# How to cure Depersonalization/derealization



## Mlynnew (Jun 1, 2017)

I'm 23 years old, severe anxiety/panic disorder. I suffer from OCD and recently DPDR.

I chose the topic title of this discussion wisely trying to get more people from google to come across this entry for help, because like me, I too was once feeling destroyed, suicidal, completely out of answers and hope because there is no medication to cure DPDR. I thought I was done for, life was no longer living, and I was about to end my own life.

I suffered with two episodes of depersonalization, but what I really suffered from was derealization (feelings of detachment from reality, obsessive existential thoughts, questioned my existence and the existence of everything in my enviornment, seeing in 2D, etc...) I woke up triggered with DP randomly one morning (feeling outside my own body) and have had another attack about one to two weeks ago waking up in the middle of the night.

That's right. One to two weeks ago. And I'm already writing a recovery story. IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO RECOVER FROM THIS IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

I'm going to list in importance how to improve your symptoms of DPDR.

1. Medication. Although there is no med specific to disassociate disorders, there are meds to help with side effects of these disorders. Anxiety and depression specifically. I know its frustrated to hear but living with DPDR is exhausting, and for me, it sent me into a huge panic mode for a straight week where I couldn't stop shaking, throwing up, and crying becuse of the intensity of my panic. Then, I was thrown into a downward sprial of severe depression because I believed this was never going to end and I was going to be stuck with this disorder for the rest of my life. 
Anti-anxiety - Buspar 45mg a day
Anti-depressant - Celexa 40mg a day
Changed my life. It calmed and relaxed me so much even living with dpdr I finally could function although was completely aware I was still experiencing symptoms of DPDR. It was still frustrating but I was no longer depressed or suffering from panic.

2. Have supportive people around you. Anyone you love/trust. Be open with them with everything you're going through. You need someone to be able to hold and comfort you during a bad day/episode. It is crutial that you are not alone.

3. GET OUT OF THE HOUSE/BED. I know things feel and look terrifying and you don't recognize yourself or the world but the more you expose yourself to this fear, the less you will be fearful of your symptoms.

4. If your DPDR is triggered by obsessive thoughts, imagine the thought in your head as words on a piece of paper. Picture you crumpling it up and throwing in into a trash can. Keep imagining this until the specific thought stops. It will be temporary but it will help stop you from being triggered.

5. Do not go to Cognitive-behavioral therapy. For me, finding a way to respond to your symptoms like meditation or grounding yourself only makes it worse (for me, this brought on becoming more hyperaware of my existence and caused me more depression). You need someone for comfort, and to talk to. Psychotherapy is your best bet if you can afford it.

6. If you can find them, talk to people that suffer from DPDR. Knowing you aren't alone really helps.

My DPDR isnt a side effect of panic. It was not triggered by trauma. IT WAS NOT DRUG INDUCED. It is clearly another disorder my mind decided it was going to have my suffer from. I still have the same thoughts I did the first day this started, not as frequent and they don't bother me at all like they used to. I'm not obsessed with this disorder anymore. I'm just living my life again as best I can and when I start to feel triggered, I do any of the following mentioned above.

You will get better. This will not last. I promise you.


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