What is Derealization? What Causes it and What are its Symptoms?

“Man is a social animal”, this quote has been popular for ages. The existence of a human being is nothing without the existence of their surroundings. Every aspect of human life is dependent on its environment. This intimate domain of a human has the capacity of affecting their emotions, thoughts, feelings, and senses, but what will happen if this external world seems like a dream or a myth?

What will be the scenario if this environment looks unreal and unknown and why this feeling arises? Let’s discuss these questions and try to find out the answers by understanding the concept of Derealization.

What is Derealization?

Going by the word ” Derealization”, one can understand that it is related to realizing the opposite of actuality. It is a state of mind where the surrounding seems to be unreal. To define derealization, it is important to understand the meaning of dissociative disorder.

Dissociative disorder is a mental state that gives a feeling of being detached from emotions, memories, thoughts, identity, surroundings, and the whole environment.

Derealization disorder is a dissociative mental disease that makes everything look foggy. It makes a person feel eliminated from the outside world. It can be said that derealization disorder can make the sufferer believe that everything around them is a part of picturization or scene of films even though the patients suffering from this mental disorder know that what they are feeling is not real or true.

What Causes Derealization?

Derealization disorder is very complex to understand and so are its causes. The precise reason for its occurrence is difficult to understand and explain, but some of the health conditions and personal problems could be the reason. Some of the causes are listed below.

1. Derealization can occur to those who have gone through extreme trauma or have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

2. Depression can also lead to a mental state where things start appearing to be unreal.

3. Drug abuse can also affect mental health. Some drugs like marijuana, pain killers and a large intake of caffeine can cause derealization.

4. Schizophrenia, a mental state which affects a person’s ability to think, remember, feel and act can also cause derealization.

5. Panic attacks that strive a feeling of sudden terror and anxiety can also lead to the occurrence of derealization.

6. Dissociative disorders such as amnesia and loss of memory can also cause this disease.

7. Being emotionally abused or ignored at a tender age can also cause derealization.

8. Witnessing domestic violence or facing physical abuse can also this mental illness.

9. Stress full situations can be one of the reasons for derealization.

10. Seizures, Inner ear disorder and Dementia disorders can also cause derealization.

Derealization Symptoms:

Derealization like other mental illness occurs in episodes and so its symptoms can vary. These symptoms can vary in duration, sometimes they can last for months or can end in a few minutes. Derealization symptoms vary from person to person. Some of these are: -

1. People start feeling detached from their surroundings.

2. People start getting emotionally disconnected from their loved ones.

3. Everything Starts appearing as unreal even their feeling, emotions and memories.

4. Feeling of numbness can be experienced.

5. Sounds present in the surrounding become too loud or too soft even if it is normal for others.

6. Time appears to be too slow, fast or still.

7. The feeling of being in dreams, caged or distanced through the glass wall can occur.

8. Colors, shape and size of objects start appearing as different.

9. Surrounding starts appearing as foggy and blurry.

10. Everything present in the environment appears to be a movie to the patients.

What does derealization feel like?

The feeling of derealization differs from person to person because of their different experiences in life. If a person is suffering from derealization, this world may appear like virtual reality to them. To some people, everything happening in the surrounding may look like a dream or part of video games and movies.

The emotional connection with family and friends starts disappearing. The environment and its creature look strange to the sufferers, one cannot even feel their own body, their existence. The colors, shape, and size of objects look unusual, for instance, the size and shape of buildings start appearing to be too big, too short, extreme broad, or narrow.

Suffering from derealization disorder can be the scariest part of one’s life; you don’t know if you are conversing with a real-world or an image of your brain. It can give chills to patients when they notice the process of the brain giving instructions to other body parts, which is meant to be unnoticeable visible in front of their eyes.

Derealization feels like gazing at a different world from behind the veil or it can be said it feels like being in a different period. It gives the exact feeling that one watches in time travel movies.

How to cure derealization?

Derealization treatment can vary from person to person based on their symptoms and the depth of this disease. There are various methods of treating this disease. Derealization cure can be found at home also, family support, love and care are the best examples. Some of its treatments are:-

1. Psychotherapy: - It is a conversation-based therapy for treating mental health problems. In this, a conversation between therapist or psychiatrist and patients is the focus point. It helps patients in understanding their mood, feelings, behaviours and thoughts.

2. Talking openly to family members and loved ones about what they are feeling and experiencing can also help in curing this disease.

3. Involving in different activities can help in distracting oneself from negative feelings.

4. One should ground themself in reality and group together with their all five senses by playing loud music, holding excessive cold or hot stuff etc.

5. One should access their feelings and negative thoughts and try to figure out the associative symptoms and reasons.

6. Cognitive treatment can be given to patients for blocking them from being obsessed with thinking about the unusual and unreal state.

7. Although specific medicines are not there for curing this disease but Antidepressants can be helpful.

8. Various other therapies like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Adjunctive therapy and Hypnotherapy, which are used to cure dissociative disorders can also be used to treat derealization.

9. A proper healthy lifestyle, regular yoga and exercise can also help in curing it.

10. Stopping the intake of excessive caffeine can also be beneficial in curing derealization.

11. Banning the intake of drugs like marijuana will be the best.

12. Reading books at the high voice, listening to music, podcasts

13. Learning coping skills, like breath management can also be beneficial.

14. Proper sleep is very important for curing and avoiding derealization.

How long does derealization last?

Derealization disorder occurs in episodes. it is not a permanent condition and so it can be cured. Its episodes are just like the episodes of panic attacks. Its duration range from the depth of the disease, sometimes it can last for a few minutes and sometimes for years.

When these episodes occur in a public place, it can sometimes be beneficial as the duration don’t last longer than a few minutes and sometimes it can be pathetic. These episodes rarely last for years, usually, the duration is between a few hours to months.

In some people, these feelings occasionally get worse or better. Some people experience mild and small episodes of their symptoms.

Derealization disorder can make one go crazy. It affects the memory, emotions, feeling of the sufferers. It can make one feel eliminated and separated from the external world. It is a mental illness that can be cured if proper treatment is given. It can also be avoided by leading a healthy life and being in touch with family and friends.

Also, if a child is given a healthy environment from the beginning, this mental illness will not occur in the first place. For adults, coping with this stress full life very difficult, so this kind of mental disease affects them physically as well as emotionally. If they indulge themselves in work, follow their hobbies and stay in connection with the real world, this disease can be avoided and cured.