# The Cure



## Hellboy (May 4, 2008)

Alright, I don't mean to mislead anyone by calling this post "The Cure" but I believe that if we all put our brains' together and possibly money, we can get somewhere. Start by responding to this post with answers to these questions:

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?

5. What do you believe triggered your DP?

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.

8. What medications have you tried?

9. What is your health like?

10. What is your diet like?

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?

Now, I know of course if mental health professionals can't figure this thing out even with years of research, how the hell would we? Well, I I do know that a lot of professionals don't know much about this disorder to begin with and they may do very little to treat it right. Psychiatry, mental health care in general, is based on theory and speculation. There are no blood tests or brain scans that can really determine what is wrong with you. There are only questionnaires and interviews and then based on what symptoms you checked off as having on the questionnaire, and based on what you say during your interview, the psychiatrist or psychologist or therapist or whatever will determine what they think the best treatment would be for you. Cognitive therapy, Medication, whatever. But none of these techniques used or medications prescribed are certain to work. These doctors are learning themselves. They just have theories. They don't have absolute answers. I mean, we really don't have cures for anything even beyond mental health. We always hear "Scientists discovered...this/that" Scientists are always contradicting themselves. With mental health care, these doctors don't know you, they don't know every single possible contributing factor to your problem. The brain is extremely complex. If we understood how the brain worked, then A.I. would be available now. We don't know much at all about the brain. There are a lot of contributing factors in a person's life that shape who they are, their personality, feelings, views. Our Mental Health care sucks but it's a lot better than it ever was before and sometimes a person has no choice but to take medication as it's the only thing we have to manage a lot of mental illness. There have also been a lot of people who have been saved by the medicine so don't read this and become completely turned off by our mental health care system and turn away from medication. I just say all of this to say, don't under estimate people but don't over estimate them either. Don't completely rely on these doctors to help you and figure out your problem. If we all put our minds together and compile all of our own experiences and other research information we find and really put our heads together, we can probably get an even better idea of better ways to treat this disorder and how not to treat this disorder by looking at what is consistent in all of our experiences. I don't know how, but somehow if we can organize something where we can donate money to a research program for DP, that'd be great too. Anything to help us get better is worth trying. Again:

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?

5. What do you believe triggered your DP?

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.

8. What medications have you tried to treat DP?

9. What is your health like?

10. What is your diet like?

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?

Obviously, there is a bunch of information on DP here and all over the internet. I just want people to reply to this post answering these questions so that we can all be certain about some things based on consistency.


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## Hellboy (May 4, 2008)

1. Yes, my I believe my grandfather is a paranoid schizophrenic. He has believed people are following him and has all the symptoms.
My mother worries a lot herself.

2. I've been diagnosed with OCD/anxiety and depression

3. I took lexapro

4. I've always been very introverted. Low self esteem, kind of down, a little negative.

5. A very stressful traumatic event and not getting enough sleep I believe one of them or both of them combined triggered it.

6. Keeping my mind busy seems to be the only thing that has helped me cope. I've tried Xanax and 5htp. I had a bad reaction to the Xanax and the 5htp showed me no results. The Xanax did help for like 30 minutes then it made my anxiety worse than before and my dp became worse. I'd wake up panicing at night.

7. My DP keeps me from enjoying life. I'm sensitive to light and I'm almost agoraphobic. The thought of going out frightens me. People seem like aliens to me even though I don't have the delusion that they are aliens, they feel like they're foreign, weird, alien. The concept of people frightens me. Existential nightmare. I don't want to talk to friends or socialize, the idea frightens me. I can't drive my car anymore or go places. I feel disconnected and on autopilot.

8. I've only tried Xanax and 5htp.

9. My health may be bad. I have asthma that hasn't been treated for years and I haven't seen an internist in years. My muscles are always sore and I'm always tired, fatigued. It may be a my anxiety/depression or it may be legitimate health problems. Not sure.

10. My diet has always sucked. I've never eaten good foods or got enough vitamins.

11. DP is always the same all of the time for me. In the morning time, after waking up I feel a little relieved of it.


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## SpanishMoon (Apr 21, 2008)

1. My mother had anxiety
2. No, I haven?t
3. I was a healthy girl....
4. I?m a bit shy, but I never hadn?t problems of relationships 
5. I think could be amalgams fillings (mercury). Because all my problems began with this...And now I have mercury and others metals in my body (Al, As, Sb, Pb...)
6. Nothing helps to my DP...it?s getting worse and worse. The thing that don?t helps my DP is sleep badly or not to sleep 
7. I feel disconnected of the word, people looks like strangers, my house and my family are not familiar for me. I feel like I was in a dream. I suffer disorientations, and sometimes, I don?t know where I am or who I am. I meet rare(strange) in the mirror. I feel so scared...
8. I have tried a lot of medication: cipralex, clobazam, benzodiacepins, lyrica, lexatin....No one has help me
9. My health is bad. I have a lot of dizzies, headaches, aures of migraine, snow vision, stomachaches, respiratory difficulty, etc...
10. I think my diet is good. I eat all kind of food: fruits, vegetables, meat...
11. I think my DP i worst at nights...


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## aldb85 (May 9, 2008)

Just so you know i had a psychotic episode when i was 16,stayed in a mental hospice for a month,was put on olanzapine whilst in the mental hospice.took about a year till i was finally off of olanzapine.Tryed a couple of antidepressants which i can't remember the names of but which i know did not help me in any way.Got a job in a supermarket and then two years later was diagnosed with ocd and depression.Stopped working after being there for 3 and a half years due to my ocd and depression.All the medications i have listed below(8.)are what i have tryed to help with my ocd and depression.None of them helped me although my family would say my behaviour is better than what it was at the start of my diagnosis.Stopped worrying about things and stopped with my obsessions about 6 months ago because they were not helping me and the reason i started obsessing and worrying about things i think was due to having no purpose and meaning in my life which i still feel i have to day!Was diagnosed with dp three days ago and i was told that my ocd and depression for now are not bothering me and haven't done for 6 months although they could reappear in the future.I however don't think they will!
1.No
2.Yes
3.olanzapine
4.half and half.
5.Stress
6.only just been diagnosed with dp so can't say what helps etc.
7.I feel tired all the time,like i just want to lie down and not move.I don't socialize properly like i used to(never ever felt right when i used to socialize throughout school aswell).I don't like going out of my house.i can't concentrate and hence not study properly and get a decent job.
8.citalopram and buspirone combined,respiridone,lorazepam,aripripazole(not sure if that is correct spelling).I am currently on clomipramine 250mg and will be staying on it for the next two to three months.
9.and 10.My health is generally fine except i am overweight and have never really ate any fruit or veg.
11.Hard to say i feel the same wherever i am but i feel worse when im out with other people.People also feel alien to me and i feel disconnected.I am unable to really enjoy what i do.


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## David Kozin (Jan 11, 2005)

Let me see if I can help you our with your question No. 8. I will contact Dr. Simeon for approval to publish our selected results regarding this question. Out of 394 participants, it contains 250 individuals' responses of the different medications used, and their effectiveness based on the standard 7-point Clinical Global Impression ? Improvement Scale (CGI-I), ranging from 7 ? very much worse, to 4 ? no change, to 1 ? very much improved.

I am hesitant to publish anything on the Internet, and jeopardize the publication process.

- David


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

I'm bored.

1. NO
2. NO
3. -
4. Introverted, creative, free spirited, caring
5. Not sure
6. Things that help - Distracting it by keeping busy, alcohol, positive thinking. 
Things that don't help - ruminating, doing nothing with my time, eating poorly
7. SInce I've had DP I've dropped out of school, lost a lot of friends, lost connection with reality, lost my girlfriend, and what feels like my mind.
8. I've been on lexapro, klonopin, stelazine, zyprexa, lamictal, adderall, xanax, effexor, rimiron, resperdol, seroquel, provigil, and lunesta. 
None have made any significant changes in me. 
9. I have no health issues 
10. I eat mostly organic foods, don't eat much sugar or dairy. I eat a lot of fruit and sprouted grain bread ( ezekiel bread, it's the best  )
11. I never have relief from my DP although I have learned to live with it the past year and I am no longer feeling like I'm being tortured from this illness to the extent I use to. It's still pretty unbearable though.


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## iwantanswers (May 20, 2008)

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?

No history of mental illness... some depression but never a serious situation like this.

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP? I had a little depression a few years ago and thats went away easily.

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like? I'm a bit shy but i loved life. I appreciated everyone around me. I was caring and always looking out for people. I am a funny person and musical.

5. What do you believe triggered your DP? I'm not really sure. I was in a bad relationship that could have been it. I did have a bad experience with MJ 5 years ago.. and i hate when i feel weird.. so DP is hard for me to deal with beyond belief. I think it was just stress. I started having panic attacks... because i wasnt feeling right.

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?I try to do things that keep my mind on other things... I use xanax now but i dont want to take it all the time i want this to be over with.. i want my damn life back.

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience. I feel like my life is over. I dont even know how i could go back to feeling normal after experiencing this. I feel like no one understands expect these things i read online. I dont want to go out, drive or even really be around anyone except my parents. I am not working right now.

8. What medications have you tried to treat DP? xanax and now zoloft.. not helping me.. xanax takes the edge off but thats about it, and not very long.

9. What is your health like? im overweight and doctors say i have a high cortisol level... they are still working to figure out what is causing that. I found out i had low potassium and slight.. type 2 diabetes. a lot going on in my life right now... 

10. What is your diet like? my diet changed drastically... i eat really healthy since i found out about diabetes...

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?Its harder for me to deal with during the day.. and at night its a little easier.

Someone please help me figure out how to get well.... and get my life back...


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## makingsensenow (May 23, 2008)

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain? None known prior to me and my siblings. Two of my siblings suffer anxiety and disassociative disorders - and now that I have this label I know that my brother and I have DP and/or DR.

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP? PTSD, disassociative amnesia.

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication? Never. Too afraid of the chemicals.

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like? Natural introvert, developed extroversion in work life and certain social situations where it serves as a means to an end.

5. What do you believe triggered your DP? Stress, as well as unresolved childhood trauma, both from sexual abuse and familial events.

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help? Knowing now that this is a disorder and there are others like me, knowing will help me categorize this and control it. Have used regular alcohol consumption to alleviate, as well as started smoking again around the onset of a 18 month episode.

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience. I have used an incredible amount of energy trying to survive this, build up my memories where I'd lost them, and figure out what's really wrong with me.

8. What medications have you tried? None. Too scared of the unknown reaction(s) to chemicals.

9. What is your health like? Physically strong and fit. When my DP/DR isn't absorbing all of my energy I like to lift weights and kickbox. My body seems to be able to take a lot of punishment (like the alcohol and cigarettes).

10. What is your diet like? Good - like red meat, vegetables, and dairy. Limited starches.

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most? I am only just figuring out that DP/DR has been a significant part of an 18 month depressive episode I've been emerging from for 6 months, so I don't have a good gauge on the day-to-day or the swings. I think massive stress was the onset.


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## Beatrix Ruskea (May 24, 2008)

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain? My grandma has dementia. My dad has something very wrong but I don't know what his diagnosis is. My mom is bi-polar.

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP? Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication? Prozac

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like? Introverted and very quirky

5. What do you believe triggered your DP? I don't know

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help? Smoking pot doesn't help, it makes things terrible. What helps is pretending like it's normal to feel this way.

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience. I don't have courtesy for people, animals and things because I don't feel real. I don't feel emotion normally. Time runs together.

8. What medications have you tried? Amitiptyline, Zyprexa, Geodon, Risperdal, Prozac, Valium, Ativan

9. What is your health like? Decent. Somethimes I have high blood pressure.

10. What is your diet like? I eat everything.

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most? It doesn't bother me unless I dwell on it. It bothers me a lot when I don't feel my usual sense of depersonalization.


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## Guest (May 25, 2008)

Dear Hellboy,

First off, I don't see mental/neurolgical illness being cured. I see current research as providing improved quality of life. I see a cure ... ? It may involve genetic manipulation which is way in the future. I think young people here will see many advances I won't. But who knows.

Much of such questions HAVE been researched by both Mt. Sinai, the IoP, the ISSD-T (see links), by neurologists. Mental illness is being researched. Funding is difficult to get, but there are organizations such as NARSAD which are researching all mental orders, and neurologists see DP/DR all the time, and it is even more prevalent these days I think with kids experimenting with rec drugs -- also the internet has been brilliant is passing this all along.

NODID, is the National Organization of Drug Induced Disorders, and there was a survey much like this here on the board. The article David/NODID is talking about is based on OUR Board response to these questions.

I'll still answer to keep myself from taking a nap, lol. God I'm tired.

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?
Yes, distant family history of anxiety, depression. Closer/aunt one cousin, depressed. Another cousin bipolar. Mother, unknown - Paranoid Personality Disorder/Narcissistic? "Rage disorder", Father - OCD, depression, anxiety. The family is in general a mess, lol. It is known that many mental illness have genetic properties and run in families.

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?
Everything started at about age 4 or 5 years old (as far back as I can remembere) -- episodes of DP/DR, as well as GAD, panic attacks, and depression.

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?
Too young -- think I was born with anxiety which led to DP. Didn't see psychiatrist until close to 16, given a tricyclic anti-depressant which did nothing.

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?
Outgoing, gregarious, funny, full of life in the best of times, but all of this is very limited by the depression, DP/DR, anxiety. Artistic, musical, but these things are very difficult to engage in now.

5. What do you believe triggered your DP?
I had a lot of craziness in my family, but to be honest at this point, I was born anxous and the DP/DR developed from that, came and went, wasn't treated, and it sort of "settled in" after years.

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?
Medications: Klonopin/Clonazepam (generic), Lamictal. An SSRI I'm on... I don't know anymore about the SSRI. Might want to try Lyrica or Cymbalta, but am scared too, tired of meds. Nothing else worked and I tried just about everything. In terms of therapy -- CBT, and DBT and psychotherapy with one great shrink in college -- one on one. I've wasted so much money in therapy it's ridiculous save a good diagnosis, a supportive shrink early on, and CBT, DBT later in life. Distraction. Time. But in many ways I'm worse (anxiety wise than I was even 15 years ago).

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.
"Subjective" is not how I would define it. It is a sever perceptual distortion for me, that I see as the severe end of my anxiety. It is REAL. I believe for ME it is neurological. I don't know how it could be described as anything else. I have a severe case. Severity varies. When it is horrible, I cannot function at all. Anxiety too. It changed the entire direction of my life. Took away most of my goals. But I'm writing about it.

8. What medications have you tried to treat DP? 
Since the age of 15/16 (my birthday is in December), I have been prescribed just about everything, but in between sometimes was on nothing. Since I am 49 I've gone through the history of psychiatry up to this point. The only meds that have truly helped are Lamictal and Klonopin. First given Klonopin at age 28/29. Lamictal age 40?

9. What is your health like? 
Rather good considering.

10. What is your diet like?
Healthy over the years. Not overweight. I am more vegetarian than in the past, but this hasn't helped change things much. I'm addicted to 2 cups of Starbucks in the a.m. which does not help. Only drug I'm addicted too, and I know it would lessen anxiety. But I don't take in any caffeine late in the day -- none after noon. Don't drink any soda at all.

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?
Anxiety/stress, guaranteed make this worse. And anxiety is just about most of the time unless I have "control" of my environment. I'm going for 3 days to help a college friend w/her daughter's H.S. grad party. I had a panic attack last night over it. Stupid, as she understands me completely.

*Again, many such surveys have already been done focusing on various theories -- all over the world -- and even on this board. Have faith that research into ALL mental and neurological illness may lead to excellent treatment.

If dealt with early enough, with CBT, etc. and meds, I believe it can be nipped in the bud in many people.
I am an exception. I don't know. But I have accomplished a lot in my life and continue to press on each day.

I applaud that you are interested in this. Go to the various links on the site to see how you can contribute to great organizations. Keep up the self-advocacy! That's what I try to do every day, and am very open about my problem to a good number of people. I see it as medical.*

D


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## mezz (Sep 8, 2006)

*1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?* My dad has had some depression.

*2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?* nope.. well, few anxiety attacks.. one of them set my dp/dr on.

*3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?* nope.

*4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?* both.. 50/50. strangely dp/dr has made me more extroverted since I don't give a fuck about much anymore..

*5. What do you believe triggered your DP?* maybe caffeine. I had my first anxiety attack when I had drank 2+ liters of coca-cola. My young cousin had died not much before the anxiety attack..

*6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?* My meds.. alcohol takes it away for a while but them seems to worsen it..

*7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.* It makes me scared and it's hard to function normally.. it's very diffucult for me to work or go to school.. sexual dysfunction also..

*8. What medications have you tried?* seronil (a med for depression [which I didn't/don't have too bad..) and limbitrol (helps me cope with anxiety a bit).

*9. What is your health like?* bad.. i drink and smoke a lot... I don't do much exercise either..I don't eat too well. I'm gonna change my habits though.

*10. What is your diet like? * sometimes I eat better... fruits, vegan products, meat too.. sometimes just pasta.

*11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?* most relief: at night, worst: mornings (when I leave the house) and daytime.


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## Tanith (May 29, 2008)

_1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?_
I wouldn't know I was adopted.

_2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?_
Nope.

_3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?_
No mental illness

_4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?_
Shy, Friendly, Not the best in the conversation but I try my best, mature, eager to please. Would so anything for someone I cared about.

_5. What do you believe triggered your DP?_
2 Possibilities or a combination of both. About 2 years ago I fainted and was out for around 20 seconds and when I came to I felt weak and a little different somehow. I got the DP after that.

Or regret, this is sort of personnel. I was really attracted to this girl and I had several attempts to ask her out, even sent a note to her admitting my feelings but I never had the courage to do it and her name has been in my head repeating ever since for years. To much to go into. Eventually it was like a battle in my mind between my feelings for her and the feelings that were trying to get me to move on and I had depression because of this which at one time suicide crossed my mind. This was a few months before the fainting but It most likely contributes to the DP.

_6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?_
Ironicly talking to that particular girl on msn gives me hope. Also staying social, going out with friends etc seems to help for me to cope with my DP. I try to continue with life the way I always had, people and family never know that I even have DP.

_7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.
_
I have a lack of certain emotions and feelings which greatly lowers my view on life in general.
_8. What medications have you tried to treat DP?_
None

9. What is your health like?
Not bad

10. What is your diet like?
I eat quite a lot of fatty foods and fizzy drinks but I have a good amount of fish and meat in my diet. I don't really exercise much but I walk a lot. Despite of this I am really thin and I mean really thin can see my veins in my arms.

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?
Bothers me the most in crowds when I know I am not like the people around me on how they experience things, I greatly wish that I was like them. Talking to my friends and out having as close to fun as possible gives my the most relief.


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## -Lara- (Jun 2, 2008)

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?
_My Dad has unknown mental problems, which i think could well be depersonilzation but i dont know this for sure._

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?
_Anxiety, i was scared of going to school and also i had a mental breakdown before i started experiencing depersonilzation._

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?
_I havnt had any medication_

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?
_I used to be extremely positive, always laughing and happy but i was someone who got very anxious and relient on people. _

5. What do you believe triggered your DP?
_ Stress from a childhood illness - i was afraid of becoming ill again, past traumas from childhood (NOT sexual abuse), weird dreams coming back to me from childhood and the loss of a best friend._

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?
_Acting as normal as possible, seeing as many friends as i can, pretending it is normal to feel this way. Seeing a councillor sometimes helps. Also going on the computer and TV helps distract me quite a lot._

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.
_I feel completely lost and trapped all the time, i feel like i died months ago but somehow still exist. I feel i cant connect to people like i used to be able to do so well and the world seems unreal, odd and a horrible place to me. I feel very trapped in my own head a lot. The main thing is i feel completely out of touch from reality._

8. What medications have you tried?
_None but i hope to try some kind of medication soon._

9. What is your health like?
It is good, it used to be bad as i was very ill when i was younger but it is better now.[/I]

10. What is your diet like?
_It could be better_

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?
_It is best when its night time, i'm drunk or distracted. Its worse when its bright outside and when i'm under a lot of stress. I never get a full break from DP though._


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## Tenken (Dec 28, 2007)

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?
No
2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?
No
3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?
N/A
4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?
I am ussually pretty quite and respond more then i start conversations.
5. What do you believe triggered your DP?
Marijuana.
6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?
Relaxing and distraction help to cope. Thinking long thoughts don't help.
7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.
It makes it hard to feel normal around people.
8. What medications have you tried?
Ativan, Lexapro, Prozac, Welbutrin, Risperdal.
9. What is your health like?
Healthy
10. What is your diet like?
Healthy
11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?
I have the most relief from DP in the mornings, its worst at night.


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## Deadweight (Feb 29, 2008)

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?
Well, me and my sister both have OCD, and my mom will never admit it but she is a very anxious person.

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?
Yes, OCD, and I suppose I was diagnosed with depression, but that was never too bad.

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?
Not really, I took flouxentine(prozac) and Wellbutrin, but neither of them for more than a week or 2 at a time, I have some hypochondria

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?
up until around the start of the DP/DR I was pretty extroverted, I didn't really care at all what others thought of me, for the most part I said what I felt and I made lots of jokes and such. But a bit before the DP/DR came I had started to be a bit more introverted.

5. What do you believe triggered your DP?
I don't know, around that time I had some intense OCD attacks, that's also about the time my dad started drinking heavily, and that was one of the first periods in my life where I had little social contact, and noone to lean on. So it could be any number of things.

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?
Things that help: watching TV, going to movies, playing videogames, social interaction(only when I'm with people I'm comfortable with), and listening to music(especially listening to music). For the most part, these seem to help by taking my mind off things.
Things that don't help/make it worse: thinking/reading about DP/DR for too long (this is sort of a double edged sword, as in the long run it helps to learn about it, and think of solutions, etc. but thinking about it seems to make it worse temporarily), anxiety, isolation, caffeine, sleep deprivation, social interaction with strangers/people I'm uncomfortable with.

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.
Well, it seems like it negatively affects my memory and attention/focus, it seems to have taken a lot of the joy out of things, it seems to make me more socially awkward/inept, perhaps because I'm spending more time in my head and therefore more time thinking about things like what others are thinking about me and what I'm doing wrong, etc. I don't seem to feel as much emotion, things don't seem real, as if watching a movie.

8. What medications have you tried?
As said above, none for that long, but Prozac and Wellbutrin.

9. What is your health like?
I'm overweight and not very physically active. As said earlier I have some anxiety issues, OCD, social anxiety, hypochrondria, etc. I also seem to have a sensitivity to light, but I've never really talked about it with a doctor.

10. What is your diet like?
I'm a vegetarian, I overall don't eat as healthy as I should.

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?
most relief: I'm not really sure if there's anything that can reliably make it better, other than taking my mind off it, as others said, the night seems to help a bit, not really sure if it helps with DP/DR or just overall mood though.
Worse time: when under a lot of stress, when I think about it a lot, for example, the other day I was reading a book about DP/DR and it got a lot worse, when bored and when in the same unchanging surroundings for too long (for example when I see my therapist, by the end of the appointment I'm usually more out of it just from staring at the same thing(s) for an hour.)


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## Guest (Jul 2, 2008)

hummm.... "the cure"? All i'm seeing is information gathering by baiting members with the statement "the cure". (I'm dyslexic so i might be missing soomthin here :mrgreen: ) I'm tellin mom! :x


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## julie (Aug 11, 2004)

Bump. This is an excellent post. Let's keep it going. I will answer in full when I have more time.


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## Inthemoment (Jun 18, 2008)

1. Is there any known family history of mental illness? If so, explain?

Mom suffers from anxiety as does my sister.

2. Have you had any mental illness before experiencing DP?

None

3. If you've had mental illness before experiencing DP, Did you take medication? If so, what medication?

N/A

4. What kind of person are you or have you been most of your life? Introverted, extroverted. What is your personality like?

Mostly extroverted, however I have always considered myself an introvert in an extroverts body. I like to be by myself. It does not bother me.

5. What do you believe triggered your DP?

Smoking marijuana. Bad trip.

6. What things seem to help you cope with your DP? What things don't help?

Accepting it, staying very busy. What does not help? Obsessing about it, thinking about it, wishing I didn't have it, making it important, when in reality it is not.

7. In what ways does your DP hinder you? as it's a subjective experience.

It actually does not. A therapist told me once that getting DP was a blessing in disguise because it stopped me from using drugs. If that episode of flipping out did not happen to me, I probably would have gotten into harder drugs and wound up dead or in jail. I've done better than most people who don't have DP/DR.

8. What medications have you tried?

Every SSRI known to mankind and just about every Benzo known to mankind. At this point I am completely drug free.

9. What is your health like?

Very good. I take very good care of myself.

10. What is your diet like?

I eat 90% organic food; lot of whole grains, beans, chicken fish, and veggies. Absolutely no sodas or alcohol.

11. When do you have the most relief from DP? When does DP bother you the most?

When I'm distracted. It bothers me the most if I think about it too much or I'm very, very stressed.


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