# Is DP/DR dangerous????



## Guest (Aug 5, 2005)

Is derealization/depersonalization dangerous?!?! Like can it turn into some other mental illness or phsycially harm you??

Thanks for any replies!


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## Da'Burgh (Apr 25, 2005)

Nope!


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

> Like can it turn into some other mental illness or phsycially harm you??


I'm not sure, but I have had dp/dr for 8 yrs and it hasn't changed much for me. It has caused me a lot of depression and paranoia though.
I think if you get any other mental illness because of dp/dr, it would just be as a side effect.



> Is derealization/depersonalization dangerous?!?!


I think that depends what you consider danger to be.
As far as I am conserned it is very dangerous, just because of the potential it has to ruin your life. But I don't think that dp/dr can in anyway actually control your actions. Also I think that dp/dr is very different for each individual.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2005)

Anyone else???

Thanks
-Angela :lol:


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

If you want state-of-the-art understanding, consult a professional who has the experience and the resources to synthesize for you the latest thinking on the subject. Google can often be helpful in this regard. You can look for the prominent health institutions in your country and their work on the subject.

Anything that makes you feel "unwell," if left alone to fester chronically over time can injure you long-term. "Stress" that we feel is the BODY speaking to us, so yes, stress can injure and harm permanently if left unchecked.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2005)

id say it can be dangerous, because suicide would be easy from the level of depression it can cause.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2005)

Hi.

I do go to a counselor and he said it is a side effect of the panic disorder and depression. I have also been to the emergency room and they said it is caused by severe depression. I am in the process of doing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. They don't seem overly concerned about it at this point.

Thanks


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2005)

Anyone else??

Thanks


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## Da'Burgh (Apr 25, 2005)

When you ask is it dangerous, I'm guessing you mean "Is it gonna make you go crazy?" "Is it physically harming me?" "Is it a progressive organic illness?"

No, no, no.

It's from anxiety. It's from trauma. It's not some brain disease or anything. Take care of the anxiety or w/e is bothering you, (mainly fear) and the DP cannot survive.

That's my theory and I'm stickin' to it.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2005)

Thanks everyone for your replies.
If anyone else has any more info I would appreciate it!


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

> I do go to a counselor and he said it is a side effect of the panic disorder and depression. I have also been to the emergency room and they said it is caused by severe depression. I am in the process of doing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. They don't seem overly concerned about it at this point.


There's a huge amount of information on the Internet available. What are you specifically looking for? Have you searched for it in Google, for example?

Do you not believe what your counselor and the doctors at the ER have told you?


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Missangela I just remembered a book I read about anxiety I can't remember the name but the book did say that anxiety can kill you if you let it get out of control. I remember reading an account about a guy that was almost dead and when the doctor told him he was going to die he got completly better. That guy said that he got better because once he knew he would die, he had nothing to worry about anymore. Once his worry was gone, his anxiety dissappeared and then his physical illness went away. I think that the moral to the story is that if you worry a lot you will cause yourself to become sick than you worry about being sick and just make matters worse.

Dp/dr is just a feeling mostly but it is how you react to this feeling that can cause you harm. Try not to worry so much and you should be ok.

Missangela I think you should tell us your symptoms, if you want to.
This way we can better understand what you might have.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

I found the book finally, it is called Dale Carnegie's lifetime plan for success. Dale Carnegie is the author obviously. This is one of the best secular books I have ever read. I think everyone on this board should have a copy.


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2005)

During a panic attack I get...

numbness
fast heart rate
trembling
feel like i am gonna go crazy
feel disconnected
throat feels tight

And sometimes even when I am not having an attack I feel disconnected. Like nothing is real. Then i start to worry I am losing my mind and then a panic attack sets in. Its like a cycle.

I am currently taking Lexapro 5 MG and Lopressor 25 MG twice a day. I am getting ready to go off of the Lexapro to try another AD.

I have had the following tests done:
4 EKGs
24 hour Holter Monitor
Echocardiogram
CT Scan of my head
CBC Blood tests
Eltrolyte Blood Tests
Thyroid Blood Tests
Sugar Blood Tests

........................................

Thanks


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

Angela, If you don't trust your current therapist and doctor, find people you *can *trust.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Angela if you get bad panic attacks you should get a copy of that book at the library. Half of the book is subtitled how to stop worrying and start living.

Don't worry so much about the dp/dr or the feeling of being disconnected,
you won't go crazy from this.

The next time you have an attack just try to meditate on your breathing and try to forget whatever is bothering you. I do this a lot and it always helps.


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## Universal (May 30, 2005)

As far as I know DP/DR is not dangerous. Mind you I have a chemical imbalance in the brain, but the DP/DR itself is not dangerous. All that's dangerous are potential reactions you might have after being DP'd. ( like suicide or cutting yourself)


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## Guest (Aug 8, 2005)

Thanks everyone!

I will look into getting a copy of the book. It sounds like it may be helpful.


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## rainboteers (Apr 5, 2005)

LOSTONE said:


> Dp/dr is just a feeling mostly but it is how you react to this feeling that can cause you harm.


This is so true, reminds me of my favoirte quote, "The secret of life is not what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you.

There is nothing I know of that we can do right now to stop the dp/r feeling, we have no control over that, but we can control how we react to it, and that fact helps me so much. I can let this ruin my life, or I can make the best of things. It's so hard to go through this but it feels good to realize that I still have some choices, and MissAngela so do you. :wink:


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2005)

Thanks guys, you have been a big help!!!


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## Martinelv (Aug 10, 2004)

DR/DP and panic attacks, in themself, cannot harm you. The worst that could happen is that you might faint. It's about as dangerous as trying to peel an orange with a toothpick.

While DR/DP is sometimes a symptom of psychotic disorders, in the vast vast VAST majority of cases, it's not. So don't worry about that, please.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2005)

Well, its good to know nothing worse can come from DP/DR/Panic Disorder.

Thanks


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## Da'Burgh (Apr 25, 2005)

Martinelv said:


> While DR/DP is sometimes a symptom of psychotic disorders, in the vast vast VAST majority of cases, it's not. So don't worry about that, please.


Is it true that DP/DR occurs after the initial psychotic break? i.e. A vivid hallucination or something like this?


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

MissAngela said:


> Well, its good to know nothing worse can come from DP/DR/Panic Disorder.


While the physical symptoms themselves cannot cause anything, it's an oversimplification to say that "nothing worse" can come.

Left untreated, plenty worse can happen.

First rule of the Internet: Don't use it to obtain definitive medical information.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

> While the physical symptoms themselves cannot cause anything, it's an oversimplification to say that "nothing worse" can come.


Panic and anxiety can cause heart attack and ulcers although this is rare.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2005)

I have never heard that panic attacks cause heart attacks.. i have heard that stress can cause ulcers.


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

He said "can" cause.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2005)

still though, i have never heard that before.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Well people CAN have heart attacks in there sleep. Anxiety and stress just make it more likely that you will have a heart attack.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2005)

well, what if you have had your heart checked out and they said nothing was wrong with it. Are your chances lower?


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

MissAngela said:


> still though, i have never heard that before.


Well, now you know!

http://www.nih.gov/news/WordonHealth/oc ... tory01.htm

--

This is one of the best sites for accurate medical information in the US today:

http://medlineplus.gov/


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## [rula] (Jan 16, 2005)

MissAngela said:


> still though, i have never heard that before.


that's because it's rare, and almost unheard of. you would have to be under extreme stress for very many years before excess cortisol in your body can actually lead to that type of damage. people on this board have been dealing with stress/anxiety for 8, 10, 15 years, and no one has had a heart attack. much older people than you (on the benzo forum I go to), with hearts probably not as healthy as yours, also have their share of stress, and survive it just fine. don't worry about it. and yes, definitely don't listen to everything you read online. :wink:


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2005)

This is what it says from a website about the complications of panic attacks.....



> Panic disorder can become debilitating and destructive. Fear of recurrent attacks can lead you to adopt avoidance behavior ? avoiding what most people consider to be normal situations, such as going to the mall or leaving the house alone. You can develop a fear of fear.
> 
> In children, panic attacks can interfere with normal development, disrupting your child's social life and schoolwork. Children and teenagers, for example, may not go to school or may not even leave the house in order to avoid situations in which they fear a panic attack.
> 
> Having panic disorder also increases your risk of depression, suicide, and abuse of alcohol and other drugs.


It doesn't say anything about increased risk of heart attack. That quote came from the Mayo Clinic so I think it is pretty accurate.


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

Deleted


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Like rula said, it is very rare. Any amount of stress and anxiety has a negitive impact on our helth though. The opposite is also true for positive thinking and laughter, it has been found to lower blood pressure and reduce the chance of heart attack and other serious health problems. Even petting a cat/dog has been found to be a benefit to our helth. 
The best thing we can do is to try and not worry to much. 
Our minds and body are connected and if we lay around all day thinking about health problems we are probably going to end up makeing ourselfs sick. I think this is what dp/dr is all about. I know that when I got dp/dr I was constintly worring about my health at the time. The constint worry and panic along with the drugs I was on made me lose touch with reality.
I think that the way back into reality is through positive thinking, laughter, caring for others and finding something to be a part of that is bigger than yourself. This is what I am currently working on anyway.

I don't think any of us should actually worry about heart attacks.
Worrying about something does not make the problem go away it will just tie up your mind and make you sick.


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

Untreated, it can indirectly KILL YOU.

http://www.nih.gov/news/WordonHealth/oc ... tory01.htm

Excerpt:

Stress and the Immune System 
This complete communications cycle from the immune system to the brain and back again allows the immune system to talk to the brain, and the brain to then talk back and shut down the immune response when it?s no longer needed.

?When you think about this cross-talk, this two-way street,? Dr. Sternberg explains, ?you can begin to understand the kinds of illnesses that might result if there is either too much or too little communication in either direction.?

*According to Dr. Sternberg, if you?re chronically stressed, the part of the brain that controls the stress response is going to be constantly pumping out a lot of stress hormones. The immune cells are being bathed in molecules which are essentially telling them to stop fighting. And so in situations of chronic stress your immune cells are less able to respond to an invader like a bacteria or a virus. *

This theory holds up in studies looking at high-levels of shorter term stress or chronic stress: in caregivers like those taking care of relatives with Alzheimer?s, medical students undergoing exam stress, Army Rangers undergoing extremely grueling physical stress, and couples with marital stress. People in these situations, Dr. Sternberg says, show a prolonged healing time, a decreased ability of their immune systems to respond to vaccination, and an increased susceptibility to viral infections like the common cold.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Sojo thanks for posting that!
I didn't want to wast my time.


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

LOL. I moved it to the end because I added a new "killer" first line. ; )


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## [rula] (Jan 16, 2005)

Sojourner said:


> LOL. I moved it to the end because I added a new "killer" first line. ; )


you somehow keep missing the point. This is a *support forum*, someone is having panic attacks/anxiety and you insist on adding fuel to the fire by claiming that it could also KILL HER (love the dramatic caps.) your claims are also unsubstantiated, nothing that you posted says anything about heart attacks. immune system problems and susceptibility to infection? that's common knowledge. you still haven't provided any evidence that heart attacks are a concern. besides, it really doesn't sound like MissAngela is leaving her condition "untreated", she's seeing doctors and getting check ups. I just don't get your intent.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Is dp/dr dangerous? That is the topic right.
I did not mean to scare anyone, but it is good to not delude yourself either. Sometimes not haveing all the facts can be fatal. I am not going to lie to MissAngela just to make her feel more comfertable. I am sure that MissAngela knows that we are not doctors and that she should take eveything on this board with a grain of salt.

Stress- The silent killer. http://watchtower.org/library/g/1998/3/ ... cle_01.htm


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

Rula I am giveing support by giving the facts. Facts are not fuel for fire.
I have only stated facts, not opinions.


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## LOSTONE (Jul 9, 2005)

You seem a little anxious yourself rula. Again I wasent trying to scare anyone. Just trying to inform.

This is from the webpage I posted.

Some Ailments That Have Been Linked to Stress
allergies 
arthritis 
asthma 
back, neck, and shoulder pain 
colds 
depression 
diarrhea 
flu 
gastrointestinal problems 
headaches 
heart problems 
insomnia 
migraine 
peptic ulcers 
sexual dysfunction 
skin problems

Mahalo.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2005)

rula said:


> Sojourner said:
> 
> 
> > LOL. I moved it to the end because I added a new "killer" first line. ; )
> ...


Thank you very much...
Yes I do see a counselor, GYN, and my family doctor on a regular basis. I just came here from support and some different opinions/ideas.


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Dear MissAngela, 
It definitely sounds to me like you are having panic attacks. Its very common for the doctors at the ER to do the bloodwork and the EKGs you had done, just in case there is a physical cause of your anxiety and quick heart rate. You dont, however, have a heart problem. The only thing I would be worried about at your age is thyroid, and you've had it checked. So breathe easy knowing that it is anxiety, and that you'll be just fine. Too much stress is bad, but to be honest, too little is bad as well. A certain amount of cortisol and adrenaline is good for the human body. Look up Addison's disease if you want to know what a lack of cortisol would do for your body. It allows our bodies to keep moving, makes us hungry, and gives us the energy to take on our day. When our stress becomes pointless, such as unprovoked panic attacks or a stressful situation which lasts years (as a caregiver, for example) it can wear our bodies down. Listen to your doctors, relax, and know that a teenager's body is much better equipped to deal with stress than an adult's. My personal opinion is that panic attacks are caused by misfirings in the temporal lobe, so I'd talk to your doc about a medicine like Neurontin, Gabatril, or (and these are addictive, so he probably wont want you on them), Valium and Klonopin. These are anti-anxiety agents which are also used for seizures. Take care and relax - this too shall pass.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2005)

Thanks Homeskooled for the extra reassurance.

Yes, I have had my thyroid checked 3 times actually. lol.


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## Sojourner (May 21, 2005)

When the following statement was made, rula, I felt that the poster was leaving with a false sense of security:

"Well, its good to know nothing worse can come from DP/DR/Panic Disorder."

-----

Had she not said that, I probably wouldn't have posted what I did, but I didn't ever say anything about heart attacks.


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2005)

Okay.............
:?:


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