#Depersonalization and depression series

1 Although these symptoms are classified separately under dissociative disorders in the DSM-IV, they often coexist, 2 and both consist of altered perceptions of the self and the environment. The symptom of depersonalization (DP) has been defined in DSM-IV as an experience of feeling detached from and as if an outside observer of one's mental processes or body, while maintaining intact reality testing derealization (DR) has been defined as the sensation that the external world is strange or unreal. The introduction to the DSM-IV of an organic subtype of depersonalization disorder would facilitate research in this area. Left-sided temporal lobe dysfunction and anxiety are suggested as factors in the development of depersonalization however, further studies are needed to determine the relationship. Epilepsy and migraine appear to be the disorders most commonly associated with depersonalization.

#Depersonalization and depression series

Information from case series documenting depersonalization in the context of medical illnesses is also presented and the underlying etiology discussed. The authors present 4 new cases of depersonalization in patients with an underlying organic condition, along with 47 cases from the literature in which the available information permits diagnosis of organic depersonalization. The symptoms have also been described in patients with a primary psychiatric or organic diagnosis, where their secondary status precludes a DSM-IV diagnosis of depersonalization disorder. Depersonalization and derealization are commonly reported in the general population as a response to stress.