# This is just anxiety. That's it.



## Misia (Nov 1, 2009)

I was afraid coming back to this site would make me worse, make me think about it more. And it has. All this is anxiety. Not some crazy rare permanent disorder. I was overanalyzing my thoughts and everything around me, even when I didn't realize it. I was thinking too fast, too obsessively. If you can still comprehend this post, then you can recover 100%. Know what? Don't even call it recovery. You don't recover. There is nothing to recover from. You are fine now. Chill out. Isn't there something you should be doing?


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## jaynon (Oct 12, 2009)

truth
anxiety instigates dp/dr
once you rid yourself of anxiety, all traces of dp/dr will diminish and eventually go away


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## MasterMind. (May 9, 2008)

PREACH!


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## voidvoid (Sep 5, 2008)

True in some cases, False in others.


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## Mario (Oct 26, 2009)

I agree with "inzom".My DP/DR has nothing to do with anxiety. 
In so many cases anxiety comes after DP/DR 
In so few cases it comes before.


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2009)

Mario said:


> I agree with "inzom".My DP/DR has nothing to do with anxiety.
> In so many cases anxiety comes after DP/DR
> In so few cases it comes before.


I 2nd this. I did not have anxiety or depression before my dp/dr set in. The anxiety happened because I was freaked out by tthe dp/dr feelings and then the depression came when it didn't go away and I was afraid of being stuck like this my whole life. My anxiety has largely been non existant in the past two week and guess what? STILL HAVE DP/DR. Yes, dp/dr can be a symptom of anxiety and depression but I think for the majority of us it is a stand alone condition.


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

Me 3


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

different strokes for different folks, im in the boat of anxiety thoughts fuelling DP i reckon.


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## dreamingoflife (Oct 22, 2006)

Anxiety is the one thing that started it and keeps it going for me as well.


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## staples (Apr 1, 2009)

Anxiety started and still fuels my Derealization. :evil:


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## Misia (Nov 1, 2009)

tinyfairypeople said:


> Mario said:
> 
> 
> > I agree with "inzom".My DP/DR has nothing to do with anxiety.
> ...


Where are you getting this information? Maybe just because you don't feel anxious doesn't mean you aren't?

I'm pretty sure in *most* cases anxiety causes dp and dp as a standalone disorder is rare. 
Depersonalization disorder: "A 2008 review of several studies estimated the prevalence between 0.8% and 2%"


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## Mario (Oct 26, 2009)

Mario said:


> I agree with "inzom".My DP/DR has nothing to do with anxiety.
> In so many cases anxiety comes after DP/DR
> In so few cases it comes before.


Hi Misia.
I agree that DP as standalone disorder is rare,but believe it or not mine is one of those.Of course i suffer from anxiety.What i meant to say was that my anxiety came after my DP/DR ,it wasn't the anxiety that triggered my DP/DR.
And when i say that in so many cases the anxiety came after,i was just remembering those many cases of DP/DR that were drug induced,even if those people could get their anxiety levels reduced,their DP/DR will not decrease,because in such cases,it wasn't the anxiety the trigger factor.
As you can see,reducing the anxiety is not the solucion for us all,only for some.

All the best
Mario


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## Misia (Nov 1, 2009)

Mario said:


> Hi Misia.
> I agree that DP as standalone disorder is rare,but believe it or not mine is one of those.Of course i suffer from anxiety.What i meant to say was that my anxiety came after my DP/DR ,it wasn't the anxiety that triggered my DP/DR.
> And when i say that in so many cases the anxiety came after,i was just remembering those many cases of DP/DR that were drug induced,even if those people could get their anxiety levels reduced,their DP/DR will not decrease,because in such cases,it wasn't the anxiety the trigger factor.
> As you can see,reducing the anxiety is not the solucion for us all,only for some.
> ...


My derealization was cannabis-induced. I didn't have too bad anxiety before, maybe slightly higher than most people. Cannabis can't cause any significant mental problems, only worsen or bring them up. Thank god I'm fine now. I feel you guys though, it's a most terrible thing. If I got anything good out of it, it was to stop pitying myself. I never before realized how hard life is for some.


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## Mechanism8 (Nov 7, 2009)

Completely false for me.
There is no fear or anxiety or overthinking involved in my DP.
Actually, its a complete lack of thinking or anxiety. I don't feel anything about it.
It just IS.


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

I'm starting to change my mind and think that the root problem of depersonalization is anxiety. I don't feel anxious. When anxiety comes I don't panic, sweat, shake, etc. but I do tend to avoid social situations because I am afraid and feel weird. I think we all have anxiety but that it manifests differently in each person. Some people get outwardly anxious by sweating or shaking and _feel_ the anxiety and others of us internalize and even sort of go into denial that we isolate ourselves from people and the world because of fear. The definition of anxiety is: _an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it._ Some of us may not feel it but that doesn't mean it's not there.


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## Guest (Nov 7, 2009)

Mario said:


> Mario said:
> 
> 
> > I agree with "inzom".My DP/DR has nothing to do with anxiety.
> ...


I disagree, in drug cases, it is HIGHLY likely that the drugs caused underlying anxiety or the fight or flight mechanism (due to perceived threat of either the drug itself or an effect of the drug) and this was part of the mechanism for DP appearing.

See my post '90% recovered after 4 years here's how' for more info


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## zee24 (Nov 7, 2009)

This is so true, Mario i so agree with you, my DR started after i smoked some really strong cannabis for a few weeks, and then i felt really weird, which was obv the dr/dp but then i never knew that because i never had no anxiety, i was a happy, out going popular guy, i was a long time smoker for about 6 years and 4 years daily and loved it until july this year when i blazed some high stuff and went through this crazy weird feeling like zoning out and not aware of whats happening, i then had a huge panic attack thinking something bad is gona happen, i remember the day like yesterday, i got hot flushes, dizzy, heart pounding and then the nex day i had the severe anxiety this that this was schitzothernia or phycosis however u spell them. 
Since then i have quit cold turkey and have phases of zoning out like 10 to 20 muns every other day or so which still scares the hell out of me but i think at night when i get in bed, i just made another day and im not crazy, i dont hear or see things so get over it.
my doc thinks its anxiety and depression and the weed never helped me but me and that herb is done, i enjoyed the time but its time to forgot and move on, and just remember the stoned out days as memories. I am in citalopram now its been my 5th weel and i am starting to notice some good things(touch wood) i dont wana jinxs myself.

Anyways sorry for the long essay and im sorry to all the guys who hate drugs and didnt want to talk shit about this...

Bless you guys and nuff love.

Zee 
London
UK


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## pancake (Nov 26, 2009)

Misia said:


> I was afraid coming back to this site would make me worse, make me think about it more. And it has. All this is anxiety. Not some crazy rare permanent disorder. I was overanalyzing my thoughts and everything around me, even when I didn't realize it. I was thinking too fast, too obsessively. If you can still comprehend this post, then you can recover 100%. Know what? Don't even call it recovery. You don't recover. There is nothing to recover from. You are fine now. Chill out. Isn't there something you should be doing?


I've been finding the whole forum experience quite interesting. That said, I never came here when I wasn't doing so well in myself. I was surprised how similar everybody's tastes in films and books are. Coming to any 'support community' is always going to bring to mind what connects everybody here. I've found browsing this place has given me lots of "so it is not just me" moments.
I am luck I don't fill the criteria for DPD, simply because I don't fear that I may be going nuts anymore and as a result I am not caused significant stress.


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## pancake (Nov 26, 2009)

pancake said:


> Misia said:
> 
> 
> > I was afraid coming back to this site would make me worse, make me think about it more. And it has. All this is anxiety. Not some crazy rare permanent disorder. I was overanalyzing my thoughts and everything around me, even when I didn't realize it. I was thinking too fast, too obsessively. If you can still comprehend this post, then you can recover 100%. Know what? Don't even call it recovery. You don't recover. There is nothing to recover from. You are fine now. Chill out. Isn't there something you should be doing?


I've been finding the whole forum experience quite interesting. That said, I never came here when I wasn't doing so well in myself. I was surprised how similar everybody's tastes in films and books are. Coming to any 'support community' is always going to bring to mind what connects everybody here. I've found browsing this place has given me lots of "so it is not just me" moments.
I am luck I don't fill the criteria for DPD, I don't fear that I may be going nuts anymore and as a result I am not caused significant stress.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

DEPERSONALIZATION IS A SYMPTOM OF MAJOR ANXIETY DISORDERS. nothing else. it gets better over a lot of time.


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## Tommygunz (Sep 7, 2009)

Brittany329 said:


> DEPERSONALIZATION IS A SYMPTOM OF MAJOR ANXIETY DISORDERS. nothing else. it gets better over a lot of time.


DP/DR is much more complex than simply an anxiety disorder. while it is the root cause for some, it is not the cause for others. many people experience DP/DR without anxiety. there are numerous causes of DP/DR, not JUST anxiety. in fact in my opinion DP/DR is even more related to OCD and chronic stress. 99% of people with DP/DR obsess obout it 24 hours a day, and obviously having DP/DR is very stressful, therefore, being stressed about something your obsessive compulsive about would be OCD with chronic stress. a pretty nasty combo.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

It is also caused by drugs and other mental disorders....but the main cause is anxiety and panic attacks. and most of ocd and other disorders are involved with anxiety. It's just dfferent with everyone. and it's a horrible thing to live through...


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

DP/Dr is simply DP/Dr
stop trying to categorize it into other categories.
dp/dr is exactly what u think it is, it feels different to everyone i imagine, going by stories on here, yet we all say its dp/dr

its feelings, and thoughts, and a bizzarre experience, thats it.
take it for what it is. it doesnt matter how it was caused yet.
try your best to deal with it, and find your own cure, using lots of help and information that is mentioned all around you and inside you.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

It is caused differently from each person, I know that. But for me it was a panic attack for 3 days and having anxiety disorder which DP is a symptom of major anxiety.


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

definately


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## kcjddd03 (Nov 21, 2009)

i had anxiety issues before i smoke marijuana. had first panic attack at 15. didnt know what it was. didnt have another until i was 17 from smoking. the depression came, then the dp/dr came in gradually after that. when i was 21 i was hospitalized and told i was bipolar. treated for a couple years after that. hospitalized again, was told i had ocd with panic disorder. have been treated for it ever since. i felt spacey and not really here for a long time before i was hospitalized. i didnt tell anyone how i was feeling cause i didnt know how to tell them. now alot happened in my life before the marijuana smoking. what i am wondering is if that may have something to do with the dr. now when my anxiety is under control, the dr is still there, granted, not as bad as when i am having a bout with my ocd, it is still there. i dont remember having it as a child or teen. and when my ocd flare's up, it gets mega bad. seems my ocd grabs a hold of it and runs with it, it tells me things and people around me are not real. it trys to convince me of that. that in turns cause panic. i was thinking of trying the lamictal, klonopin combo added to my sertraline i am currently taking. i need some major relief. and add generalized anxiety too it also. i worry about any and everything.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

klonopin I was told can cause depersonalization symtoms..I used to take that and it made me feel worse. I don't know about you though.


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## Hoopesy (Dec 8, 2009)

From what i have gathered...DP is a side effect of an anxiety disorder or an episode of prolonged anxiety. I had a panic attack from weed about 2 weeks ago and ever since then my anxiety has been through the roof and DP has been adding stress and depression to my life. But the thing is, when the thought of DP slips my mind and I don't "check in" to see if im still in this state, I don't feel anxious and for awhile the DP slowly goes away. Which leads me to believe that yes, this is not some weird permanent brain disease, its an ANXIETY TRIGGERED side effect that is only TEMPORARY and it WILL GO AWAY. The thing that keeps it here is simply the fact that I acknowledge it. The more I acknowledge it, the more stress I get. the more stress i get, the more depressed i feel. the more depressed i feel, the more anxious i get. The more anxious I get, the more I acknowledge it.

you see what is happening? It's just this cruel pattern of thought that keeps on looping around. If you want to start feeling better you have to break the loop. When i do break it I start to feel it go away and I can REALLY feel my brain connecting back up again.

You are not lost forever. This will pass with time. Start making positive changes like diet and exercise to feel good about yourself. Stop checking in, just accept the fact that this temporary (remember TEMPORARY, its going to go away! you are fine!) thing is happening and in time it will pass. And get the fuck off this website, the people who say that they have had this for years are only going to make you feel more anxious. Stop dwelling on DP and start living your life.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

The people who say they've had this for years is rediculous...they didn't try to find anything to help them or anything. redic. this is to help people not make them feel worse so..


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

Brittany329 said:


> The people who say they've had this for years is rediculous...they didn't try to find anything to help them or anything. redic. this is to help people not make them feel worse so..


lol

you craz-ay

i like you

but your crazay!

stop being soo bothered with how other people are dealing with it, its your own journey, dont ridicule or make them feel like its there fault.
if you still have it yourself....then get rid of yours first, before you start saying its ridiculous!
this is supposed to help you be a better person, not make you feel worse..so..


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

we're all going through this our own way...the people who choose to take 4 years to get out of it have chosen the no medication approach. We all have out own ways of coping with it. and yes I'm still struggling with this, I have room to talk. No one wants to be in this for years.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

we're all going through this our own way...the people who choose to take 4 years to get out of it have chosen the no medication approach. We all have out own ways of coping with it. and yes I'm still struggling with this, I have room to talk. No one wants to be in this for years.


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

yeh if people are on here, i reckon they dont want to have DP/DR.
they obviously know all the methods that are available, and that have worked for some, but not for others.
theres no one way cure that cures everyone.
some people get better with medication, some people choose not to(me).
if they have had it for years, im sure they dont want someone telling them, they didnt try hard enough etc.
i used to think this way a bit, and ive learned from my own experience, just let people be.

im going to cure myself, and if anyone wants to know how i did it, probably wouldnt help them, as i think alot of it, is trying to find that button in the mind, that turns it off.

like today for example when i said '' things cant possibly get any worse now, let me just reminice at that fact for a second'' and what do you know, someone flipped the DR switch off. Then i was like WOW its gone, and then it comes back.
i think with me, if i can relax and find my inner peace, mines will go away.

but i doubt this would make any sense to you or anyone else, as it wouldnt cure you, as my thought processes are different and soo many other variable,that it makes it hard for me to try help others now, as its all just too unique and indivdual.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

it's too different and varies from person to person. meds help others and may help no one at all. obv. none of us want to have this, it's hell. absolute hell. I guess that the people who choose not to try meds will work it out themselves and just not focus on it which I try to do even on meds and it helps. even being on this site helps.


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

it's too different and varies from person to person. meds help others and may help no one at all. obv. none of us want to have this, it's hell. absolute hell. I guess that the people who choose not to try meds will work it out themselves and just not focus on it which I try to do even on meds and it helps. even being on this site helps.


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## DownTheRabbitHole (May 30, 2009)

lately ive been finding being on here doesnt help, as it makes me think of it as a pure horrible condition again, where as lately ive managed to break myself through some layers of DP/Dr ( i know this sounds mad) but thats what it feels like.

i gave up weed, and have became more active and meeting people, and socialising again, and its all coming back, until i get into moments of bad anxiety or disgust with myself.

but i cant help coiming back on to check on everyone and things, 
OCd or a nice person, i donno lol

all the best brittany


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## Brittany329 (Dec 13, 2009)

thanks...it's so hard.


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## meghan28 (Jan 3, 2008)

Brittany329 said:


> The people who say they've had this for years is rediculous...they didn't try to find anything to help them or anything. redic. this is to help people not make them feel worse so..


I've had DP/DR for 2 years. I think it's really rude that you're saying we haven't tried to find any help or anything, because that's BULL SHIT. You can say that for some people, sure, but don't generalize it for everyone. I've been reaching out for all sorts of help, been doing everything I can. I've been exercising, eating right, and going to a psychologist.... But the anxiety and dp/dr is still there. Not trying to make other people feel worse by saying that either, I'm just here to reach out for help like the rest of the members. These are forums for aid, and we are all looking for help. I don't think anyone here is posting just to say "Yeah I've had this for "x" amount of years, and I'm saying that to make you scared and feel worse."


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