# Mayo Clinic Says DP Not a Disorder; Just a Symptom



## 1A (Aug 12, 2004)

Recently, some folks here were talking about getting Oprah or Dr. Phil to do a show on DP. I was in the minority because I believe the US psychiatric community is insistent on seeing DP as a mere symptom of a larger disorder (panic, PTSD, et el) instead of a disorder all its own.

I was disappointed to see such a highly regarded institution as the Mayo Clinic refer to DP as "not a specific [mental] disorder."

Having felt better recently I can tell you that my anxiety was a result of the DP and not the other way around.

Anyway, here's the full story:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depers ... on/AN00595

What do you guys think? DP/DR should be categorized all on its own or as a part or symptom of something larger?

Jeff


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## Mollusk (Nov 12, 2005)

I think it can be a symptom, but it many i think is a disorder of its own. I feel that much of my anxiety and depression are symptoms of my dp. What dp does to my life seems to cause the anxiety and depression. Its hard to tell though. If it is the the other way around then the dp is quite a large symptom. Its much worse then the anxiety or depression.

They are all interrelated, but its hard to tell the nature of it.


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2006)

1A said:


> Recently, some folks here were talking about getting Oprah or Dr. Phil to do a show on DP. I was in the minority because I believe the US psychiatric community is insistent on seeing DP as a mere symptom of a larger disorder (panic, PTSD, et el) instead of a disorder all its own.
> 
> I was disappointed to see such a highly regarded institution as the Mayo Clinic refer to DP as "not a specific [mental] disorder."
> 
> ...


Ive had panic attacks and agoraphobia for a few years, then DP became my main symptom once hyperventilating lost its touch.

So, for me.. maybe it seems logical to say mines a symptom of anxiety/panic (because i never have it when im not anxious/panicky.... but the problem is, im always anxious/panicky lmao  )

And most people i have talked to who have or had DP have suffered from panic or anxiety at one point in their life

But what about the others without panic and anxiety who suffer DP? Thats where it confuses me.. but maybe DP is their way of anxiety, they just dont have the same chemical imbalance of people who get panic as well

Iono


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2006)

i think its a symptom as well, sure it may last a long time but thats because you haven't gotten rid of your main problem yet.


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## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

Its hard to say because its hard to pinpoint which disorder is causing you to feel the way you do... for me I believe I suffer from anxiety, depression, and DP... but i dont really feel a need to label it: i feel detached and removed from everything, total lack of joy and emotions, disconnected from the people i love, difficulty just getting through the day, anxiouse racing mind.. just feeling crappyand like i am trapped in hell but i dont know why! So if its primarily 'DP' that is making me feel disconnected then i would say my anxiety and depression are symptoms of my DP, but if its depression and/or anxiety that is making me feel like crap then the DP is maybe a symptom of the anxiety etc.... so hard to define everything it becomes nearly impossible! I think with the whole Opera/Dr. Phil idea would work best if we aim at building general mental awarness... about anxity, depression, OCD, and DP/DR .. because when it comes down to it so many of us have different diagnosis but we can all related to one another... we are all struggling together... but even amongst this group there are differences... each persons struggle with mental illness is so unique it becomes almost arbitrary to put a label on it.. more important is to build awarness and more research into the brain and whats going on up there so professionals can better help all of us who are suffereing so badly right now!


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## Methusala (Dec 22, 2005)

That Mayo article is incorrect. 'Depersonalization Disorder' is listed in the DSM-IV as a disorder. DSM-IV is where mental illnesses are defined and categorized by the American Psychiatric Association . Depersonalization can also be a symptom only if it doesn't meet the criteria for a full disorder.

Diagnostic criteria for 300.6 Depersonalization Disorder 
(cautionary statement)

A. Persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of, one's mental processes or body (e.g., feeling like one is in a dream).

B. During the depersonalization experience, reality testing remains intact.

C. The depersonalization causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. The depersonalization experience does not occur exclusively during the course of another mental disorder, such as Schizophrenia, Panic Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder, or another Dissociative Disorder, and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., temporal lobe epilepsy).

Reprinted with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition. Copyright 1994 American Psychiatric Association

http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disor ... ersdis.htm

M


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## dpdpaulson (Dec 30, 2005)

1A, you had me convinced that your DP WAS a symptom of your anxiety/panic, that you agreed with Claire Weeks. Hope and Help for Your Nerves describes it as a symptom. I thought you said it was related to trauma. By accepting it, you took away the anxiety and no longer fed the symptom which was DP. I even contacted a therapist in the SF area who was mentioned on Peter Levine's website so that I could explore this healing trauma approach. Unfortunately even though he's an experienced practitioner of SE, he's never dealt with DP, mainly anxiety and panic, so I'm hesitant to fork out the $100/visit to end up just as stuck as I am now.

I could be saving that $$ and in 35 weeks go get scanned at the local Amen Clinic, for whatever that's worth...

Hmmm... I'm frustrated. School's just started, my thoughts are scattered, i can't focus on my coursework worth a damn, and the loans are steadily rising. It's so hard not to feel trapped.

Greg


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## freesong (Dec 26, 2005)

Whether it is a disorder or a symptom, it effects us like a disorder. After years of anxiety and depression, which are considered disorders, this is the worst experience I have ever had or would ever hope to have. Therefore, if we pursue the talk shows with that as the emphasis, maybe they will hear and show interest. I don't know but I think it is worth a try. I want to educate more people and gain interest so that we can get more money for funding so that we can find a cure faster. The book I am reading now addresses it more as a symptom and it occurs with certain imbalances. (serotonin and dopamine deficiencies) than it does with the others he sighted. So, there may be more than one way to treat this and that is why some get more benefit from one nutrient or combination of nutrients than another would. But the horror we all live is what needs to be told in my opinion because there probably have already been many suicides needlessly from those who never found their way here and from those who despair and give up. I don't really know that much about how to get funding but there are probably other ways to do this as well. Just a thought. freesong


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## 1A (Aug 12, 2004)

dpdpaulson said:


> 1A, you had me convinced that your DP WAS a symptom of your anxiety/panic, that you agreed with Claire Weeks. Hope and Help for Your Nerves describes it as a symptom. I thought you said it was related to trauma. By accepting it, you took away the anxiety and no longer fed the symptom which was DP. I even contacted a therapist in the SF area who was mentioned on Peter Levine's website so that I could explore this healing trauma approach. Unfortunately even though he's an experienced practitioner of SE, he's never dealt with DP, mainly anxiety and panic, so I'm hesitant to fork out the $100/visit to end up just as stuck as I am now.
> 
> I could be saving that $$ and in 35 weeks go get scanned at the local Amen Clinic, for whatever that's worth...
> 
> ...


Hi Greg,

I am still recovering and, in some respects, I think DP can be a symptom of a larger problem or a disorder all on its own. I may even sway from time to time, based on new evidence, as well as my own thoughts, as I am recovering.

I do agree with Claire Weekes, and yes, you're correct, she does indicate DP to be a symptom of panic or anxiety and not a disorder on its own. She passed away in 1989 or so, and I would be curious how she feels today (if she's changed her views). Part of me thinks she would continue to back her theory that DP is a part of anxiety and not a disorder on its own.

The thing about Ms. Weekes is that all 3 of her books were released only a few years apart (1969, 1971 and 1972, if I remember correctly). Some of those books may be dated much later, although they're reprints. There has been more happening in the medical/psychiatric community in the past 10 or 15 years than when Claire was alive. So that's why I suppose I'm curious what she would think today, if she saw Peter Levine's texts, for instance.

Apologies if I seem to be flip-flopping on certain issues. The reality is that I think DP can exist as the primary driving factor behind trauma OR as a symptom of severe, ever-persisting anxiety. I think DP which first manifests following trauma would be exponentially more distressing than DP which arises following strong anxiety or a panic attack. However, a panic attack could rightly be defined as trauma itself, so it's hard to categorize/seperate/compartmentalize all the different, remaining elements.

If you believe your DP is the result of trauma, I would recommend Peter Levine. He might not deal with DP specifically; however, once you start working with unreleased energy pent up inside your body, following trauma, you'll feel much better, i.e., the DP will lessen greatly or disappear altogether, eventually, within time.

My DP began after a panic attack in 1994. I didn't start feeling better until I read Peter's book "Healing Trauma" in very late 2005, and applied the techniques he describes.

Good luck to you! If you require additional clarification on anything, just give me a holler.

Jeff


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

I don't know about everyone else but my DR/DP was most definitely not the symptom but it was the cause of my depression and my anxiety.

I don't care what anyone says, DP/DR is what caused everything.

Now I realize that my DP/DR was just my very messed up thought patterns and perceptions.

I don't even consider it a true illness anymore. It is just a diffrent way of looking at things and it sucks but the only thing you have to do to heal yourself is to change your perception of what is happening. Even if you experience panic it don't matter, just experience it and live with it for what it is. I think DP/DR is way easier to control then panic, anxiety and depression.

Just another note, Doctors are stupid...
That is my opinion. 
1A if doc's really think that DP/DR is just a symtom of another illness then I just lost a lot of respect for all of them.


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

It can be a symptom or a disorder on itself.

Can you fial a complain to the Mayo Clinic?


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## Dreamland (Jun 1, 2005)

I think it's a symptom as well. I've had it when I had the flu, during spells of anxiety, after a ten hour trans atlantic flight, trying weed, etc. Soldiers who went to battle often complained of these symptoms as well........DP has something ot do with stress and the brain trying to protect itself from too much negative stimuli; on the flip side, it kills good and normal day to day sensations as well...


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

symptom is not the right word I think. Reaction is much better, it is a reaction to what you don't want to feel or think about.


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

The Mayo is right. Dp is not an disorder. Its is nothing more than a primitive brain mechanism and part of the FOF system. If you learn to eliminate stress and anxiety, you will no longer have dp. I do not believe anybody who claims that they are COMPLETELY calm and yet the dp remains. IT ALWAYS STARTS WITH ANXIETY. People become scared of the dp, anxiety is heightened, and the vicious cycle begins.

Joe


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## brett88 (Sep 21, 2005)

If DP is only a symptom, then what is * Depersonalization Disorder*?

DP/DR is a disorder in itself, Im living proof.


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## brett88 (Sep 21, 2005)

dakotajo said:


> The Mayo is right. Dp is not an disorder. Its is nothing more than a primitive brain mechanism and part of the FOF system. If you learn to eliminate stress and anxiety, you will no longer have dp. I do not believe anybody who claims that they are COMPLETELY calm and yet the dp remains. IT ALWAYS STARTS WITH ANXIETY. People become scared of the dp, anxiety is heightened, and the vicious cycle begins.
> 
> Joe


Joe, are you a doctor? If your not then dont state your opinion of DPD as if it were a fact. There are real doctors out there who do believe DPD is, itself a disorder. Ive never had anxiety, yet Ive had DP 24/7 for 2 years. Ive never had so much as a panic attack or night sweat _until_ my dp started.


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## 1A (Aug 12, 2004)

Only over the past month had I experienced DP alone, without anxiety. It was always with anxiety (bad anxiety, 24/7) before that.


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## revdoc (Jan 2, 2005)

The Mayo Clinic is getting confused between the depersonalisation that comes with anxiety attacks and chronic depersonalisation. That's all it is. Some stupid uninformed person who should know better. Probably a good idea to complain.


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## revdoc (Jan 2, 2005)

dakotajo said:


> The Mayo is right. Dp is not an disorder. Its is nothing more than a primitive brain mechanism and part of the FOF system. If you learn to eliminate stress and anxiety, you will no longer have dp. I do not believe anybody who claims that they are COMPLETELY calm and yet the dp remains. IT ALWAYS STARTS WITH ANXIETY. People become scared of the dp, anxiety is heightened, and the vicious cycle begins.
> Joe


Have you bothered to look at the site? It is clearly confused, whatever your view of depersonalisation. It treats DP as a part of a panic attack.
You speak with such authority but there is no way of knowing whether the depersonalisation is _caused_ by anxiety, the other way round or they come together. And there are different _kinds_ of DP anyway. The fact that people with DP are tense or anxious tells you nothing in itself.
And, by the way, _no_ _one_ can 'eliminate stress or anxiety' - it comes with life.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

> by the way, no one can 'eliminate stress or anxiety' - it comes with life.


Exacly!

And saying that you need to eliminate stress or anxiety to eliminate 
DP/DR will make you have DP/DR for the rest of your life.

I am proof of this!

For 8 years I told myself that I needed to eliminate the stress and anxiety but I was fooling myself.

Stress and anxiety are normal human fuctions of the brain, they are for our survival, they are both good things.

They only become bad things when we start acting like we can control them. If you stress out about your stress then guess what,,, YOUR ONLY GOING TO FELL MORE STRESS! And if you get anxious about your anxiety then guess what,,, YOUR ONLY GOING TO FEEL MORE ANXIETY!

DP/DR comes from not acknowledging what is real. Anxiety, panic and fear are all very real and if we say to ourselves that DP/DR comes hand in hand with normal functions of the brain then we will always have DP/DR.

Again, doctors are stupid and as I might add, it was the scientist of the world that believed the world to be flat!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't take everything that scientist and doctors say as gospel.
Yes doctors serve a purpose but they do not know everything.


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

It doesnt matter if Im a doctor or not. Even to our so called "experts" the brain is a complete mystery and as I see it, my OPINION is as good as the next. I base it on my own experience...from my own recovery. Going in and out of an anxiety/dp state. I now fully understand it and how to combat it.

Dp disorder is just a title. It means nothing. These " disease" titles were not handed down on an etched stone from GOD. They were conjured up by man as a crude and inaccurate way of labeling what THEY feel is a disease. All psychiatric "diseases" in the dsm are born from a vote. Homosexuality was also once considered a disease by our "experts". It was removed from the dsm once it became "politically incorrect".

If you want to continue to fuel your anxiety with thoughts that you have a "mysterious disease" go right ahead. It will only hold back your recovery.

Joe


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## dakotajo (Aug 10, 2004)

I get a kick out of those who would consider the doctors at the Mayo as "less expert" compared to other "real doctors" who believe in all these diseases and disorders. Keep in mind, that the Mayo is considered by many to be one of the best hospitals in the world.

Joe


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## Dreamer (Aug 9, 2004)

I am certain there are varietes of the DP/DR experience and among them are individuals who have no anxiety and experience the numbing. There was a recent article posted here, where a woman, an attorney described DP/DR DISORDER to a "t" ... she has no anxiety. Her husband is endlessly frustrated at her lack of emotions. ANY emotions.

There are many POVs on DP as a symptom and DP as a Disorder. It can be both as far as I see.

I was at a neurologist last year for a familial tremor diagnosis. A CAT scan was suggested to rule out MS. I really don't want to know if I have MS, so I've left it at that, unless any symptoms get worse. They are OK now.

I asked the neurologist about DP. Told him I have it. He said, mine was of a psychiatric kind as far as he understood it. Related to a psychiatric disorder. He had several DP/DR DISORDER patients at the time. None of them had anxiety, save minor concern over their situation of having DP.

A few had been in auto accidents with severe head trauma, one had severe epilepsy, and two had tumors.

I asked him, "What is the treatment?" He said, there is not enough understanding, it is coming in short bursts. These individuals had areas of the brain affected obviously which generated the symptoms.

I have known a number of people personally who have had DP as a "secondary" symptom to various illnesses including Bi-polar and OCD.
Treatment of the "primary" disorder resulted in elimination of the DP.

I am looking forward to Dr. Simeon's book which will be a medical study of her experience researhing this for years. Some of her POVs are different from Dr. Sierra, another expert who has researched this for years. Dr. Simeon's predecessor Dr. Hollander has his own POVs. So do the researchers at McLean Hospital in Boston I believe. Famous neurologist V.S. Ramachandran sees this in various ways.

Certain doctors focus on certain specialties. Some anxiety disorders, some dissociative disorder, some are neurologists, some specialize in depression, etc., etc., etc.

If you go to PubMed you will find tons of articles on various studies of DP. Japanese to British to US, etc., etc., etc. There is worldwide reasearch on this.

*There is debate re: the DSM-IV if in the DSM-V DP DISORDER should be considered neuroligical vs. neuropsychiatric. They don't know where to put it.

My belief is both are neurological regardless of the symptoms they generate. My belief is that psychiatric disorders are all medical, though obviously psychological factors are a part of the whole picture.*

We all connect here with a feeling we can all identify with. But not all of us have the same onset, the same experience, the same severity, the same coping mechanisms, the same onset, etc., etc., etc.

I know one individual personally as well who has NO anxiety. None, as well as an overall deadness of feelings.

Fight or Flight is only one version.

None of us can make a sweeping generalization that THIS is the answer to anyone on this Board.

My mantra. One more time.
We are ALL Unique.... each and every one of us.

Also, healthy individuals experience brief episodes of DP out of the blue, when tired and are not disturbed by this anymore than they are by brief Deja Vu. There is also a case study of someone who was stuck in Deja Vu who wanted to commit suicide. There is no cure for that.

Individuals also experience this when in a life threatening situation, but it doesn't remain chronic. (Auto accident, etc.)

There is too much evidence as far as I have reserached that this is neurological and it comes in many variations.

Experts disagree on this, though repeating the studies of others as well as developing new studies adds to a pool of knowledge which then needs to be sorted out.

None of us here is an expert re: anything but our own experience.

Anxiety Boards also ... I don't fit there. There is a DP Board as this is a unique experience. Why don't all the anxiety disorder people have DP/DR?

D


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## Dreamer (Aug 9, 2004)

revdoc said:


> The Mayo Clinic is getting confused between the depersonalisation that comes with anxiety attacks and chronic depersonalisation. That's all it is. Some stupid uninformed person who should know better. Probably a good idea to complain.


Agreed.

I don't know if it does any good to complain though. All of our own doctors come at this from different POVs. Unfortunately, this was some "Letter to the Expert" -- something very simplistic.

I knew a psychologist with training as far as an Ph.D. in psychology. When asked what depersonalization was (by my mother in law) she said, "Oh it's no big deal, just a temporary brief feeling of unreality."

Well it took me 3 years to convince my mother in law that I wasn't exagerrating sp? my experience. Once I showed her masses of information, she believed I had something "more", something "more debilitating". She couldn't fathom my mother's Alzheimer's though either. It wasn't until she suffered a severe depression for about 6 months did she understand the palpable suffering of a brain gone awray.

She responded well to medication.

She and I now talk openly about mental illness. She depended on the word of a Ph.D. psychologist who could very well write the same column.

Have you ever seen in the media, even in films, truly correct portrayals of mental illness? People still say "multiple personality" to describe schizophrenia ... on the news. They use it to describe political polarization of ideas. Multiple personality also doesn't exist, but it seems no one knows that ... it is now DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder which is still not well understood.

Anytime you get a friendly "Ask the Doctor" article ... well, I go to other research.... on ANY topic, ANY condition, not just mental illness.

Too brief, too pat an answer that doesn't cover chronic suffering.

D


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## Dreamer (Aug 9, 2004)

Finally, that one doctor does not represent the entire Mayo Clinic!!!!!

OIY my goodness. :?


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## rui (Apr 27, 2005)

DP is NOT the cause of your dis-ease.

Negative psyche energy is the cause of the problem. Any Problem!

Stand up, look up, look at the ceiling and put a broad smile on your face; its impossible to get depressed this way then...

Move; change your posture; change your beliefs chunk by chunk; start journaling today; start running today; start thinking on a proactive basis today; make notes, compare, clarify, make positive constructive critical essays on your main traumas.

Build your own opinions of the world, the ones given to you by default were false.


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## Dreamer (Aug 9, 2004)

rui said:


> DP is NOT the cause of your dis-ease.
> 
> Negative psyche energy is the cause of the problem. Any Problem!
> 
> ...


Well, I've been working on getting better my whole life. Using a lot of different techniques. Wish I'd had CBT/DBT at 15. I'm now 47. Chronic DP for 30+ years. I'm also a version of Borderline/mood dysregulation who has responded well to Lamictal. Everyone here is different.

You can't generalize an approach to any patient with any disorder, mental or physical.

Well, I've mainly stopped trying to explain things these days. That's all.

IMHO
YMMV
D


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## jft (Jan 10, 2005)

I wonder if doctors ever read these boards, and if they do I wonder what they think. I can see two reactions. One is that they shake their heads. The other is hopefully they understand our confusion, for the sorry lack of information out there (in the medcial field) and the dismal consensus on that info affects all of us here. Me, I just shake my head that there has to be so such confusion. When I read these posts (including my own) it causes some concern because we usaully say "in my opinion" or "I feel" or "I think". All of these are opinions based on personal views and our own experience. This scares me, but at the same time should it really? I kind of liked what Joe said in that in effect we are all experts (to a degree). We are the subjects that are being studied. We are the source of information that docs use to do their studies. If their research is in the realm of neurobiology and can be effectively measured then that is different, but if it is gathered by interview and clinical practice, then we are it, the bottom line.

I like Dreamers thoughts too in that this disorder/syndrome/symtpom/reaction/neurological problem (or whatever we want to call it) is unique to all of us even though we share it simailiarly. That is why there seems to be common denominators but at the same time many "extenuating circumstances" and this is where our many faceted views come in.

Myself for instance am like Dreamer in that I have worked on this for decades. I am talking A to Z, with nothing spared, in my efforts in anxiety reduction in order to reduce dp/dr. It did not happen, yes anxiety reduction, but no dp/dr reduction accordingly. But it happened for others according to some posts here Why? I wish I knew. I got a life and gained hope and a great attitude. I tried most of the meds. I had neuro workups.. I lived the healthy lifestyles. I had multiple tries at therapy.
I looked outside myself. I found God at one time . All of these things have helped others here, but there were not the ticket in dp/dr reduction for me. Why? I wish I knew.

All I know is that I am going to let the medical people do their research and I wIll wait for their measurable "answers". But at the same time I will read these posts here and appreciate each of our perespectives and experience But yet I will not take any view as the sole answer, for this beast seems to have too many heads to try to chop off jsut one.. I guess I view this forum as an ecclectic mesh of suffering people trying to make sense out things for themselves and to help others when they feel they have found something that somewhat works.. I am open to it all, but have to filter it through my own experience before I personally apply it. I just wish it was easier for most of us. And I am very happy for those that have found conviction and for those that found relief. 
jft


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

Joe, you're making a logical mistake. What you have experienced isn't representative for us all. As Revdoc said, there are many kinds (and causes) of DP/DR. Second, a disorder is indeed just a label (title), but it comes in handy if your looking for good therapy, the right meds, information about your situation and finding others who deal with the same things. Labels can be negative, but positive too. And third, no one says DP/DR is a mysterious disease. And the fact that if we don't do what you did will hold back on our recovery is narrow thinking and manipulative. Most of us are not masochists or people that like being in this DP/DR state and have done everything to ban this out of their lifes.


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

Excellent post, jft!


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## freesong (Dec 26, 2005)

Wow, everyone this is good stuff. Dreamer, you put everything I have wanted to say into the words that made great sense. thanks, freesong


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## Dreamer (Aug 9, 2004)

Thanks freesong. I actually looked up the Mayo Clinic at

http://www.mayoclinic.org

News to me that there are three facilities, one in Rochester, Minnesota and one in Arizona and one in Florida.

No hospital is known for being "the best" in everything. I looked up psychiatric services. They have them certainly, but I could think of other hospitals and uni hospitals that focus more on psychiatry than the Mayo.

Don't know the stats. But as with each researcher, different hospitals specialize in different types of research.

I can say without a doubt for instance that UCSD is highly recognized for it's neuropsychiatric department. It may be better than that of the Mayo Clinic. (one of the three now).

It's like looking at graduate school. You need to know what programs you want are strongest. Some high level private schools don't offer medical school or law for instance. A great school can't be "the best" or "the place" for every major, just as no hospital or clinic specializes in everything.

Etc., etc., etc.

We have to remember that a diversity of research is good. Differences of opinion on something we don't fully understand promotes further discussion and research, different ways of approaching the same problem, or finding the answer to "Disease X" by discovering a treatment of "Disease Y".

D
Enuf today. I messed up my stupid toe. LOL.
Cheers.


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## jft (Jan 10, 2005)

I actually wrote to the Mayo Clinic (I am from Minnesota) a few years back (in hopes of going there for a work up) before I knew what dp/dr was and gave them a symptoms list and a pleading letter for help. It actually was a well written descriptive letter of dp/dr. They did write back, but sugested I just go see my own local doctor, saying they were not familiar with my problem and that "there are good psychiatrists all over". That is when I realized that Mayo is not the end all in medicine, especially for psychiatry.
jft


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