Derealization: symptoms, causes, treatment. The state of derealization, the characteristic symptoms of a disorder in the perception of the surrounding world Exploding head syndrome

Autometamorphopsia is a disorder of the body schema, i.e., a violation of the perception of the size, shape of one's own body and its individual parts, as well as the position of the body and its parts in space. Includes a number of symptoms that can be combined with each other. The manifestations of total autometamorphopsia are:

macrosomia- a feeling of increasing the size of your whole body. This sensation may be barely noticeable to patients, but in some cases their own body seems to them gigantic, incredibly huge, occupying, for example, the entire space of a large room, but even it seems to them that it does not contain the entire body. At the same time, all parts of the body are perceived to be evenly enlarged, their shape seems to have not been changed either. The body, however, is perceived as one's own, and the experience of its alienation usually does not arise. Patients can say, however, that they feel their body with some previously unusual distinctness, unusual sharpness, unnoticed before, and as if it had become closer than usual. Sometimes, however, an enlarged body or a large part of the body is perceived as "foreign", "foreign" objects;

microsomia- sensation of reduction of the sizes of the body. This sensation can also be barely noticeable to patients, but sometimes the body seems to them to be vanishingly small, "microscopic" and at the same time remote from the sense of one's own Self, sometimes turning into a kind of point. Thus, while walking, the patient feels like such a “short man” that she is afraid of hitting her head on the asphalt or drowning in a puddle of water after rain. Sometimes patients feel at the same time their own body, as if not their own, something foreign to them.

Significantly more common symptoms of partial autometamorphopsia:

macromelia Feeling of enlargement of one or both hands. It happens that part of the hand appears enlarged. So, when falling asleep, the patient feels an enlarged right hand: “The fist seems so huge that I am afraid that it would not crush me with its weight”;

macropedia- a feeling of an increase in the size of one leg or both legs (feet, feet);

micromelia- sensation of a decrease in the size of one arm or both arms (hand, hands);

micropedia- sensation of a decrease in the size of one leg or both legs (feet, feet);

macroglossia- a feeling of increasing the size of your tongue;

microglossia- a feeling of a decrease in the size of your tongue;

macrocephalopsia- sensation of increase in the sizes of the head. Some patients compare the feeling of enlargement of the head, disproportionate with the perception of the body, with the head of a hero from the fairy tale by A.S. Pushkin;

microcephalopsia- a feeling of reduction in the size of one's head, sometimes quite significant.

E. Bleiler describes a patient who was afraid to go outside for a long time. It seemed to him that his head was very small, the size of a millet grain. After much persuasion, he finally agreed that his head was normal. However, he was in no hurry to go out into the street. He explained it this way: “Now I know that everything is in order with my head, but birds don’t understand this.” In this case, it is clear that the violation of perception has been transformed into a strong conviction, into a delirium of a physical handicap.

Similar disturbances may occur in relation to the perception of other parts of the body: lips, nose, fingers, ears, chest, abdomen, upper or lower torso, genitals, etc.

The perception of the shape of one's body, its individual parts may be impaired - autodysmorphopsia. The body (parts of the body) seem disproportionate to patients, elongated, shortened, thickened, thinned, curved. For example, the head seems “square, elongated, flattened, in the shape of an egg”, the nose - “elongated, pointed, sunken, becoming like a potato”, the chest - “hollow, failed”, the back - “humped”, the pelvis - “ in the form of an oval, laterally compressed, etc. A patient with alleged rheumatic fever says that as soon as she closes her eyes, she completely loses the normal feeling of her body. It seems to her like a puddle of ink that spreads over the chair, drops onto the floor, and then spreads on the floor into a shapeless stain.

With an organic disorder of discriminative sensitivity, Klein's symptom (1930) is described: the leg on the side of the injury is perceived to be enlarged in volume, much larger than the leg, the sensitivity of which is preserved.

Finally, sometimes there is a contrast autometamorphopsia, when sensations of increase and decrease in body parts are combined with each other.

Often the perception of the position of body parts in space is disturbed - bodily allesthesia. For example, the head seems to be turned with the back of the head forward, the legs - with the fingers turned back, the tongue - rolled into a tube, the hands - behind the back, the ears - sticking out "like a hare." The patient says that when his eyes are closed, he feels the torso with his back forward, and his head - turned in the opposite direction. Another patient says that when he closes his eyes, he feels as if his legs are raised up, while they cover his neck and are tied around it with a “knot”.

There is also such a violation as splitting the perception of the body or, which is the same thing, speaking in terms of self-consciousness, somatopsychic dissociation. With this violation, individual parts of the body are felt in separation from each other. For example, the head is perceived at some distance from the body, "the lid of the skull rises up and hangs in the air", the eyes "go out of their sockets and are 10 cm in front of the face." When walking, it seems to the patient that the lower part of the body lags behind the upper one or moves somewhere to the side. The body in general can be perceived as a kind of mechanical conglomerate of its individual parts, it seems to be glued together, crumbling, something like a children's house made of cubes, which can fall apart at any moment. This experience is reminiscent of Jaspers' perception splitting symptom, as if pointing to its nature, namely: a symptom of a dissociated self.

Sometimes the violation concerns the perception of speed, smoothness and amplitude of movements of one's body and its parts. So, the steps seem to the patient to be excessively large, "giant" or, on the contrary, small, "short", gestures - sweeping, wide or unusually stingy, as if inconspicuous, "mental". With a slight shake of the head, it “seems to be about to fall off”, the hands “scatter to the sides”, the hands do not just tremble, they seem to “walk shaking”. Movements seem to be fast, swift or slow, “tortoiseshell”, although in reality they do not change or, on the contrary, are somewhat slowed down or accelerated. Some patients seem to be unaware of inadequate sensations of their movements, it seems to them that the acceleration or deceleration of movement is characteristic of some external objects, other people. In other words, we are talking about the alienation of one's own sensations, their projection, i.e., depersonalization. Other patients report that a change in the perception of the speed of their own movements is accompanied by a feeling that the speed of movements of other people changes in the same way. In such cases, depersonalization is also observed, but not in the form of a projection, but in the form of transitivism. There are patients who tell that they have ceased to feel the smoothness of their movements, the latter seem to them intermittent and jerky.

The perception of the nature of movements may be disturbed. Thus, the syndrome of dynamic disturbances of the body scheme was described (Razdolsky, 1935), when clonic convulsions of the limbs in Bravais-Jackson epilepsy are perceived as circular, helical movements by them. In some patients, a violation of the perception of symmetry relations is revealed.

In patients in the acute phase of organic brain damage, as well as in focal left hemisphere lesions, Hartmann's symptom is sometimes detected when patients lose their orientation in the right-left. The symptom resembles a disorientation in space with similar problems for patients.

Finally, there are disorders of localization of sensations in one's own body. So, with tactile allesthesia, the ability to localize tactile stimuli in the limbs is impaired - topanesthesia (allocasthesia), or these stimuli are perceived at a symmetrical point on the other half of the body - allochiria (alloesthesia). A similar violation exists in relation to pain. For example, a toothache is felt by the patient on the opposite side of the jaw - alloalgia. Such a frequent violation, known as Minor's symptom, is also interesting - a violation of the localization of somatic sensations that accompany emotions. So, fear during an epileptic seizure, patients sometimes localize in the leg, arm, tongue or eyes. Some depressed patients place sadness in the thigh, in the side, somewhere between the shoulder blades, and anxiety in the lower abdomen or in the throat area.

Faced with a problem when there was complete indifference to what is happening in life? What is the name of the state when everything is all the same? Why does indifference to the world around us periodically arise and what to do about it?
Well-being, when nothing causes emotions, everything that happens around becomes parallel, is called apathy. As a rule, this condition does not last long and does not cause any consequences for the body.

Causes of apathy - what can cause a state when everything is indifferent

This imbalance can be caused by two reasons: physical or psychological.

Physical apathy is considered a mild, less problematic form. It overtakes as a result of any processes provoked by the environment: the betrayal of a friend, unrequited love, unfair bosses.

As a rule, it does not last long, it is eliminated on its own - without the help of medicines and specialists. Simply, over time.

Psychological apathy is a more neglected form of detachment from what is happening. Caused by psychological problems, experiences. It can occur as a result of a series of physical influences: loss of a job, loss of a loved one, financial failure.

As a rule, psychopathy is “twisted” by the experiencer himself, resulting from careful “chewing” and thinking through his problems, sometimes insignificant.

How to overcome the state of apathy - detachment from the outside world

What is the name of the state of indifference to everything around us, we found out, and how to deal with it on our own?

First of all, we must remember: all experiences and our state depend on ourselves. If you or your loved one is in an apathetic state, then he likes it that way. Give vent to emotions, enjoy this indifference and lack of emotions, and then - get down to business. Pull your consciousness out of this abyss.

As a dope, all sorts of emotional shakes are perfect, such as: an exciting trip, a global move, a change of residence, an image update or a radical change in image.

If apathy has not penetrated so far, all you need to do is take a walk in the nearest park, indulge in your favorite hobby, go shopping or go to the movies with a close friend.

In any case, regardless of the name of the state, when you don’t care and life seems faceless, you need to stop in time and shake up your body. The main thing to remember: apathy is temporary. It is very important to “pull yourself out by the hair” so that the situation does not turn into more complex forms, for example, depression.

We like people who are a little crazy, eccentric and ready to go crazy. At the same time, we ourselves are terribly afraid of going crazy. True madmen appear to us as necessarily unbalanced psychos placed in special institutions, isolated from "normality". At the same time, we are well aware that many brilliant people, artists, scientists and musicians have always been a little crazy. Each of us has our oddities and each of us has a bit of madness. Let's recognize the time bomb together!

1. I'm afraid to go crazy

Daily stress does not go unnoticed by the body. We are afraid of everything: a kettle forgotten on the stove, an unturned iron, an urgent report at work, going to the dentist, terrorist threats, natural disasters, etc. something irreversible. Everyday portions of stress, like layers in a pie, fit into our head, and the state of panic fear becomes almost chronic. From people who are in such a stressful state for a long time, you can often hear "I'm afraid to go crazy."

This is how neurosis manifests itself, it hides in fears, sometimes deep and understandable only to our subconscious, and manifests itself after a series of stresses. The phenomenon is often temporary and not by hearsay familiar, for sure, to each of us. Constant tantrums are replaced by panic attacks, and sometimes psychosomatics comes into play and then it becomes no laughing matter. The endless search for diseases and going from doctor to doctor can really drive you crazy.

Also no less common is the fear of visiting a doctor - iatrophobia. Watch the video!

2. Love to the point of madness

Love is blind, so madness has to lead it by the hand. And even regardless of age, madness, at times, becomes a guide for a heart in love. Attacks of jealousy, the inability to withstand separation and tearful streams of joy just from looking at a loved one - someone will say that this is a manifestation of real feelings, and someone will see a painful insanity on the object of love. From such a love disorder, all sorts of sad stories in the style of "Romeo and Juliet" or "so don't get you to anyone" happen. Such painful relationships are definitely not doomed to a long life. But their creators and perpetrators - the lovers themselves - run the risk of either being cured or finally going crazy.

3. Unrecognized genius

All brilliant people are somewhat crazy, but not all crazy people are genius people! It happens that a person considers himself not only exceptionally creative, but a real genius. He wrote one banal and frankly mediocre book, or for the first time picked up paints, smearing them on canvas, imagined himself a new Cezanne. When the crown is already put on, and there was no reason for the coronation yet - this is an alarming sign! The "star stories" of some unrecognized geniuses are forced not to pay attention to their creative activity, but to draw attention to themselves in other ways. They make outrageous attacks, put on uncomfortable masquerade costumes and firmly believe in their special purpose. It’s good if the understanding of reality still returns to them, and the whisper of madness only adds ideas for creative implementation. But this does not always happen, and some are forced to remain misunderstood. Although, perhaps, their time simply has not come. After all, the infamous Giordano Bruno was understood only 300 years after... they were burned.

4. I am bad

Failures at work, personal life does not add up. What's the matter? Psychologists teach to look for problems in themselves, so people find them, but not always from the right side. This is how legends with curses and corruption are born, and the sufferers themselves hang the label of “loser” and “celibate wreath”. Suggestion is a powerful thing. But a dull look and endless talk about problems (which, by the way, absolutely everyone has!) Do not attract good people and do not make life brighter. If at the initial stage the “I am bad” syndrome can still be cured by active work on oneself, then in a protracted form it can be very contagious, provoke a lazy dull existence and real psychosis.

5. Workaholism and other addictions

We all know perfectly well that drunkenness and drug addiction begin mainly due to internal problems and the inability to cope with them on our own. All this is dangerous and requires serious medical and psychological treatment. “I don’t drink and don’t use drugs, which means everything is fine with my head and okay, there’s no addiction,” you think and go back to work on Saturday. You love your job, which means you don’t do anything so bad. Meanwhile, psychologists have long equated workaholism with a neuropsychiatric illness. And this dangerous epidemic is now just reigning all over the world. Working with your head is also a kind of way to escape from problems. Behind such a frantic working rhythm, a workaholic often faces emotional burnout, decreased sexual activity, insomnia and health problems on fertile nervous grounds.

6. Passion for change of place

What do children do when they want to protest, when they have problems with their parents or classmates, when it seems to them that they are not understood and the whole world is against them. They literally run away from problems. They run away from home. A child's way out of any situation, if suddenly reality begins to press, also affects adults and, if you do not pay attention to this, results in a real deviation. . Many often change jobs, some girls or lovers, and some entire cities. Once having escaped from psychological trauma, a person can run further from any situation simply impulsively, while losing what is dear to him and parting with what is important to him.

7. A scattered man from Basseynaya Street

Not only do all madmen have their own eccentricities, strange habits, they are also distinguished by extreme forgetfulness and absent-mindedness. At a minimum, forgetting the birthdays of relatives and friends is in their spirit. Psychologists, as a result of long and painful experiments, found out that a weak memory and an inability to learn are very disturbing signs. Such disorders are directly related to the malfunctioning of the brain and thus send SOS signals.

And yet, each of us sometimes lacks a little bit of madness... But it's better when your madness brings pleasure and pleasant surprises to your loved ones, and for this, always stay in a sober mind and good memory!

We suggest you familiarize yourself with the most unusual psychological syndromes. Many of them got their names thanks to our favorite fairy tales from childhood, films dear to our hearts, famous writers.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

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A person suffering from ADD is inattentive, impatient, it is very difficult for him to concentrate on anything.

Dealing with ADD is difficult, but not impossible. Read about how to do this.

Chris/Flicker.com

This syndrome is named after ducklings due to the fact that the duckling takes for the mother of anyone he sees immediately after birth. Even an inanimate object can be considered a mother duckling.

In people, the duckling syndrome manifests itself as follows: when a person sees something for the first time, a priori, a person begins to consider this something the best. And in fact, everything can be exactly the opposite.

In order to get rid of duckling syndrome, you should not take everything for granted. Develop critical thinking in yourself, analyze, do not be too self-confident and do not jump to conclusions.

Courtney Dirks/Flickr.com

We all know that:

If you chase two hares, you won't catch one.

But despite this, most of us grab onto a lot of things at once and end up not being able to finish any of them properly. And if you think about how many nerves we spend on this and how many sleepless nights we spend trying to do everything at once, it becomes scary. You can find out how to deal with things normally and not immerse yourself in the abyss of multitasking.

Monk syndrome for three days

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The essence of this syndrome: you can not finish what you started. It doesn't matter what - training, foreign language courses, some kind of project or anything else. It doesn't even matter how much time you spent on this business before: days, weeks, months and even years - at one not at all perfect moment, all this flies to hell.

It will be very disappointing if you stop doing something important to you because of your laziness, your own disorganization, or simply because you are a master at making excuses, right? You will learn how to always finish what you started and stop being a “monk for three days”.

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It seems that they are not loafers and could live. They would take Mondays and cancel.

Andrey Mironov

Any adult person, even responsible and organized, has at least once encountered this syndrome. It turns out that to avoid the "Monday" syndrome, you need to set yourself the right pace at the beginning of the day. Read about how to do this.

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Another syndrome named after the work of Lewis Carroll. Scientifically, this syndrome is called "micropsia" and "macropsia". A person suffering from Alice in Wonderland syndrome perceives reality distortedly: the surrounding objects will seem to him much smaller or much larger than they really are.

Like the heroine Alice, people suffering from this syndrome will not understand where is reality and where is their distorted perception.

Most often, this syndrome can be accompanied by migraine, but can also occur under the influence of various psychotropic drugs.

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This is a mental disorder that is accompanied by palpitations, dizziness and hallucinations. This syndrome manifests itself when a person suffering from it finds himself in places of accumulation of works of fine art: in museums and art galleries. Also, Stendhal's syndrome can cause excessive beauty of nature.

Stendhal in his book "Naples and Florence: a journey from Milan to Reggio" described the first manifestation of this syndrome, which later received its name in honor of the famous French writer.

Florence, Venice, Rome and Istanbul are the cities in which Stendhal's syndrome is most often activated.

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People suffering from this syndrome tend to isolate themselves from society, neglect themselves, are incredibly stingy and gravitate towards collecting various rubbish.

A striking example is Plyushkin from Gogol's Dead Souls.

The syndrome is named after the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, who, according to legend, lived in a barrel. However, Diogenes did not collect any rubbish and did not avoid human communication, therefore a number of researchers consider it appropriate to rename this syndrome into Plyushkin's syndrome.

Amelie syndrome

Shot from the film "Amelie"

What is the essence of this syndrome, everyone who watched the picture of the French film director Jean-Pierre-Junet “Amelie” guesses.

People suffering from this syndrome periodically fall into childhood, like to watch strangers and make surprises for them, post various announcements and congratulations around the city - in general, you can list for a long time and still not list everything, so I just advise everyone to watch this film .

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Adele's syndrome, or love insanity - a passionate unrequited love feeling.

The syndrome got its name from Adele Hugo, daughter of the famous French writer Victor Hugo.

Adele was a very beautiful and gifted girl, but her mental health was greatly affected by the death of her older sister. Later, the girl met the English officer Albert and fell in love with him without memory. But she fell in love unrequitedly: Albert did not reciprocate the girl.

She pursued Albert, lied to everyone, first about the engagement, and then about marrying him. She upset an officer's engagement to another girl and spread rumors that she had given birth to a stillborn child from him. The end of the story is sad: Adele spent the rest of her life in a psychiatric hospital.

Despite the fact that all this seems incredible and greatly exaggerated, many girls and boys suffer from this syndrome.

It is hardly possible to identify specific ways that will help fight such a harmful feeling that sucks a person like a black hole. You should just always remember that "There is no unhappy love ...", and find the strength and pride in yourself to refuse a person who does not need you.

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This syndrome affects many young people who are able to throw all their strength, money and their own time in pursuit of external youth and beauty. This becomes their main goal in life.

This syndrome is familiar to readers from Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

This syndrome often affects the human psyche in the most negative way and leads to other mental disorders.

Capgras syndrome

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This syndrome is also called "delusions of the negative twin." A person subject to this syndrome is sure that their double has moved into people close to him. A person does not exclude the possibility that a double has moved into him, and he attributes to the “second self” all the negative actions that he does on his own.

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...or morbid jealousy. A person suffering from this syndrome is constantly jealous of his beloved / his lover, even if he has no reason or reason at all.

People go crazy from this syndrome: people constantly watch the object of their love, their sleep is disturbed, they cannot eat normally, they are constantly nervous and cannot think about anything except that they are supposedly being cheated on.

Anhedonia

This is not a syndrome, but due to its importance, anhedonia should also be included in this list.

Pete Pahham/Shutterstock.com

Anhedonia is a diagnosis of lack of joy.
Anti-war army, anti-fire fire.
Yanka Diaghileva

Anhedonia is a decrease or loss of the ability to experience pleasure. A person suffering from anhedonia loses motivation for activities that can bring pleasure: sports, travel, favorite hobbies.

Anhedonia is treated with long sleep and a healthy diet, the rehabilitation process also includes visiting various institutions and events that should evoke positive emotions in a person. In severe cases, drug treatment is used.

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All children, except for the one and only child in the world, sooner or later grow up.
James Barry "Peter Pan"

People suffering from Peter Pan syndrome do not want to grow up in any way, and it does not matter at all how old they are - 20, 30, 40 ...

Such people are called kidalts (adult children).

exploding head syndrome

ahhhlicia/Flickr.com

Falling asleep or waking up, a person can hear a loud sound that can be compared with a shot or a cry of a wild beast. He will feel like his head is being torn apart.

The exploding head syndrome is very often the result of a frantic pace of life, permanent fatigue, heavy workload and worries. To cope with this syndrome, a person needs a good rest, ideally a rest for a couple of days or even weeks.

victoria/Flickr.com

Scientifically, this syndrome is called the Kleine-Levin syndrome. Those suffering from this syndrome are characterized by excessive sleepiness (18 hours of sleep, and sometimes even more), and if they are not allowed to sleep, they become irritable and aggressive.

Alexander Raths/Shutterstock.com

Subject to this syndrome constantly simulates various diseases, and then seeks medical help. Those suffering from this syndrome tend to be intelligent, resourceful, and resourceful, with extensive medical knowledge.

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Excessive infatuation with refined and usually expensive food. This syndrome is not dangerous for human life and health, but for the wallet it is quite deplorable.

What unusual syndromes are familiar to you? Share in the comments.

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Derealization in VVD is a mental state in which there is a feeling of unreality of what is happening. The surrounding reality is perceived as something alien, distant, devoid of bright colors, or, conversely, accompanied by amplification of sounds, saturation of colors. Everything around becomes fake, and the familiar atmosphere seems like a pale scenery. Objects and phenomena are not perceived as they were before.

There is a strong feeling of the unreality of what is happening, that everything familiar and ordinary has become unnatural, alien. Fantastic changes are palpable, but none of the patients can explain how such a transformation took place. And they also fail to clearly articulate what changes have taken place. Statements on this subject are devoid of specificity. Describing their feelings and experiences, people use the words “as if”, “most likely”, “possibly”. It seems that patients are more likely to speculate than to state anything definite.

A person sees reality as if in a dream or through a cloudy glass. When the symptoms are severe, he loses his sense of reality. For example, a patient in this state will not say what he ate for breakfast. It is difficult for him to remember his usual route from home to work, it is easy for him to get lost on a well-known street or in a public building. The patient may lose the sense of time. There are cases when the feeling of unreality flows into an exacerbated state and people even cease to feel their existence in the world.

Derealization symptoms:

• The surrounding world is perceived "through the fog" or as a dream;
• Orientation in time and space is disturbed. Feelings, sounds, sizes of surrounding objects are distorted;
• Loss of confidence in ongoing events;
• There is a fear of going crazy. Constantly haunted by a feeling of "déjà vu";
• The feeling of reality completely disappears (severe course of the syndrome).

A similar condition can be observed even in mentally healthy people who experience severe overwork, systematic lack of sleep and constant stress. The psychotic nature of this syndrome is often combined with depression, various neuroses and is accompanied.

Reasons for derealization and depersonalization

In modern society, a person is subject to negative influences. There are interpersonal conflicts, increased emotional and physical stress. It is necessary to withstand the intense rhythm of life. Depersonalization can occur with VVD.

The cause of the syndrome is most often associated with deprivation. Suppression, for a long time, of a large number of conscious and unconscious needs and desires, awareness of their real capabilities, which are not enough to achieve their goals, unsuccessful attempts to succeed in one or another area of ​​life.

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Subsequently, the perception of the world around or oneself may be disturbed. Thus, the body turns on a protective mechanism, where derealization acts as an anesthetic that reduces the effects of emotional shock. For this reason, the largest category of patients includes people who do not recognize the possibility of error, avoid ambiguities and uncertainty, strive to achieve perfection in everything.

This is a normal reaction of a mentally healthy person. It helps to maintain reasonable behavior during emotional upheavals. In case of danger, it is important to step back from what is happening in order to maintain the ability to act effectively. But for a person with VVD and derealization, even a banal everyday situation can cause anxiety and stress. At the same time, he begins to analyze his condition, looking for any deviations, as well as the reasons that caused them. A negative assessment of what is happening further aggravates the situation and leads to the emergence of a depressive state.

Derealization in VVD is not a mental illness or psychosis. There are no hallucinations, the person understands that his condition is abnormal, unlike a madman who can rarely realize this. Sometimes, a patient with VVD even claims that he has lost his mind or defines his condition as borderline.

Thus, there are several main causes of this syndrome:

• The strongest stress;
• Depression;
• traumatic situation;
• The use of psychotropic drugs.

Most often, the syndrome develops under the influence of prolonged, severe stress. Exhaustion of the nervous system causes a decrease in sensitivity as a protective mechanism. Then a distorted perception of reality is unconsciously created in the individual.

Factors provoking the development of derealization may be of a psychophysiological nature. These include:

• Problems in learning;
• Difficulties in professional activities;
• Difficult relationships with other people
• Bad ecology;
• Lack of minimum comfort, for example, constant travel in crowded transport, poor living conditions.

The causes of derealization include somatic disorders:

• Osteochondrosis, especially of the cervical region;
• Muscle hypertonicity;
• Some mental disorders;
• Vegetovascular dystonia.

Among the causes of the syndrome, in particular, drug addiction and alcoholism can be distinguished. The state of intoxication caused by drugs or alcohol can turn into derealization. Overdoses of some drugs cause a feeling of a fantastic or distorted space, a misperception of oneself, which is accompanied by numbness of the limbs, the appearance of peculiar visual images, etc. Almost always, delirium tremens (delirium tremens) is complicated by derealization syndrome and hallucinations.

So, there are several main risk factors that contribute to the development of derealization:

• Character traits that make it difficult for a person to adapt to difficult circumstances;
• Hormonal changes, especially during puberty;
• The use of narcotic substances;
• Psychical deviations;
• Some somatic disorders.

It is impossible to ignore any manifestations of this syndrome. Regardless of the degree of its development, it is necessary to seek help from a specialist. The sooner this is done, the less time the treatment will take.

Treatment of derealization

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Derealization is not treated by psychiatrists, but by psychologists and psychotherapists, since this is not a disease, but a pathological condition. Common is the appointment of antidepressants, antipsychotics and tranquilizers. Sometimes doctors prescribe nootropics. It is thought that anti-anxiety drugs may reduce some of the symptoms of this syndrome.

It is possible to choose the necessary treatment only taking into account the psychological characteristics of a person and his general condition. Modern methods of psychotherapy are aimed at eliminating all symptoms using various modeling psychological methods, psychotherapeutic methods of recovery, and hypnosis techniques. Synchronization and sensory modeling, color treatment and cognitive therapy are also successfully applied.

Positive results can be obtained by improving the patient's usual living conditions, normalizing the daily routine, changing jobs, and practicing various types of recreation.

In the future, to prevent the recurrence of an abnormal condition, preventive measures will be of great importance. You should periodically change the usual conditions and environment, try to fill your life with new impressions, focus only on the positive aspects of what is happening.

Individual therapy is prescribed by a doctor after solving the following problems:

1. Identification of the factors that caused the syndrome.
2. Analysis of the patient's condition, taking into account individual symptoms.
3. Conducting testing.

Experience has shown that derealization is poorly treated with medications and often exacerbates the problem, rather than solves it. The reason that caused the failure in the psyche cannot be eliminated only with the help of drugs, since many psychological aspects are not taken into account during drug treatment. Often there is resistance to the treatment of this disease with NCD pharmacological agents. By itself, getting rid of the symptoms does not make any sense. Only by influencing the causal factor, it is really possible to completely solve this problem. By following these recommendations, you can change the situation for the better:

• Refusal of alcohol;
• Systematic physical education, sports. Fitness and yoga are very well suited;
• Recreation, including active;
• Autotrainings;
• normal sleep;
• Taking vitamin complexes, especially those containing calcium and magnesium;
• Psychotherapy;
• Meditation;
• Water treatments, various relaxation methods.

The best cure for derealization, as well as for VVD, is positive emotions. Getting them when the nervous system fails is not an easy task. But it is possible to influence the attack itself and try to reduce its intensity using the following recommendations:

• Try to relax,
• Recall that the distortion of reality is only a temporary, passing reaction that has nothing to do with insanity;
• Try to focus attention on one subject, while not trying to consider the nuances, as this can lead to additional stress;
• Focus on a specific thought about everyday things. Therefore, it is important to find the cause of the disorder in a psychotherapy session.

In such ways, it is indeed possible to cope with seizures. Nevertheless, the state of derealization that causes autonomic dysfunction will still have a negative impact on the psyche and, thus, reduce the quality of life.

The role of psychotherapy in the fight against derealization

Psychologists and psychotherapists have access to the elimination of pathological mental attitudes that they can detect in an individual. Violation may be associated with childhood trauma, strong feelings, as a result of the loss of a loved one. The disorder can be caused by stressful situations at work, unfulfilled hopes, troubles in personal life and other factors. Without working out the causes, it is impossible to talk about an accurate favorable prognosis for a cure. In most cases, the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, Ericksonian hypnosis and other methods of psychotherapy can help.

Success in recovery is also determined by the participation of the patient himself. It is necessary to constantly monitor oneself in various circumstances, under various emotional stresses. For progress in treatment, the attitude of a person to derealization is important, whether he considers it terrible, incurable, or is determined to get rid of it soon. A strong will and a strong desire to get rid of the disease are needed.

A high quality of life is impossible without the presence of harmony and positive emotions in it. It is not necessary to cope with difficulties and cause joy with the help of antidepressants, tranquilizers. In life itself, you can find a lot of reasons to smile and cheer yourself up.

Each person has sufficient resources to survive failures, to continue to act, to be an optimist. The psychotherapist points out the peculiarities of the patient's psyche, helps him apply healing practices that can protect his health and defeat derealization forever.