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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Detached feeling
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Detached feeling
by Mar22, Nov 30, 2008 02:44PM
Hi,
I’m a 25 year old female. Starting a few years ago, I have experienced bouts of depersonalization that come and go in strength. When I feel that way, which I do now, I feel like I’m dreaming and sort of detached from what’s going on around me. It’s so uncomfortable and unnerving that it perpetuates my anxiety a lot more. I just don't feel all there. I think it’s even making me depressed this time around. The first time it lasted for a month or so almost all day long, and then came and went but not as strong as before, and now it has been going on for about a month again almost constantly and I can’t stand it! I just want to be totally immersed in what’s going on around me and enjoy life!! I’m in professional school and have always had reasons to be stressed, but nothing I can point my finger to as to why this happens. I have great friends, a great boyfriend, a good and caring family, and a great future ahead. It also seems sometimes like artificial light makes it worse. It was so bad this time around that I saw a psychiatrist for the first time, and he told me it was simply anxiety caused and gave me a trial sample of Lexapro, which I haven’t yet taken. He told me that CBT was another option, and my first appointment for that is next week. My anxiety has been pretty bad lately but I can't tell if the anxiety is causing the feeling or if the feeling is causing the anxiety, or just one vicious circle. I’ve also read more about it online this time around (bad idea!), which totally scares me because it seems like some people have felt like this for years. My questions are:
Does this feeling ever go away? What kind of treatment do you recommend to get rid of it?
Does Lexapro sound like a logical medication to address this with?
Does Lexapro change the chemistry of your brain forever, or will you feel like you originally did when you stop taking it?
Thank you so much and sorry for such a long question!
I’m a 25 year old female. Starting a few years ago, I have experienced bouts of depersonalization that come and go in strength. When I feel that way, which I do now, I feel like I’m dreaming and sort of detached from what’s going on around me. It’s so uncomfortable and unnerving that it perpetuates my anxiety a lot more. I just don't feel all there. I think it’s even making me depressed this time around. The first time it lasted for a month or so almost all day long, and then came and went but not as strong as before, and now it has been going on for about a month again almost constantly and I can’t stand it! I just want to be totally immersed in what’s going on around me and enjoy life!! I’m in professional school and have always had reasons to be stressed, but nothing I can point my finger to as to why this happens. I have great friends, a great boyfriend, a good and caring family, and a great future ahead. It also seems sometimes like artificial light makes it worse. It was so bad this time around that I saw a psychiatrist for the first time, and he told me it was simply anxiety caused and gave me a trial sample of Lexapro, which I haven’t yet taken. He told me that CBT was another option, and my first appointment for that is next week. My anxiety has been pretty bad lately but I can't tell if the anxiety is causing the feeling or if the feeling is causing the anxiety, or just one vicious circle. I’ve also read more about it online this time around (bad idea!), which totally scares me because it seems like some people have felt like this for years. My questions are:
Does this feeling ever go away? What kind of treatment do you recommend to get rid of it?
Does Lexapro sound like a logical medication to address this with?
Does Lexapro change the chemistry of your brain forever, or will you feel like you originally did when you stop taking it?
Thank you so much and sorry for such a long question!
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Dec 01, 2008 03:01PM
, Dec 01, 2008 03:01PMTo: mar22
A deep seated anxiety does not care whether your life is going well , surrounded by good people. There is a process going on in your mind that is frightening you, and dissosication is the defense against awareness. I would reco mmend dynamic psychotherapy and some medication like lexapro, which does not last forever, and need not be taken for too long for this kind of problem. And yes, when you get to the source, this problem can go away...
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I'm a 21 year old female. I'm so glad I found someone else who is suffering from this detached feeling. Or as my doctor and councellor like to call it "dissociation". It is so insanely unnerving to feel this way. For a long time there I was scared that I was going insane. I felt this way for about a month a few years ago but now I've been feeling like this for more than 7 months. I won't notice time going by, I can't remember ANYTHING, sometimes when I talk I feel like I'm more listening to myself than saying it. It's down right scary. I have had to stop going to work because I can't focus and my anxiety is getting absolutely terrible, My doctor has suggested for me to go on anxiety medication as well and just like you I am hesitant. I was on antidepressants a few years back and they have definitely taught me that the doctor's pills are NOT the answer. I came on here today to see if others were feeling this and I found that a lot of women are suffering from anxiety caused by birth control. I stopped taking it just to see if there is absolutely anything in it that's encouraging this feeling. Just like you I have a great boyfriend, a good job, great friends, an amazing family. I just don't understand what it doing this to me. I'm going to see a psychiatrist as soon as I can get in, in hopes he won't try and feed me medication.
I'm sorry that this wasn't an answer to your question but I just thought I'd let you know that someone else out there feels the same way!
23 Female
I am post treatment and suffering from dissociative symptoms.
It cycles from this to derealization to detatchment.
IS there any known specialists in New York State?
Also any success stories?