# What helped me



## Poco (Jul 4, 2018)

For me derealization and depersonalization gave me anxiety and panic attacks. Not the other way around as is so often specified.

It started about 10 years ago while in the middle of an innocuous conversation that I don't even remember the subject of. Suddenly the other person didn't seem real, I didn't feel real. The basic grittiness or atmosphere or granularity of my surroundings and myself lost their focus. I couldn't breathe, couldn't see properly, I had to get out of there. I quickly said I was sick and beat a retreat to the bathroom. I settled down but the dp did not go away. I was in a cage, trapped. It was that way 24/7 to varying degrees from that point onward with occasional panic attacks for the next ten years. I was 38 years old when it occured and I'm 48 now.

This was not me, hell my nickname was Clark Kent because of my confidence and always having my shit together. College grad with honors, good job, good family, what was going on?

I didn't figure it out until about 6 months ago and feel confident enough in feeling better to say what helped me end it. It seems simple and shallow but I hope it helps someone because dp was hell for me.

1) quit caffeine- this helped to some degree with anxiety.

2) this might make some people angry because it seems simple and ridiculous but brush your teeth 3 times a day. Yep, I always did this only once at bedtime. Now, come hell or highwater I do it three times a day. Within a week I felt normal. It cured me. It might not help you but I felt an obligation to put this out there. Maybe it was a bacterial imbalance or something. Sorry if this seems ridiculous but try it. There's nothing to lose.


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

I can't help but laugh at the idea that many of us have been torturing ourselves for years or decades and even considered or attempted suicide over something tha could have been treated with simple oral hygiene.

Still, I'm happy that it worked for you. Any special kind of toothpaste you used? How often do you floss? Hell, its worth a shot.


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## brightmorningstar (Jun 8, 2018)

this is placebo or no other way. how did you find out that brushing 3 times a day would help at the first place?


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## Gustavo (Jul 4, 2018)

I always brush my teeth three times a day and I still keep with DP problems
What toothpaste do you use?


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

[quote name="Autonomic Space Monkey" post="586612" timestamp="1530880295"]

Quitting caffeine got rid of 100% of my panic attacks, & 99% of my anxiety (which had little to no effect on my DP/DR). I often recommend it to people on here, but it's not had such a dramatic effect on anyone else that I know of.

Quitting caffeine did help me with my anxiety and panic quite a bit but the problem was, i always felt I needed it for school and work, so I only felt comfortable giving it up until after I lost everything I had worked my ass off for. Same is true with cigarettes. It stinks because i really liked coffee and cigarettes.

But I, too, would like to know about the brand of toothpaste as well as flossing habits you (the OP) had.


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## Chip1021 (Mar 24, 2018)

Autonomic Space Monkey said:


> I lived on coffee & cigarettes! Had them for breakfast most days when I was younger. I used to buy the strongest beans, I had a grinder, & a cafetiere. I'd have up to 3 cups for breakfast with some smokes, & then another 3 cups during the afternoon. I had to give up smoking 19 years ago when I was 25 due to asthma, I just could take it anymore. However, I didn't give up caffeine until the beginning of 2010. Little did I realise just how severely it was affecting me, being responsible for all my panic attacks. So Glad I quit that shit!


I never had the patience or executive functioning in the morning to make my own coffee. In college especially i basically lived at our campus coffee shop. Coffee and cigarettes and studying, with the occasional conversation thrown in there. Ah, the good old days.


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