[ali3n]

so i've been dealing with dpdr for about 5 years, 24/7,
and yesterday my doctor told me he thinks my dpdr could eventually turn into psychosis or schizophrenia.
that, of course, worried me. but until a few months ago (when i started seeing this doctor) he didn't know anything about dpdr. my question is:
is there a connection between dpdr and psychosis/schizophrenia? do you know if anyone with dpdr eventually developed this other conditions?
could it be that the doctor is just confused? i dont want him misdiagnosing me and giving me medications that wont work for me. (in the past another doctor gave me some really strong medication for schizophrenia that knocked me out for a whole day, i dont want to repeat that experience)

thanks in advance

 

[Psyborg]

my doc also said I am psychotic . imo the docs just dont know much about dp/dr and misdiagnose it . and no dp/dr doesnt mean you are going psychotic I think ....thats also what people who beat dp/dr say

HOWEVER ....(I will just copy paste this from another post of mine in another thread) :

dp/dr itself has psychotic elements in it if you ask me . I saw on german wikipedia (I live in germany) that dp/dr is in the "ich störung" ( translated : "me/myself/person disorder") category which seems to be at least somewhat related to psychosis

TO ME personally ....and this is my own opinion on it : dp/dr is in the triangle of anxiety/panic - ocd - and psychosis . like if I had to describe it I would describe dp as 60% anxiety/panic , 20% ocd and 10% psychosis .

but in general schizophrenia is something very different . I am surprised about your doc saying this . I dont think dp/dr can lead to schizophrenia

 

[Wendy]

General practitioners are not expertly trained in psychology. It's important to speak with a psychologist about this issue rather than someone with only a moderate understanding of mental health.

Those who have schizophrenia may adopt feelings of depersonalization, but they may also adopt depression and anxiety. While there may be connections between these illnesses, this doesn't mean that you have psychosis.

In order for you to be diagnosed with psychosis, you would have needed to met a criteria. This includes persistent and severe hallucinations or delusions, as well as catatonia.

The most likely thing is that your depersonalization is disconnected from any serious illness like psychosis.

 

[ali3n]

my doc also said I am psychotic . imo the docs just dont know much about dp/dr and misdiagnose it . and no dp/dr doesnt mean you are going psychotic I think ....thats also what people who beat dp/dr say

HOWEVER ....(I will just copy paste this from another post of mine in another thread) :

dp/dr itself has psychotic elements in it if you ask me . I saw on german wikipedia (I live in germany) that dp/dr is in the "ich störung" ( translated : "me/myself/person disorder") category which seems to be at least somewhat related to psychosis

TO ME personally ....and this is my own opinion on it : dp/dr is in the triangle of anxiety/panic - ocd - and psychosis . like if I had to describe it I would describe dp as 60% anxiety/panic , 20% ocd and 10% psychosis .

but in general schizophrenia is something very different . I am surprised about your doc saying this . I dont think dp/dr can lead to schizophrenia

thanks for the reply

also, from what i've read, psychosis can present some dpdr, but i dont know if it can be the other way around

 

[ali3n]

General practitioners are not expertly trained in psychology. It's important to speak with a psychologist about this issue rather than someone with only a moderate understanding of mental health.

Those who have schizophrenia may adopt feelings of depersonalization, but they may also adopt depression and anxiety. While there may be connections between these illnesses, this doesn't mean that you have psychosis.

In order for you to be diagnosed with psychosis, you would have needed to met a criteria. This includes persistent and severe hallucinations or delusions, as well as catatonia.

The most likely thing is that your depersonalization is disconnected from any serious illness like psychosis.

yes, he's a psychiatrist (we just call them doctors here lol) and all the other doctors i've seen all this time have been psychiatrists too, none of them knew what i was talking about (except one psychologist, who is the only one who had heard of dp before, but she thinks it may be gender dysphoria only because i dont wear a lot of makeup tf).

the thing is, as i see it, this psychiatrist is just waiting for my dpdr to turn into psychosis or schizophrenia

 

[Wendy]

Perhaps the difference in thought between psychologist and psychiatrist is causing this issue. While some psychiatrists are taught through behavioral models, many are taught very clinically like general practitioners.

It's also odd that a psychologist diagnosed gender dysphoria over your lack of makeup, haha. I've been diagnosed with gender dysphoria but it was a laundry list of reasons why I have it.

Anyway, you're right! Psychosis can present depersonalization, but the other way around is rather difficult. It doesn't mean you have psychosis unless other very serious ailments come about (see: severe hallucinations).

 

[Psyborg]

very brave of you that you dont panic because of the doc .....

but thats the way it should be . you dont need to be scared . you wont become schizophrenic .

btw. my doc said I am psychotic because of some other things mainly .....not necessarily because of my dp . so thats another story ....I should have explained it better in my previous post

 

[ali3n]

Perhaps the difference in thought between psychologist and psychiatrist is causing this issue. While some psychiatrists are taught through behavioral models, many are taught very clinically like general practitioners.

It's also odd that a psychologist diagnosed gender dysphoria over your lack of makeup, haha. I've been diagnosed with gender dysphoria but it was a laundry list of reasons why I have it.

Anyway, you're right! Psychosis can present depersonalization, but the other way around is rather difficult. It doesn't mean you have psychosis unless other very serious ailments come about (see: severe hallucinations).

yea right,?
i dont have hallucinations, and how come i've been this long with the same old dpdr without it making me mad?.. but the doc is like: oh it can take time to turn into psychosis

ugh

 

[ali3n]

very brave of you that you dont panic because of the doc .....

but thats the way it should be . you dont need to be scared . you wont become schizophrenic .

btw. my doc said I am psychotic because of some other things mainly .....not necessarily because of my dp . so thats another story ....I should have explained it better in my previous post

well i've been kind of uneasy since then, but i worry more for my parents, they are really worried and i already tried to tell them that its just dp, but they choose to listen to the doc :/

and, its ok, no problem you didnt mention it before ^__^

 

[Al_pk]

At worst, your dp can mimic symptoms of psychosis as it did for me. But that's all it can do, it is not on a continuum that leads to psychosis, the mechanics are different. Of course you could develop psychosis/schizophrenia of its' own accord, but it'll have nothing to do with dp. Your doctor is a turkey.

 

[forestx5]

Well, psychosis is a symptom and schizophrenia is a disease which features psychotic symptoms. Psychotic symptoms include sensory experiences of things that do not exist and/or beliefs with no basis in reality.

You don't sound delusional to me. You're not hearing voices. You don't feel bugs crawling under your skin.

I experienced damaging temporal lobe seizures which segued into an affective disorder of major depression. I have gone sleepless for over 50 days.. I have lost 30lbs

or more during depressive episodes. I have had racing thoughts, impulsive thoughts, suggestive thoughts, and I have been so sick I couldn't bathe or take care of myself properly.

Yes, there was dp/dr also. I covered a lot of territory with my psychiatric symptoms, but I was never psychotic. And, I never learned anything from 4 psychiatrists and 6 or more therapists and

2 neurologists over 40 years of inappropriate treatment.

Ultimately, I relied on myself to investigate and research my illness and I found my answers in a British Neurological journal which explained the epileptic origins of my mental illness.

A rare and difficult to diagnose epileptic syndrome, whose worst case scenario is when the patient's post ictal psychosis segue into an affective disorder of major depression.

That's me! And, it was a very rough period but I do not feel I succumbed to psychosis. I trusted my intellect when that was all I had to guide me.