# DP/DR affects visual perception?



## Doberg (Sep 12, 2013)

Does anyone else experience weird visual perceptions? For example things may look like its in 2D. Sometimes you see little black specs or white specs. Sometimes things feel like they move in slow motion. Sometimes you may think your hallucinating but then you investigate and find out its actually the cat, or spider etc. SOmetimes things look closer then they are or farther then they are... DOes anyone else have a goofy or messed up visual perception? ( Im not talking about seeing donkeys invade your toilet or any crazy hallucination like that hahaha, even though in a daydream state it can sometimes feel like your going to hallucinate but your just really stuck in your head)


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## Doberg (Sep 12, 2013)

What about severe daydreams where you get so caught up in the "vision" that your scared it will manifest in hallucinations? For example, when I am by myself I get so stuck in my head that I don't register my surroundings and sometimes when I have daydreams, memories or flashbacks I fear that they will manifest into hallucinations or I will lose my ability to determine my daydream/flashback/memories from reality? Is that possible with chronic/severe dissociation?


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## Doberg (Sep 12, 2013)

I guess I feel really vulnerable to psychosis or something because my whole perception game is out of wack, plus you add the chronic and severe dissociation with frequent daydreams (whether imagination, flashbacks etc) and the fear of going crazy all the time...it makes me wonder


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## yosemitedome (Aug 1, 2013)

hightimer said:


> Have you seen a psychiatrist or doctor? You may have early onset of schizophrenia which would explain a lot of your symptoms. Especially if you were smoking dope. I am not saying you have schizophrenia, but if you do it is best to get it diagnosed early. Keep in mind I am not trying to scare you or anything, in fact schizophrenia is a highly treatable condition!


What symptoms?


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2013)

It's not early onset of schizophrenia, this forum has been around for a decade and as far as I've seen no one has developed schizophrenia from DP/DR. With almost 30,000 people on here if developing schizophrenia was something that happened we would have heard about it. DP/DR shares some common symptoms with schizophrenia which is why people fear they are related, but cases of people with DP/DR going on to develop schizophrenia are likely astronomically rare or non-existent.


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2013)

Doberg said:


> Does anyone else experience weird visual perceptions? For example things may look like its in 2D. Sometimes you see little black specs or white specs. Sometimes things feel like they move in slow motion. Sometimes you may think your hallucinating but then you investigate and find out its actually the cat, or spider etc. SOmetimes things look closer then they are or farther then they are... DOes anyone else have a goofy or messed up visual perception? ( Im not talking about seeing donkeys invade your toilet or any crazy hallucination like that hahaha, even though in a daydream state it can sometimes feel like your going to hallucinate but your just really stuck in your head)


2D vision is a common symptom, people just don't talk about as much for some reason. The little black and white specs are eye floaters or white blood cells in the vessels of your eye and are harmless as everyone has them. Things moving in slow motion happens becasue part of the flight/fight response actually dose make things appear to mover slower. If you think your hallucinating and there was actually a cat there, then why worry? Things looking closer or farther is part of the 2D vision.

All very common and not worth worrying about.


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## Doberg (Sep 12, 2013)

hightimer said:


> Have you seen a psychiatrist or doctor? You may have early onset of schizophrenia which would explain a lot of your symptoms. Especially if you were smoking dope. I am not saying you have schizophrenia, but if you do it is best to get it diagnosed early. Keep in mind I am not trying to scare you or anything, in fact schizophrenia is a highly treatable condition!


I have seen 4 doctors and 2 therapists, one is a LP the other is a clinical social worker or what ever. I have not taken a psych evaluation such as taking written tests (besides self screen tests online) I have done the in person interview though. Both therapists said I had PTSD with dissociative symptoms, 1 therapist pointed out that it was DP/DR (I don't think he has credentials to diagnose) and the doctors have said that I had GAD. One doctor laughed at me when I said I fear I am developing schizophrenia, the one therapist chuckled as well and said it was an irrational fear brought on by severe chronic anxiety and obsessional thinking which is a sign of avoiding the underlining issue (Trauma) he didn't say it in THOSE words but that's what I MYSELF have concluded. I have taken a bunch of online tests for several different mental illness and have printed off all the results and made in depth commentaries on all the answers as well as through in personal notes and journals. This way I can render the evidence to my therapist so that he can have insight on the matter (now I don't think he can officially diagnose though.) I also have and will request a full blown psych evaluation for an OFFICAL PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSIS. The problem is, I wont have health coverage until December. My therapist is a community counselor and sessions are free. I have informed my grandmother of all of my bizarre symptoms and will continue to supply my therapist with them as well. I have realized that in my state of mind/being I often do not have rationality to make proper judgments Anxiety, dissociation/dpdr and ptsd all blind me to think clearly and rationally sometimes. Thus I have decided to be 100% transparent with my Grandmother, therapists and doctors and let them come to the rational conclusion of whats going on. TRUSTING THEM IS HARD but its all I have because I can tell myself I have cancer, I have bedbugs, I am balding I have green toes etc and I WOULD BELIEVE IT... Obviously I don't have green toes hahaha nor do I have the above, to my knowledge anyway. I am at the point now where I really don't care what I have whether schizophrenia, ptsd, gad etc etc... It is what it is and worrying about it wont make things better. DO I hear voices? No, Do I have delusions (delusions are something you are completely convinced are true EVEN when you are presented with evidence to the contrary) No? Do I have bizarre thoughts that I may temporarily believe and that may be thoughts of a madman? Yes. Do I see things not there? Sometimes I probably do, most times I find out something was there or I can at least logically come up with an explanation. Am I perfectly functioning? No. Is it hard for me to determine thoughts from reality or dreams from memories or imagination from actuality? SOmetimes, yes but only for awhile and I am not dead set that it is real or is fake, I simply am open minded and usually remember after I figure it out. Keep in mind, I have a very poor sleep schedule, I hardly eat and I have a stressful job and school. All this should be taken into consideration PLUS the anxiety, the dpdr and TRAUMA plays a role in this too. I logically can conclude that regardless of what its labeled as being, my mind is wore out, wounded and in pain and has been overdriven too long and is exhausted and needs help. I hope this makes sense?


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## Doberg (Sep 12, 2013)

I see the therapist Monday to get his feed back on my tests, notes and updated symptoms


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## morgenstrn (Aug 16, 2013)

Doberg said:


> What about severe daydreams where you get so caught up in the "vision" that your scared it will manifest in hallucinations? For example, when I am by myself I get so stuck in my head that I don't register my surroundings and sometimes when I have daydreams, memories or flashbacks I fear that they will manifest into hallucinations or I will lose my ability to determine my daydream/flashback/memories from reality? Is that possible with chronic/severe dissociation?


Symptoms of panic disorder. A lot of people with anxiety fear they might "go crazy" or that they already are. That is not the case, in fact you are perfectly sane.

At the time I had severe panic I was so afraid of being crazy I had to check out everything I saw or heard to make sure it wasn't a hallucination! You are not crazy, nor deluded, nor psychotic. Severe mental disorders have other symptoms, they have troubled relationhsips with others, they hear voices, etc., panic is not one of them. (Explained by my therapist because I told her I was afraid of being schiz haha). Also when your doctors say you have anxiety then you probably have anxiety.

You are just very afraid.


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## yosemitedome (Aug 1, 2013)

morgenstrn said:


> Severe mental disorders have other symptoms, they have troubled relationhsips with others.


Whilst this is very true, I'd like to say don't get panicked about the fact your anxious in social situations and can't relate how you used to, that's anxiety and dp, not schizophrenic signs.

For all my friends know, I'm still as normal as I ever was, inside I feel utterly insane though.


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## VET_Analistic (Nov 29, 2013)

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## yosemitedome (Aug 1, 2013)

VET_Zinny said:


> Yes definitely does effect visual perception and interpretation. DP/DR are both commonly refered as being dissiocative disorders producing simalar symptons such as shizophrenia would. But not classed as phychosis. I have always wondered if im exsperiancing drug induced phychosis as i exsperianced these symptons permanantly after smoking marijuana three years ago. But the other issue is these symptons also appeared after an anxiety attack. So i cannot ultimately disifer if this disorder is purely of anxiety origon or if its drug induced phychosis which is permanant. These two possabilitys have always been my biggest questions.


Has it been permanent or intermittent?


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