In psychology (and also psychiatry), depersonalization (or derealization) is the experience of feelings of loss of a sense of reality. A sufferer feels that he or she has changed and the world has become less real -- it is vague, dreamlike, or lacking in significance. The DSM-IV categorizes depersonalization disorder as a form of dissociative disorder, though depersonalization proper is more often characteristic of the traumatic origin of other conditions.

Sufferers of depersonalization feel divorced from both the world and from their own identity and physicality. Often times the person who has experienced depersonalization claims that life "feels like a movie, things seem unreal, or hazy." Also a recognition of self breaks down (hence the name). When a person suffers from the disorder (or the symptoms associated with it) he or she finds that when looking in the mirror, his or her face is not familiar, though logically he or she is completely aware of his or her identity.

The feeling is said to be like being a ghost. No matter how hard the person tries, he/she cannot feel like they are genuinely interacting with the world. They can't seem to perceive themselves as being normal. While the person is struggling to feel everything as normal, there is a part of themself which begs to just give up and stop the struggling. A sufferer from depersonalization can be especially susceptible to suicide, undertaking the suicidal process calmly and easily without real awareness. Simply put, depersonalization is an alteration in the perception or experience of oneself, so that the self is felt to be unreal; the person feels detached from reality and/or their own body or mental processes.

Another possible way to describe the actual physical manifestation of the feeling is to compare the very popular film technique called a Vertigo shot or Dolly Zoom. In this technique, the subject of the picture stays fixed on the shot while all the surrounding background is pulled away - providing a sense of vertigo or detatchment. People may perceive this feeling in a cyclical manner, where the feeling is experienced back-to-back-to-back in rapid or non-rapid succession.

The symptoms associated with depersonalization have a known connection with psychological trauma. However, if the problem develops into a disorder (persistent and recurring) then it is important to have it treated as it may lead to suicide, depression, lack of meaning, lack of joy, and general apathy. The condition (or symptom) is usually found in conjunction with other mental disorders, especially post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, panic disorder, certain neuroses, and may be engendered by use of marijuana. Though depersonalization is not a delusion if it is reported together with serious delusions, depersonalization may be a sign of schizophrenia — an indication of the disintegration of personality.

People with this disorder often report that the depersonalization is stronger after waking from a nap.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, in his book On Killing, suggests that military training artificially creates depersonalization in soldiers, suppressing empathy and making it easier for them to kill other human beings.

Existentialists use the term in a different context. The treatment of individuals by other people as if they were objects, or without regard to their feelings, has been termed depersonalization. Determinism has been accused of this. See also objectification.

R. D. Laing used depersonalization to mean a fear of the loss of autonomy in interpersonal relationships by the ontologically insecure.

See also

• Alienation
• Anomie
• Dissociation
• Sunset Boulevard (1950 film)

External links

• Depersonalization Community - Depersonalization Support Site: Support site for those suffering from depersonalization and derealization.
• DreamChild - Living with chronic depersonalization: Personal page of experiences and advice by one sufferer of chronic depersonalization disorder.
• Depersonalization.info: In-depth explanation of depersonalization, as well as a message board for those suffering from the disorder.
• Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
• A new online support comunity - those who suffer from Depersonalization, Derealization, and Dissociative Disorders: An online forum, articles, symptoms, causes, links, artwork, stories, and more can be found on this site.
• Article from shaunoconnor.com: A young man's story of how he developed and dealt with severe Depersonalization.

dissociative disorders

Depersonalizace | Depersonalisation | خوددگربینی | Depersonalisatie | Depersonalizacja | Despersonalização | Depersonalisation | depersonalizzazione