My shrink is very concerned!
I get no enjoyment from anything as it all feels fake, I have no motivation to do anything as I don't see the point. I over analyse everything. Nothing seems real to me, I'm just passing thru. When it will be my stop I do not know but it can't cme soon enough. Been like this since at least 8 years old, I'm 24 in august.
How do people live like this? If this is what I finally get diagnosed with then god help me.
hush little baby, don't say a word, and never mind that noise you heard
it's just the beast under your bed, in your closet, in your head
Hey guys, I introduced myself a while back but since then I've been in a psych ward for a while and got a new diagnosis. I suffer from depression, anxiety, OCD, anorexia, self harm and psychosis (well apparently not true psychosis).
I have been diagnosed with dissociative disorder. I've looked into it and it all seems to make a lot of sense. But I'm a little confused as I thought there were a lot of dissociative disorders? Anyway just thought I'd introduce myself and say hello. So... Hello.
havn't posted in a while, been busy, exams and the like. thought i'd chip in with the derealisation and say it happens to me alot. not much feels real anymore, and sometimes if i lose control of myself, i don't even know if it's even me, i'm just watching myself. I sometimes feel like not even the others are real and it's all in my head, i keep doubting myself. alot of the time i feel like i'm watching myself but ... i dunno. anyway just thought i'd post, not that anybody missed me haha.
I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared.
But no-one would listen, cos no-one else cared
I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through
I've never been perfect but neither have you
Not good at advice today, but thinking of you all. Hope everything's okay. Got the headache. Don't want to know who's coming out. Lost more time last night. So tired and confused.
Marko, i tend to just have spells of it. though, a few years ago i was so consistently derealised that i stopped functioning altogether. i didn't get out of bed because the world outside the window wasn't real. it was a confusing and frightening time. i tend to consider derealisation now as one of my "early warning signs of relapse".
i do think the right therapy can help you, though. you may never be free of your illness altogether, i'm not sure. but therapy can bring people a long, long way if they work with it. there is this understanding that true recovery is "the ability to live well alongside the presence or absence of mental health problems".
Hey guys, I introduced myself a while back but since then I've been in a psych ward for a while and got a new diagnosis. I suffer from depression, anxiety, OCD, anorexia, self harm and psychosis (well apparently not true psychosis).
I have been diagnosed with dissociative disorder. I've looked into it and it all seems to make a lot of sense. But I'm a little confused as I thought there were a lot of dissociative disorders? Anyway just thought I'd introduce myself and say hello. So... Hello.
Hope everyone is coping ok xxx
Hey Banana, as just really interested in your post because peoplehave thought I was psychotic at various parts of my life, and now it is understood as part of my dissociative disorder rather than true psychosis, I've also had past diagnoses of depression OCD, bulimia etc and self harm. Just thought I'd say hi as we seem to have a similar diagnostic history. Hope you're doing ok, I'm around if you'dever like to chat.
InferiorityComplex I understand that there is a spectrum of dissociative disorders. Would anyone mind explaining it to me a bit? I've looked it all up but I find it hard to understand and my psych diagnosed with with just dissociative disorder. Thanks
Dissociation is basically disconnecting from yourself, your memories, your surroundings, your feelings, your body... as a defence. It worked at the time of the original trauma, and now can be distressing in and of itself.
Depersonalisation - when you don't feel real Derealisation - when your surroundings and other people don't feel real Dissociative Fugue & Dissociative Amnesia - when you lose track of yourself, become 'someone else' and don't remember it when you re-assume your place in yourself. Dissociative Identity Disorder - When you 'split' into different aspects of yourself - often frozen memories of trauma/abuse become compartmentalised and have a 'mind of their own', and also can include internalised personifications/acting out of the abuser's treatment of you. Usually one part doesn't know the other as it's a protective defence mechanism that worked at the time of the trauma. Dissociative Disorder Not Otherwise Specified - any combination of symptoms from the above diagnoses, but which don't meet the full criteria for one of them. For example split off parts of the self that do have awareness of each other.
There're also dissociative flashbacks which are a part of PTSD and Complex PTSD. That's when there's a trigger and you feel like the past is still happening, and are out of touch with present reality.
Borderline pd also has significant dissociative elements. Some theorists propose that it's on the dissociative identity continuum. However dissociation is only one criteria out of 9, 5 of which have to be reached for diagnosis. It is also only included in the DSM criteria, and not the ICD-10.
Thank you for the explanation Stellata, much appreciated. I think at the moment I must be down as NOS as I have only just been diagnosed and not really had much psychological snooping into it yet! Thanks again xx
I am very nervous. Going to see a concert with a friend tonight. It's the first time I've been around so many people in a long time. I hate crowds. I'm very claustrophobic. I just keep thinking of all the things that could go wrong. And I'm worried that one of the others will come out, because they have been rather unpredictable and forceful about coming out lately. I don't want to make my friend uncomfortable or ruin her night. She knows about my alters, but she has made it perfectly clear she "only wants to hang out with me" and not "anybody else". I explained to her that technically they are always there, and I can't control when they come out. I'm just getting very anxious about all of this.
something that helps me when I know that I'm going to be in an uncomfortable situation (like big crowds - not my favorite either) is to have a "fidget" - something tangible/tactile to play with if I need to to keep me grounded. I know it sounds stupid, but it has worked well for me and others I know. I usually just keep a black hair band on my wrist (looks like a bracelet,but I can take it off and play with it,stretch it out, "fidget with it"). but sometimes i'll take something more fun like a squishy ball or some odd thing picked up at the dollar store. I find they make good conversation pieces and help take the edge off, too. Anyway - just a thought. Using senses to stay grounded helps sometimes.
I was merely a prune In a box of raisins Dried and shriveled Like all the rest. . . . .
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