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Derealization is defined as a mental state in which one experiences the impression of functioning in an unreal, unreal world. This disorder is a common symptom of depression, neurotic disorders, and even schizophrenia.
A person experiencing symptoms derealization can feel the unreality of the surrounding world, people and objects, and life situations in which he participates. Symptoms derealization it is often accompanied by a critical attitude towards experienced stimuli, thinking “it is only in my head”, “it does not happen”.
Reasons for feeling the state of derealization
Psychiatry does not know the specific cause of the symptoms derealization. According to research, this condition occurs when dopamine levels drop and adrenaline levels rise in the brain of a person suffering from neurosis, anxiety disorders, depression and depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder or schizophrenia. Derealization, i.e. a kind of feeling unreal, can be a form of defense of the brain against stress, excessive amount of stimuli and the pressure of the real world and its problems.
Derealization may occur as a symptom or effect of severe and chronic stress, the body’s defensive reaction due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic experiences. Strong anxiety and anxiety disorders are common causes of experiencing symptoms of derealization. Momentary sense derealization, unreal may also occur in mentally healthy people, during periods of long-term, intense exhaustion of the body, for example in extreme weather conditions, after accidents or while facing extremely engaging, borderline situations and life challenges.
Symptoms of derealization
Symptoms of derealization there are states of unreal, a feeling that the world in which the experiencing person derealization functions, it may be a figment of her imagination. Able derealization the surrounding world is perceived by a person suffering from this disorder as changed and distant, unreal and untrue.
People around them seem to be playing roles, the world functions like an imaginary Wonderland from the fairy tale of Alice. Nothing seems real and the person is capable derealization feels symptoms as if intoxicated into an alcoholic or narcotic trance under the influence of psychoactive and hallucinogenic drugs. The world seems imaginary, situations and contacts with other people resemble a dream, and the person experiencing symptoms derealization he loses his sense of reality by not taking full responsibility for his behavior and decisions. Derealization at the moment when the patient ceases to have distance and criticism towards the way he perceives the world, it can be dangerous for him, his relatives and the environment. Help is then needed a psychiatristwhich will help diagnose the triggering factors symptoms of derealization in a patient and select the appropriate therapy, including pharmacological therapy. A symptom of derealization there is also distraction, lack of motivation. It happens that you lose your sense of time, “day dreaming”, run your thoughts into the unreal world, escape into sleep from the responsibilities of everyday life.
Sense derealization is often accompanied by a crowd of thoughts about the meaning of existence, existential considerations and a sense of being cut off and lost in the surrounding world.
Derealization can occur along with sense depersonalizationthat is, separation from one’s own body mentally, with a sense of not belonging to the physical world. The combination of these two perception disorders is called depersonalization-derealization syndrome (DD). Symptoms depersonalization-derealization syndrome they can occur briefly as a result of severe stress, shock, pre-epilepsy or as a result of taking psychoactive substances such as LSD or hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Treatment of derealization
If derealization it becomes dangerous to the health, life and environment of the person experiencing it symptoms, there are problems with distinguishing the real world from the imaginary world, tendencies to enter risky situations, as well as social anxiety, withdrawal, difficulties in taking up a job, contact with loved ones, depression and anxiety states – consultation with a psychiatrist to rule out symptoms of schizophrenia or other mental illnesses. If pharmacological treatment is necessary, anti-anxiety agents, antipsychotics and SSRI drugs – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used.
In many cases, however derealization and symptoms depersonalization-derealization syndrome they disappear on their own as a result of stressful situations and physiological reaction to them.