# Is Depersonalization genetic?



## Wheepey (May 14, 2015)

So this pretty much baffles with my memory quite a bit, for example I find it difficult to remember what I ate for dinner yesterday.

But if I remember correctly When i was around the age of either 10 going on 11 or 11

I woke up one morning on boxing day I felt absolutely paralysed in a way I never felt before everything seemed different things felt fake the world looked different and I didn't even know who I was at the moment, I felt as if I was a stranger and I just remember feeling so crappy my emotions were mixed up and I didn't know how to feel, I was just overwhelmed by it all, I have the memory of being forced to go to the starting gate (food restaurant) that day and I find it difficult to stop myself from crying, as I felt so unattached from everything I hated it so much, it terrified me and resulted in me having these near panic attacks, my dad told me off a few times as he had no idea what was going on because I just couldn't explain it because I hardly understood it myself I was hoping it was just a day thing and it would blow over by the next few days or so, but no... it carried on for 7 years of my life to where I am now... I still have it... and I don't want to get into my story of whats going on now because yes I'm finding it difficult now but I want to know why I suddenly woke up that day feeling like that?

Let me just clarify that nothing traumatic has happened to me in life, everything and everyone has been so great and loyal to me.

I do remember after that experience of feeling it the first time as months/years went on I thought I was suffering from asthma because I would get out of breath really easily as-well as high palpitations constantly people just ignored these factors as time went by I realised it wasn't asthma but something more, My mother has suffered through depersonalization her entire life, I was wondering if it was genetic/hereditary? I know it's a coping mechanism/state we put ourselves in to cope with anxiety/stress but it came on when I wasn't even stressed or anxious about anything...

Can someone shed a little light on this for me please?


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## ChrisChampion (Mar 6, 2013)

I don't think anyone knows why it really happens. Maybe it is genetic. My mom suffers from severe mental illness. Idk if she's ever had DP but she's def. mentally ill. Sometimes you can be stressed about something and not even realize it. Weird things happen in your sleep maybe you could of had a panic attack in your sleep and not have known it. I know that's how's it been hitting me recently is in my sleep and I wake up all messed up. It messes with my memory real bad also. Have you had it strong for 7 years or has it ever gotten down to a point to where it's actually livable sometimes and you don't really notice it?


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## Guest (May 14, 2015)

I know no one in my family that dissociate, I don't believe its truly genetic, I think things that contribute to it are, such as ocd and anxiety, but what happens to one brain will not happen to all.


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## Wheepey (May 14, 2015)

ChrisChampion said:


> I don't think anyone knows why it really happens. Maybe it is genetic. My mom suffers from severe mental illness. Idk if she's ever had DP but she's def. mentally ill. Sometimes you can be stressed about something and not even realize it. Weird things happen in your sleep maybe you could of had a panic attack in your sleep and not have known it. I know that's how's it been hitting me recently is in my sleep and I wake up all messed up. It messes with my memory real bad also. Have you had it strong for 7 years or has it ever gotten down to a point to where it's actually livable sometimes and you don't really notice it?


A lot has happened (well it feels a lot has mentally) When I got in a relationship at the age of 14 it made my symptoms 100x worse and It would get so bad that I would categorise it as depression as I didn't know what depersonalization was at the time, anyway once I got in a relationship it would make my feeling for this person disappear and this person would become a stress to me for no reason (they wouldn't do anything wrong) I'd get panic attacks and would feel so depressed and would not be able to stop crying, relationships were just definitely a no go for me...And as I would be on and off this relationship with this person for over 2 years and the symptoms getting gradually worse over time, it came to a point we both started college and he found friends and knew I wasn't happy and decided to let me go...I wanted to cling onto him but at that moment in time, I would have these thoughts which I couldn't stop having of him being hit by a car or just him being killed and I felt disgusted at myself for having these thoughts because they would make me in some way feel better, and when I decided to break it off with him, just ever so suddenly everything was better (EVERYTHING) I felt like me for the first time in years, I felt as if there was nothing not one small thing wrong with me, I began to see how beautiful life is... This took away the depersonalization completely for me...It never made any sense to me as I still tried thinking about why and was so confused by it all...I just wanted to stop thinking about it and enjoy being happy...

Through 2014 I felt myself come from violently happy to moderately okay/contempt I got into another relationship in December and started getting anxious around people in the street...and 2 months into the relationship I began losing motivation to do any form of work...I kept procrastinating I was on a strict diet at the time as I wanted to lose weight... (Probably not a healthy diet) Consuming a lack of calories a day, and in the beggining of April I kept getting dizzy spells but blamed that on donating a pint of blood for the first time 3 days before, I started noticing that there wasn't a thick line anymore between when I was asleep and when I was awake (telling my dreams from reality) and that's when I realised my depersonalization has returned...So it's been back for nearly 2 months now and I feel like utter crap again and I had to end he relationship because that just caused me anxiousness all of a sudden, that took away the anxiousness but I still feel depersonalized...and it's pretty strong...(But I'm pretty sure it's not down to the relationships, I just thought that was worth mentioning)

I'm going to the doctors tomorrow to maybe be referred over to a therapist for the third time... I'm thinking about asking for anxiety medication too? Maybe that will help?

(Sorry this is quite a mouthful...Theres just so much to say (I have no idea what to tell my doctor) I appreciate it if you read it though)


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## ChrisChampion (Mar 6, 2013)

It's hard to talk to doctors about this.... I've told mine 1000 times and she just looks at me crazy and just tells me it's anxiety. I think it's up to us to work together and communicate on what makes us feel better because people who have never experienced it just don't understand. I'm going to a therapist for the first time in a few weeks though maybe if anything they can help us with underlying problems. Ohhh and not eating is def. not a good way to lose weight!!! Get you a good pair of running shoes and hit the streets!


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## Wheepey (May 14, 2015)

ChrisChampion said:


> It's hard to talk to doctors about this.... I've told mine 1000 times and she just looks at me crazy and just tells me it's anxiety. I think it's up to us to work together and communicate on what makes us feel better because people who have never experienced it just don't understand. I'm going to a therapist for the first time in a few weeks though maybe if anything they can help us with underlying problems. Ohhh and not eating is def. not a good way to lose weight!!! Get you a good pair of running shoes and hit the streets!


so I've just come back from the doctors and I could tell she hardly knew what I was talking about...I've been given some Fluoxetine 20mg tablets...Do you think these will help at all?


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## trey (Mar 1, 2015)

its not genetic im almost 90% sure.


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## intothequarry (May 16, 2015)

I'm unsure if it is genetic or not - however, after speaking openly to a lot of my friends about the way I am feeling and they having no idea what I am talking about I decided to ask my mother - still no dice.

My cousin (who has struggled with anxiety) is the one I decided to use my "last hope" on - I told him "I know you have had anxiety in the past but mine is manefesting into something weird (I'm frantic at this point) it's like when I look in the mirror I don't recognize myself.. like I know I'm me but...." and before I finished my sentence he said "It's like you're putting lotion on someone elses face and doing someone else's hair. Yeah, that's still a form of anxiety - I had that particular symptom for 6 months and it was the worst.. don't worry you're not alone, my mom had it too"

So, COULD BE! Could also be a coincidence..


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