# New to DP - so glad I found this!



## dominique (Aug 12, 2006)

Hi all

I have been feeling so weird for ages and now I finally feel like I understand what is going on. For the last few months I have often been feeling like I am in a dream, like everything is unreal and as a result have developed dizziness and panic attacks. I guess this is because I was so scared of what was going on. It has been particularly bad if I am tired, hung over or having a stressful day. I now relish the days where everything is crystal clear but it is very rare. I have been put on beta blockers for panic attacks but have found that the DP has stayed. Is this normal? It is depressing me as I just want to feel real and normal again. Sometimes I can be talking and I click out of myself and it's like I am watching myself talking. Guess I am just after some friendly advice! I am being referred to CBT on the NHS. Will this help with DP or just panic attacks?


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## californian (Jul 24, 2006)

CBT has been shown to help many people. But from my experience it will probably work best if the person guiding your CBT has some knowledge of or experience treating dp. in dr simeon's "feeling unreal" there is a chapter detailing the type of CBT that has helped people suffering from dp/dr. employing those sorts of strategies has definitely helped me.

people (like myself) recover from dp all the time. mine is episodic, coming on strong for a few days, or a few months (sometimes a year or so). to some extent it seems to always be there although at a very, very low grade at times. if you've dealt with your panic attacks, there is a good chance the dp will eventually fade over time. it very rerely just disappears for people.

for me, it typically fades to the point where i realize i haven't thought or worried about it for a long time. at first it is a victory to just not have noticed it for 30 seconds at a time. then i'll realize that minutes have gone by without it being in my consciousness. finally, days will go by without having given it a second thought.

some people get it worse than others. but the research has shown that a good combination of meds and psychotherapy can be quite helpful. there is no "magic bullet" however. but it is easier to avoid panic if you keep in mind that there is no magic bullet but a comprehensive tackling of the problem does help.


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## medyova (Sep 8, 2006)

Some info about medications I found online that help DP:
Medications that have been helpful to patients with depersonalization disorder include the benzodiazepine tranquilizers, such as lorazepam (Ativan), clorazepate (Tranxene), and alprazolam (Xanax), and the tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline (Elavil), doxepin (Sinequan), and desipramine (Norpramin). As of 1999, newer, promising medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) became available. Some SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and paroxetine (Paxil). SSRIs act on brain chemicals that nerve cells use to send messages to each another. These chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) are released by one nerve cell and taken up by others. Those that are not taken up by other cells are taken up by the ones that released them. This is called "reuptake." SSRIs work by preventing the reuptake of serotonin?an action which allows more serotonin to be taken up by nerve cells.


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