Many mental health conditions face harsh stigmas today, and one such example is depersonalization-derealization disorder (DDD).
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Depersonalization-derealization disorder occurs when you always or often feel that you’re seeing yourself from outside your body or you sense that things around you are not real—or both.”
Videos by VICE
If you’ve ever felt like you were living in a dream of sorts, especially after a brutal panic attack or during a period of grief, you might understand how those with DDD feel on a regular basis. But while these symptoms can occur for anyone, experiencing them once or twice every now and then doesn’t mean you have the disorder. For those with the condition, the symptoms occur religiously, oftentimes without relief.
While there’s no exact known cause for DDD, many professionals believe that it’s rooted in trauma or extreme stress. The main forms of treatment include psychotherapy and medication.
Keep in mind there is also a difference between depersonalization and derealization. Depersonalization is essentially a sense of disconnect from self, while derealization is a sense of disconnect from the world.
This video by Daniel Amen, a celebrity psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist, does a great job of explaining the two.
What Is Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder?
Those with DDD suffer from both depersonalization and derealization, making their experience even more debilitating.
One person struggling with the disorder spoke with the New York Times about how it impacted her while she was newly pregnant. The woman, Barrie Miskin, explained that she noticed both her appearance and the outside world changing before her. The people in her life began to feel like “alien proxies,” and her vision began to blur.
“I felt like I was viewing the world through a pane of dirty glass,” she told the outlet.
According to Dr. Daphne Simeon, an expert on DDD and the co-author of “Feeling Unreal,” the disorder can be triggered by mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression, as well as resurfaced or new trauma. Additionally, some substances like cannabis and hallucinogens can bring out the disorder—especially if an individual is already predisposed to it.
“You can meet a person whose first episode was triggered by panic and then it happened again when they got depressed and then it happened a third time when they had a terrible divorce,” Dr. Simeon told the New York Times.
While it’s not clear why, exactly, this happens, many professionals theorize that it’s a way for the brain to protect people. I mean, think about a time you received life-shattering news. Perhaps you went numb or experienced a period of denial before eventually facing the grief that accompanied it. This is a similar, albeit more extreme, response.
“Your body and your mind are telling you something,” Dr. Simeon said. “You’re having an intolerable experience, essentially, from which you then have to detach.”
If you’re wondering what DDD feels or looks like to the individual suffering from it—specifically derealization, in this video—check out the clip below.
Shedding light on conditions like DDD is a great way to help break the stigma surrounding mental illnesses. The more we know, the better we can diagnose, support, and treat sufferers. If you suspect you have DDD, visit a professional to explore a possible diagnosis and treatments that will best suit you.
