# Is Depersonalization Just Psychotic Depression?



## Funky Buddha (Apr 12, 2013)

I've been reading some information on psychotic depression recently and have heard it has the same effects as depersonalization disorder and was thinking that the treatment for psychotic depression would work for people with depersonalization.

Depresonalization might even be caused by the psychotic depression?

I think it's worth you guys to go check out the symptoms for psychotic depression and see if your depersonalization might be caused by it. You might get lucky and find some help for your condition.

Hope I helped.


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

Psychotic depression, lol, does seem like it


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## flipwilson (Aug 19, 2006)

I doubt it for most of us on here. Psychosis is pretty distinct in regards to symptoms and the person with depersonaliztion does not have breaks with reality. We may feel unreal or 'unreality' but we are still very aware, maybe too aware, of the reality we are not connected to.


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## Hosscat (Oct 23, 2012)

Ive thought about this, I was sliding downhill with depression before this started. It morphed into anxiety, then into odd thoughts, and then the disconnected feeling. At times it does feel like I have a break with reality as at times I believe nothing is real. For this reason ive been trying to get checked by a psychiatrist, only one I can see has me waiting until August :/


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## Justinian585 (Dec 4, 2012)

This thread is exactly why most of us on this forum can't recover. I don't even know what to tell you at this point........


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## DP boy (Mar 20, 2012)

agreed


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## Hosscat (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, if you're like me, and just started having the weird thoughts along with the depression, and not much else(looking for people with these thoughts is how I found this site) its not a bad idea just to try other things :/


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## SongBillong (Sep 20, 2011)

DP/DR isn't psychotic though. We know what's happening with our minds. We're TOO sane and haven't lost touch with reality. It's different.


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## phoenix09 (May 8, 2013)

Psychotic depression is psychosis...the patient cannot diffrentiate between what is real n what is not...the break from reality is profound...while in dissociation the oerson is aware that something is wrong regarding his/her perception of reality...n the characterstic psychitic symptoms of delusions n hallucinations are absent in dp/dr...the cognitive defeciencies in psychotic depression are very high as compared to dissociation...if you would be having psychotic depression i dont think you will be able to do a diffrential diagnosis if the underlying disorder....so no its not psychotic depression...


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## Guest (May 12, 2013)

Oh, my, no.

This is why there is a differentiation of diagnoses!

I know of someone who had a psychotic depression in her teens. She was hospitalized for several months. She recovered. She is a reasearch scientist now.

DP/DR are DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS, or "somatoform" or under the old rubric of "neurotic" NOT "psychotic"

1. DIssociative Fugue

2. Dissociative Amnesia

3. Depersonalistion/Derealization

4. Dissociative Identity Disorder

5. NOS -- a catch all category

I swear it. The internet is pretty useless in terms of self-diagnosis. But since so few professionals seem to be aware of depresonalization -- THAT is what we are suuporting each other for.

And so many misinterpret medical jargon and think these are layperson terms.

You do not have psychotic depression. You do not.

(Caveat Emptor: no one on the internet can diagnose anyone else over the internet. But .... a pretty firm no.)


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## Funky Buddha (Apr 12, 2013)

Yeah I know what some of you mean now, I guess if it was Psychotic depression you wouldn't really be aware of the reality around us, maybe? But, seen as we do have a sense of reality then it cannot be it.

Also, I don't really feel that depressed with this depersonalization disorder. I am happy but then again, their are things in life I wish I could change like my depersonalization because I have been more focused on it rather than the people around me although I do pay a great deal to my environment.

Most times I just think to myself, "What have I done all my life" because the depersonalization can cause you to forget due to the not being in reality. It might be cause by a neurological disorder.

I mean, in all fairness we only know how to describe what we're feeling or whatever it is as "depersonalization disorder" but then again while most of us are looking into it when it's just a term used to describe this condition as are depersonalizaion is caused by different things it's hard to tell what it could be caused by.

Some of the things that I know that might be causing this are:

1) Vitamin-B 12 deficencey (Although I recommend vitamin B-complex)

2) Magnesium deficency

3) Vitamin D3 deficency

3) Floic acid deficency

Everytime I go to the doctors about this depersonalization I don't know how to describe it, because it's a wierd thing to describe. You cannot really out it into words, you just feel unfocused and not aware of what you are doing to a curtain extent but more aware then not aware.

I used to describe my depersonalization as fatigue but then I realized that I am not tierd but it's mentally draining that's for sure and does make you tierd in the afternoon. Most of the time you cannot really memember much of the previous things that you did, as in the day before or a couple of hours ago. You remember fragments but that's all. Maybe more if you tried to think about it hard enough.

Although, maybe once or twice in a year I do get a different feeling in mood which removes the depersonalization feeling. You end up feeling more alert and attached to reality and everything seems more vivd. The brain fog seems to go away and you feel so much better. But, like I said this is not very oftern but still leeds me into thinking their is a cure.

I mean, in general this disorder is hard to deturmine what it could be caused by, but I will try a number of things and see what effects I get back from them. I feel that for most people depersonalization is caused by anxiety in which case I would try Kratom, AKA. Mitragyna specios which is what I'm going to try.

For others it's caused by using weed in which I don't know how this differs, maybe the best way to stop this would be to stop the weed and try to detox your system and avoid caffine.

Other things you could try are (If anxiety induced):


Sceletium tortuosum (Used for anxiety, social phobia and depression - Might help with depersonalization)
5-HTP (Chemical used for serotonin - Can reduce stress, depression - May reduce DP symptoms)
Rhodiola rosea - (Never tried it)
Withania somnifera - (Never tried it)
Lepidium meyenii - (Never tried it)

The ones I listed first are my first priority, as these I have tested myself.


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## Guest (May 15, 2013)

http://www.dpselfhelp.com/forum/index.php?/topic/37398-dp-is-not-schizophrenia-positive-story-of-individual-recovering-from-schizophrenia/

I just posted this about a young woman who describes a psychotic break (part of her schizophrneia). Doesn't seem to me that you have this type of thinking. Psychosis is pretty clear cut. And agnosognosia is the "inability to understand one is psychotic." However, someone who comes out of a psychotic episode can recall their thinking was "wrong." The can be completely sane. Some also can be aware their thinking is "off."

No one person with any illness is the same as another as well. Unique experiences.


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## Danjob (Apr 17, 2013)

Well I have recently been diagnosed with psychosis and I have never had a break from reality. Psychotic episodes include mainly positive symptoms, hallucinations, hearing things, believing something regardless of the facts presented to you. I have only presented with negative ones, cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, insomnia and DP/DR.

At first I questioned the diagnosis, but I have a lot of resources being enrolled in the early psychosis program (where I got my diagnosis) and it seems that a lot of people experience DP/DR while still being completely aware that they are living in reality.

Now, im not saying that everyone who has DP/DR is psychotic, in fact most people won't be, but it was a relief to finally find out what was going on!


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## Guest (May 22, 2013)

Danjob said:


> Well I have recently been diagnosed with psychosis and I have never had a break from reality. Psychotic episodes include mainly positive symptoms, hallucinations, hearing things, believing something regardless of the facts presented to you. I have only presented with negative ones, cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, insomnia and DP/DR.
> 
> At first I questioned the diagnosis, but I have a lot of resources being enrolled in the early psychosis program (where I got my diagnosis) and it seems that a lot of people experience DP/DR while still being completely aware that they are living in reality.
> 
> Now, im not saying that everyone who has DP/DR is psychotic, in fact most people won't be, but it was a relief to finally find out what was going on!


I am sorry to hear this. What troubles me is I would get a second opinion. Everything you list is not criteria for psychosis -- and it is not what I have seen/heard in psychosis in patients with mentall illness, or friends and family with psychosis. Many here with DP/DR have been misdiagnosed as having "prodromal schizoprhenia" etc "Negative symptoms" are also expressed in depression, etc.

If you have psychosis, you can still prevail and live a productive life however.

IMHO, I would get a second (and maybe a third) opinion. On the other hand your doctor may be seeing other things no one here on the internet can see. Why we can't diagnose over the interent or phone. I know people here who have DP/DR and were diagnosed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. A second and third opinion proved this not to be true -- incuding observation with EEGs, etc. I also know 3 people with epilespy.

When you get to be 54, you start seeing a lot. And I am very involved in mental health advocacy -- since the 1980s.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt however. As I said, I don't know you. Only your doctor sees this as psychosis, and perhaps friends and family do.

Take Care,

S


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## Danjob (Apr 17, 2013)

hmmm, suppose you are right, it wouldn't hurt to get another opinion. I have been struggling to get a diagnosis since January of this year when this all began and even now I am not totally convinced. My main issues are with memory and I haven't got a sound answer in regards to that, they basically chalk it up to being stressed out 24/7 but it seems pretty severe. Also having a lot of cognitive issues and difficulty with mental processing which I have been told are negative symptoms.

I have also made my best attempt at ruling out organic causes seeing as how this all stems from a viral infection. I have had CT scans an MRI, blood work, EEG's and the likes but everything always comes out okay which eventually led me to the mental health side of things. I guess I am just exhausted and have no other choice but to accept my diagnosis and carry on with treatment, whether I fully believe it or not..

In terms of the derealization, I have been told that it is a secondary symptom of psychosis. I also have a hard time with that too. It seems like people suffering from DP/DR have a lot of existential thoughts or theories, I have non of these, its quite the opposite actually. I can't string together basic thoughts let alone elaborate existential ones, which leads me to believe something else is happening to me. Whenever I try to explain what is happening to me or what I am experiencing my mind goes blank, all I can come up with is "something is really off".

Anyways sorry to ramble and thanks for the advice.

Dan


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