derealization!!!!!?

Question

I have horrible derealization!!I never feel like myself and I never feel safe.I always feel alone,even when I'm with someone.Everytime I see a shadow or hear a noise,I freak out!!The only thing that's keeping me knowing I'm alive is my heart beating really fast and loud,otherwise,I would think I was dead.My mom won't take me to the doctors,and tells me "you have to get a hold of it!"but i can't!!I've been like this for 6 months!!I feel like I have no emotion,and that everything I do is fake.My dad is hardly home.I won't eat,because it's like its not even there.I do sometimes,but refuse to other times.What should I do if my parents aren't helping me???

Answer 1

Here's some info from one of my previous posts that explains depersonalization (of which derealization is often a feature) and I'm hoping that there may be some info here that may be helpful to you in understanding the condition and what may contribute to it, and also a few tips are included for trying to manage it. I'm thinking that perhaps your Mom may be more receptive to getting you some professional help if she reads this and sees the distress it causes you and that it is becoming chronic-maybe you could print out some info from here and other websites for her to read?

Depersonalization Disorder is a Dissociative Disorder and it's characterized by a profound sense of detachment that makes you feel as though you're going through the motions of life, but not really living the experience. People describe it as feeling like they are in a fog, or almost as though they are in a dream and there's often a sense of unreality about things (derealization), although you consciously know what's real, it just doesn't feel that way. Sometimes there are alterations in your sense of space (things appear smaller or further away) or your sense of time (things seem to be speeded up or slowed down) or you may see people talking but not really hear or know what they are saying for brief moments, like in the song "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd which is quite a poetic description of one presentation of the experience and dissociation generally.
Depersonalization can exist alone or as part of another disorder, most notably Panic Disorder and PTSD, but it may also be connected with depression, especially in milder form where people describe feeling numb or like their emotions are blunted or flat lined. However, actual depersonalization is usually more extreme and represents a significant sense of detachment from oneself more than just the chronic numbness that often accompanies depression.
It is also has a relationship to “trance” and can be brought on by significant periods of sleep deprivation or other “trance-inducing” activities that require extreme and prolonged focus and concentration, like addicting computer games or monotonous and routine activity, both of which I believe are related. “Trance-inducing activity” leads to an altered state where there is reduced sensitivity to your surroundings. (Just think of "highway hypnosis"-this is pretty common and normal, but lasts briefly, though it shares many of the same features)
There's a good chance that Depersonalization will resolve on its own without intervention, particularly if it’s brief and hasn’t become habitual. However, a longer duration suggests that treatment aimed at helping you reconnect with yourself may be beneficial. Often times, depersonalization becomes a chronic way of coping with overwhelmingly uncomfortable or painful feelings and disconnecting from the experience of them, hence its frequent occurrence in response to trauma. Depersonalization is a frequent and common symptom associated with PTSD and also extreme anxiety and functions as a defense against the intense feelings people experience during abuse, life-threatening circumstances and extreme anxiety and panic and protects a person from becoming completely overwhelmed. People often "trance out" when under stress, and it functions to decrease their awareness of and sensitivity to distressing experiences, like the "freeze" response seen in trauma victims. (Just think of the teenager who "tunes out" when a parent or other person is berating them with criticism-they hear it, but don't really react to it). Therapy can be especially helpful if there is a history of emotional abuse that depersonalization helps you escape as it can become a familiar and almost automatic process that gets triggered by emotional arousal. In that way, it becomes a disorder as it serves to keep a person detached from their own experiences and disconnected from their sense of self. Therapy aims at making this a less automatic process and helping people reconnect to their emotions, their body and their sense of self and learning other ways to cope and self-soothe so that dissociation is no longer a “knee-jerk” reaction to emotional triggers.
Things you can do involve grounding yourself in various ways. "Mindfulness" is excellent and is simply being in the moment and concentrating on all the sensations you are aware of in order to ground you both in the present and in your body (Eg: doing the dishes: concentrate on the temperature of the water, the smell of the dish detergent, the feel of the glass or ceramic you're holding, notice the soap bubbles, etc.) It can break the "trance" effect when you are experiencing depersonalization. Another tip is to keep your eyes moving-frequently when we are stressed and "freeze" our gaze becomes fixed, or locked, and this induces the hypnotic "trance" state. Keep your eyes moving and avoid becoming transfixed or staring at a single object. Using a journal or meditative practices that seek to connect you with yourself, being in touch with your feelings and even your physical state, as well as your emotional self, can help reconnect you and ground you. Deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation is excellent as it treats both the disconnectedness as well as being the single most effective technique for stopping a panic attack. Hope this helps, but please seek out a therapist who can assist you further if you suffer from continued panic and depersonalization.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Well,I don't know how old your are but I'm assuming you are a minor since you live at home need your parents help. I know you said you dad isn't home much but have you approached him about the DR?

What about a school counselor? I have anxiety attacks and know how horrible those are so I can't imagine going through all that you are. Perhaps you could sit your parents down together and talk to them.

Also, there usually a mental health hot line in most towns of a decent size. Look the number up and call them. Tell them about your situation and see if they have a suggestions. They may know more about the law than anyone on answers. Right now you have a legal problem being can a Dr treat you without your parents consent? And then of course if you find they can but your parents are not willing to pay for it or file on their insurance then you have a whole other issue of paying the DR.

I think you should look up the mental health number and talk with people who handle things like this. Good luck. I hope you are able to get help soon. I know you life must be hard right now.

(I don't know where your mom's heart is on this matter but she may see the changes in you and be scared to death. Be understanding of her and know that she may just be in denial right now. It's hard on us moms when our children are sick and we can fix it with a band-aid. Keep working with her and hopefully she'll come around.)

Answer 3

Derealization

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. It can sometimes be a rather disturbing experience, since many feel that indeed, they are living in some sort of 'dream'. 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.

Derealization is a similar term to depersonalization, and the two are often used interchangeably. However, more specifically, derealization is the feeling that 'nothing is real', while depersonalization is the feeling that one is 'detached' from their body or world. Though these feelings can happen to anyone, they are most prominent in panic disorders, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and some types of epilepsy.

Some drugs can also cause the feeling as a side-effect, especially hallucinogens. Sometimes an overdose of common stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine can induce this effect. Alcoholic beverages can also produce this effect when consumed in excess. It is also a classic withdrawal symptom from many drugs. Stress can also trigger this disorder.

Answer 4

I have had Marijuana induced Derealization for 30 years. Some people recover quickly, some people never recover. My symptoms have lessened over time but I still have the Disorder. Marijuana is not harmless as some people would lead you too believe. I realize this is an old post but I leave this as a warning for the next unlucky soul that is desperately looking up this subject.

Answer 5

Let your parents see your posts, let them know that a lot of people take you seriously and want to help. This is a very scary thing you're going through and they need to get help for you.
Accidentally leave your post's up on the computer so you mom might walk by and read them. I think maybe if you can't get your parents attention, you should go to the school counselor. Possibly ask at church if you attend. Or call a hotline, they will give you several places to contact. Keep in contact with yahoo answers, we all wish you luck.

Answer 6

Can you phone, make an appointment on your own, and take a taxi to the Dr.s? Failing that, a case can be made that the refusal by a parent to provide medical treatment constitutes child abuse. Tell her that. See http://www.dpselfhelp.com and www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/ (/Depersonalisation-disorder.html) and www.depersonalisation.info/ Check out the groups at Yahoo, Myspace, and Google and join one, or more, possibly exchanging email addresses, and eventually even phone no.s One therapy is to look at your hands, without judging. Keep up regular daily maintenance, and eat healthily, even if you don't feel like it: otherwise your body will suffer, and your brain needs good nutrition, to recover. Regard this as being merely a temporary state of affairs.

Answer 7

You don't say how old you are. There is help there for you in several venues. First of all you could meet with a school counselor and talk about these issues. He/She can steer you in a positive direction with respect to getting professional help. Also, your local mental health society will provide you with counseling at low cost or even free if you are unable to pay for it. Your parents are in denial and this is normal for many parents faced with the possibility of their child having a "head problem". If you presented with a physical illness they most likely would be more receptive. There is an enormous stigma with mental illnesses in society and most people feel if they ignore this issue it will go away. Please do everything you can to speak to an adult about your feelings. best wishes

Answer 8

I think you mean depersonalisation. At least that's how trick cyclists would describe it.
Forget the idea that you might be right .. you might not have any emotion .. everything you do might be fake .. begin instead to relate to others in little ways,
Listen to your mom and add a comment or two in agreement, don't just dismiss what she says because it's bullshit. Think positively about making a contribution towards communicating and relating with others even though it might seem ridiculous. Little by little you'll come back down to earth again. Eat a little at regular meal times, decide for yourself that you want to go with the flow, not with everyone but with people you respect.
Don't know if this is worth much anyway good luck & God bless.

Answer 9

I think your haveing panic attacks, This sometimes can be dangerious, I imagine your younger sence you live with your parents but if an older person has one its and they arent in very good health its known to cause death (ie: stroke)
You can get a perscription from you doctor to help calm you more so this doesnt happen. Panic attacks usually fallow very high stress situations (like war, armed robbery, abuse ect...)

Answer 10

First thing is that believe that everything in this world is god ! YES GOOD AND BAD!!!

Fear is only a emotion the more you think of it the more you get stuck with that feeling.

remember that the mind can think of only one thing at any given time.

So if you think of any other thing then this feeling cannot trouble you.

so what thought should think of any thought that will keep you occupied with complete interest.

think of love , studies that interest you!