# INFO SHEET FOR FRIENDS/FAMILY



## BusyBee (Aug 7, 2010)

I have devised an information sheet to help sufferers to help their friends/family understand why they are acting so 'off'. None of these words are my own and I do not claim them to be. I have taken 'snippits' of text from a mixture of sources. I have edited the paragraphing and some of the text in these snippits. This information is intended only for personal use.

*Depersonalisation/ Derealisation​*Depersonalisation/Derealisation is an alteration in the perception of the self so that the usual sense of one's own reality is lost or experience of the external world so that it seems strange or unreal. Sufferers of Depersonalisation and/or Derealisation feel divorced from the world, their own body, and their emotions. The experience might include perceiving the world as two-dimensional; as if the self is peering at the world through a fog, or a hologram, with life unreachable and meaningless. A classic manifestation is looking in the mirror and not connecting the image you see with your internal sense of self. Early research on this subject suggested that depersonalisation and derealisation could be the body's way to 'cut off' from severe anxiety feelings, or periods of intense emotional stress or trauma but may also appear out of the blue, and apparently suddenly.
Many sufferers describe it as 'terrifying', 'like losing your sense of being alive', 'a living death', 'a living nightmare', 'like being detached from your own body, your loved ones, your feelings...; in a goldfish bowl; feeling cut off; dream-like; objects appear abstract or un-solid, or to shimmer; 'trapped' inside oneself, claustrophobic with existence; as if the head were inside a Goldfish bowl and viewing the world through the thick glass at the bottom- unreachable and meaningless'. Sufferers say that it is as if their mind is full of cotton wool; they pray that they will wake up and it will all be clear once more. Many describe de-realisation: as if the world around them is lacking in spontaneity, emotional colouring and depth like a movie, or that they are separated from the world by an invisible pane of glass; making it appear 'far away', 'abstract', and 'untouchable'. 
Day to day tasks become almost impossible. Sufferers feel as though one does not control his own actions and speech, question if they did a certain task or had a particular conversation, and find 'normal' light and sound too much for them; high amounts of visual stimuli bring on feelings of illness, vertigo, dizziness and nausea.
Derealisation/Depersonalisation is a lonely place for sufferers. Most sufferers experience both at the same time, creating a disturbing existence. They cause the sufferer to feel frightened and confused. Sufferers may fear irreversible damage to the brain, and never feeling well or right again. As a result of this sustained distress, the sufferer can rapidly become deeply depressed and anxious. While psychiatrists do not consider these symptoms to be psychotic reactions, individuals who suffer depersonalization and derealisation often feel as if they are going mad.
People often say that no matter how hard they try, they don't feel like they can interact with the world around them. They feel a sense of detachment from their surroundings, finding it hard to talk and connect with others. The most upsetting thing is they lose a sense of who they are and can no longer perceive themselves as normal.


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## howmuchforhappy (Nov 1, 2010)

Thanks for this, I'll print this and show it to my parents.


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## insaticiable (Feb 23, 2010)

Thank you BusyBee for devising this. I will definitely show it to loved ones as well.


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## outlaw (May 20, 2010)

hey busy bee! sweet of you to do this! I don't think I've read your story before, what's your name, what's your story?


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