Depersonalization Disorder (DPD): A Case Study

Depersonalization is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) as “experiences of unreality, detachment, or being an outside observer with respect to one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, body, or actions” (DSM-5, 2013, p. 302). According to Mayo Clinic, a symptom could be that a person feels like

A. Causes: This disorder is usually develops as a way of dealing with trauma. This disorder usually develops in children who are subjected to “chronic” emotional, physical, and sexual abuse (Dissociative Disorders). When you are a child you are more likely to step outside of your self and observed trauma as if it is happening to a different person. Many children dissociate so they can endure long periods of their childhood in response to

Specify if: With dissociative symptoms. In addition to meeting criteria for diagnosis, an individual experiences high levels of either of the following in reaction to trauma-related stimuli: 1.Depersonalization: experience of being an outside observer of or detached from oneself (e.g., feeling as if "this is not happening to me" or one were in a

Depersonalization: Experiences of unreality, detachment, or being an outside observer with respect to one’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, body, or actions. (e.g., perceptual alterations, distorted sense of time, unreal or absent self, emotional and/or physical numbing).

Researchers sought to understand if there was a neurobiological explanation for the sensations of disembodiment that DPD patients experience. Interoception- cognitive processing of body signals- has extensively been considered to result in one's self-awareness. This experiment desired to determine if there were apparent differences between a DPD patient's interoception and a control groups' that might explain the feelings of detachment.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines socialization as “a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position”(Merriam-Webster, 2011). However, this disorder can become a double-edged sword because it protects the individuals from awareness of the pain, yet the individuals who dissociates themselves often find personal history and identity is affected. Furthermore, these actions do result in serious pathology, trouble forming or maintaining relationships as well as failure to function when under stress. Individuals with Dissociated Disorders tend not to remember

DD is characterized by disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity, and/ or perception. Individuals with DD use dissociation; a wide array of defense mechanisms where the individual experiences mild detachment from direct surroundings to more severe detachment from physical and emotional experiences; pathologically and involuntarily

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a condition where there are two or more distinct identities that are and will become present in an individual. These personalities can and will eventually take control of the individual, many people consider having dissociative identity disorder an experience of being possessed. The individual can and most likely will experience memory loss that is more extensive than ordinary everyday forgetfulness (Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). Around two percent of people will experience dissociative disorder, women are more likely than men are to be diagnosed with DID. "Almost half of adults in the United States experience at least one depersonalization/derealization episode in their lives, with only 2% meeting the full criteria for chronic episodes” (Dissociative Disorders).

Depersonalization is where the patient will completely focus on self. This is very uncomfortable because the patient perceives himself as a third party observer of their own body. Where depersonalization is acting as a third party viewing oneself, derealization is where a person focuses on the outside world as if they are a gost observing the surrounding world/reality without being noticed. People enter into a derealization state via triggers or they may be spontaneous.

Deindividuation can lead to a very severe outcome. When a person completely loses self awareness, there are no limits as to what they may do. This psychological method can “be triggered by something as

According to Oxford dictionary, depersonalization is defined as “The action of divesting someone or something of human characteristics or individuality. “In Psychiatry, it is defined as “A state in which one’s thoughts and feelings seem unreal or not to belong to oneself.”

Usually dissociative identity disorder develops when a person is very stressed in childhood, or undergoes some type of abuse, sexual or physical. The DSM states the primary characteristic of the disorder is when there is an existence of more than one distinct identity or personality within a person. The

Dissociative identity disorder is a type of dissociative disorder. A dissociative disorder can be explained as an individual becoming dissociative with his or her sense of self. These disorders disturb both memory and identity and usually have a psychological cause. Dissociative identity disorder is a disorder in which two or more identities or personality states are present in one individual. These identities alternatively take control of the individual. This causes frequent gaps in memory, which are believed to be caused by the other personality. When one personality takes control, the other one does not remember anything that took place. There has been continuing research about what causes the disorder. It is believed that the disorder is caused by intense physical or sexual trauma (Dissociative Disorders). The disorder was once called multiple personality disorder until 1994. This changed to reflect a better understanding of the

Derealization is the experience that the world is not real; the patient may feel like they are in a dream world (American Psychological Association, 2013).

Temporary and drastically modifying one 's character or one’s sense of personal identity to avoid emotional distress. The use of dissociation as a defense mechanism tends to involve temporary loss of a person 's connection to the world surrounding them. People experiencing disassociation often describe feeling separated from the outside world, as though they exist in a different realm. Dissociation often helps people to cope with very uncomfortable situations