Derealization and causal factors of its formation. The article will outline ways to eliminate this type of neurosis on their own and with the help of medicine. Derealization is a mental deviation in which a person begins to react differently to the reality around him. This disease is a dangerous type of neurosis, because with its manifestations, people lose the ability to navigate in the events around them.
Description and development mechanism of derealization
This mental disorder is often confused with other phobias and complexes. It should be remembered that during derealization, there is no imaginary perception of certain factors that are characteristic of patients with hallucinations. Illusions are also absent in the sounded diagnosis, because the person clearly understands what is happening to him.
Psychologists also insist on the fact that abstraction to one's own "I" during the described pathology distinguishes derealization from mental automatism.
With especially severe forms of this type of neurosis, a person forgets the fact of eating, does not recognize his home, and when he goes out into the street, he is lost in the landmarks. The paradoxical behavior of such people sometimes reaches the point of absurdity, when the patient cannot remember his loved ones, considering them strangers.
There are various stages in the formation of a sounded pathology, which are determined using the Nuller scale:
- 1-10 points … People with such indicators are considered individuals who are predisposed to the development of derealization.
- 10-15 points … It is worth thinking about the reality of the transition of the disease into a chronic form, because the boundaries with a clear mental deviation in this case are already conditional factors.
- 15-20 points … With the announced figures, the patient's condition can be called a type of neurosis of moderate severity.
- 20-25 points … In this case, you should urgently seek help from a doctor, because a person ceases to recognize previously familiar objects and phenomena.
- Indicator 25+ … The situation in this state of affairs has already got out of control. Even with indicators of more than 18 points, experts recommend going to the hospital.
Reasons for the development of derealization
A sharp change in a person's reaction to the surrounding reality with a voiced problem may arise due to the following factors:
- Stress … Symptoms of derealization are often realistically observed in people who have been in shock for a long time. A crisis situation is capable of launching a mechanism of maladjustment in society in a short period of time, if we are talking about an impressionable person.
- Overwork … Nervous and physical exhaustion of the body always ends with a breakdown. After this fact, the patient loses interest in life and turns into an apathetic person with manifestations of derealization.
- Suppression of desires (deprivation) … If you limit yourself literally in everything, then you will not want anything. With the obvious obviousness of the impossibility of realizing their dream, some people use the voiced pathology as a defense mechanism from the surrounding reality.
- Depression … The blues always accompanies such a disease as derealization. If a person is depressed for a long time, then he automatically falls into the risk zone for the formation of this pathology.
- Bad habits … Some persons lose their orientation in society even when they come out of the state of alcoholic or drug intoxication. In the phase of insight after the abuse of hazardous substances, the reality of the formation of derealization is not excluded.
- Decreased serotonin levels … This substance is responsible for a good mood in humans. If the production of serotonin fails, feelings and emotions are dulled, after which a phase of deep depression and derealization begins.
- Health problems … Such factors-provocateurs of the described pathology include osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, excessive muscle tone and vegetative-vascular dystonia.
- Computer entertainment … Social networks can provoke a person's dependence on them. If gambling addicts do not leave their homes for a long time, then the very first time they go out into the street, they will feel the consequences of derealization.
Important! It is better not to postpone the treatment of such a disease indefinitely, because it is accompanied by rather serious side effects.
Manifestations of derealization in humans
In this case, one should immediately distinguish between the reaction to the reality of an adequate person and a patient with a clouded consciousness. People with a healthy psyche understand the non-standard nature of their vision of the world around them, which looks like this:
- Failure of touch, color and sound perception … All noise signals and colors are not processed by the human mind during derealization. The world around them seems to them a gray picture, devoid of semantic fullness. Sometimes the speech of the interlocutors reminds the patient of a worn-out record, even if they have excellent diction.
- Observing yourself from the side … Experts recommend that you sometimes evaluate your essence as an outsider. However, in people with derealization, such a process is a literal phenomenon, when they do not feel they are the masters of their own bodily shell.
- Disorientation in space … Without outside help, a patient with a sounded pathology in moderate and severe form cannot leave his home. It becomes a big problem for him to determine the path of his movement.
- Changing Temporal Perception … During derealization, jamevue can occur when a person is in a familiar area or finds himself in an ordinary situation, but is not able to remember it.
- Spatial distortion … People with a voiced problem often feel that the earth is slipping out from under their feet. They are unable to answer the question of what distance the path is to a certain object.
Attention! If an attack of derealization is accompanied by disorders of the musculoskeletal system or paranoid delirium, then it is definitely impossible to do without the help of a psychiatrist.
Ways to combat derealization
This therapy is performed in two stages. In the first phase, the symptoms of the disease are eliminated, and during the second, the causes of the pathology are investigated with their further elimination.
Independent actions during derealization
If, after examining the patient, he has a mild sounded pathology, then the following actions will help him:
- Making a list … It will be easier for a specialist to work with his ward if he describes in detail his existing problem point by point. It is necessary to indicate the general symptomatology of the pathology, all the stressful situations suffered and the drugs that have been used over the past six months.
- Stabilization of the daily routine … Derealization syndrome begins to subside with proper planning of their activities. Experts recommend forgetting about exhausting work for a while, giving yourself the opportunity to rest.
- Regulation of nutrition … To develop protective reflexes of the body, it is necessary to consult a dietitian who will help the patient choose a balanced diet.
- Temporary relocation … With such an opportunity, a person gets new sensations, which are important for getting rid of observing in life exclusively for gray tones.
- Chat with friends … The described phenomenon is often accompanied by disorientation of people in society. In this case, confidential conversations with loved ones and the organization of joint leisure with them will help.
- Job change … If the sphere of work of a person with a similar problem is associated with constant stressful situations, then it needs to be changed to a more gentle mode of work.
- Switching attention … During an attack of disorientation, you need to readjust your state in a positive way. Lovers of sweets can carry a bar of chocolate with them to please themselves and protect themselves from the next stress.
- Massage … The sounded procedure helps not only to relieve muscle tension, but also makes it possible to get positive emotions during the session. You should not be limited to one visit to a masseur, because for maximum effect it is necessary to undergo a full course of treatment.
- Charcot shower … The meaning of this procedure lies in the fact that a powerful jet of water is sent to the human body under a very strong pressure. With such a massage, which is performed from a distance of two meters, the temperature of the liquid gradually changes. Doctors advise to go through 10-15 Charcot shower sessions, the duration of which will increase from 1 to 15 minutes.
- Sports activities … In this case, we are not talking about torturing yourself in the gym. In case of a mild form of derealization, experts recommend going in for sports walking, swimming or table tennis.
- Regular walks … Anyone can benefit from going out into the fresh air before bed. With a slight surreal perception of reality, the voiced actions will help restore the emotional state.
- Travel … When treating derealization, you need to give yourself a maximum of positive emotions. If it is not possible to visit expensive resorts, then you can organize a trip to the forest or a tour of memorable places.
- Breathing exercises … With impending signs of derealization, it is necessary to deeply inhale air for three minutes, retaining it in the lungs for 3 seconds.
- Development of concentration … To do this, you should turn to the study of serious literature in the form of scientific articles, historical research, philosophical works of art. In this case, it is necessary to choose a complex and not fascinating text for yourself. During acquaintance with a new source of information, a person will periodically lose information about the material read during derealization. After the incident, you should return to the forgotten paragraph to stimulate certain areas of the brain.
- "Informal" meditation … When eating, as opposed to wandering consciousness, you need to concentrate on the meal itself. You should evaluate your sensations from the taste of the product and mentally analyze its entire path until it enters the stomach. In this way, you can fight the rejection of surrounding objects when cleaning an apartment, washing dishes and while walking.
- Visiting special forums … It is in these islands of the Internet space that you can share with potential like-minded people who have a similar problem. People who have gotten rid of the described neurosis and have experience in dealing with derealization also like to visit forums with this topic.
Appointments of doctors to eliminate pathology
With a real problem and choosing an option, how to treat derealization, you definitely cannot do without consulting a specialist. Modern medicine offers the following ways to get rid of derealization:
- Drug therapy … With this pathology, it is usually recommended to take selective antidepressants in the form of "Venlafaxine" or "Gabapentin". In parallel with them, a vitamin complex is prescribed to restore vital energy in the patient. In especially severe cases, the use of tranquilizers such as "Tazepam", "Elenium" or "Phenazepam" cannot be avoided.
- Physiotherapy … By the decision of the attending physician, vibration exposure procedures or UFO (ultraviolet radiation) can be prescribed. The therapy with a laser and a magnet has proven itself quite well.
- Physiotherapy … It can be carried out both independently and under the guidance of an instructor. In this case, walking, swimming, climbing on objects, physical exercises on the floor, a gymnastic wall or simulators are used.
- Psychoanalysis … This technique allows you to understand the causes of the problem. In most cases, it is after her that some unconscious childish fear, a suppressed desire in the past, or a forgotten conflict situation is revealed. However, experts warn that the effect of such sessions may come in a couple of years.
- Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy … The sounded method is based on the principle of reconstruction of personal three-level cores. They are based on the behavioral, emotional and cognitive basis of human consciousness. At the same time, the specialist restores the patient's mental processes and works on his psychological state.
- Art therapy and sound therapy … In case of a failure of color and auditory perception, it is necessary to compensate for the sounded deviations from the norm. Noise exposure and color discrimination work under the guidance of a specialist will help get rid of the existing problem.
- Aromatherapy … Treatment with essential oils from lavender, calendula and chamomile extract helps at the first sign of an anxiety attack. At the same time, do not forget about the healing effect of aromatherapy based on citrus fruits, wheat germ and conifers.
- Hypnosis … To eliminate the symptoms of this pathology, the introduction of the patient into a trance state is often used. In it, the patient discovers the provocative factor that led him to derealization. Hypnotics can also reveal the patient's readiness to manage their fear.
Consequences of derealization
Psychiatry has many facts of rejection of people from the surrounding reality. However, leading experts in world practice were most interested in cases that led to the following consequences:
- Epilepsy … At the end of the last century, the media literally exploded with shocking news. In the land of the rising sun, some children fell victim to epileptic seizures after derealization. The reason for this pathology among young Japanese citizens was watching one cartoon with quickly flashing frames, the main characters of which were Pokemon.
- Loss of your "I" … During the Battle of Austerlitz, one soldier was seriously wounded. This case could not have become any well-known event if after this battle the man did not believe in his death. When asked by his acquaintances about his health, he was sincerely surprised, because he projected his personality onto his own uncle. Remaining an absolutely adequate person in everyday life and communication, the former soldier ardently convinced everyone that he was a poorly made copy of his deceased relative. During depersonalization, the war hero voiced the awareness of his "I" exclusively as someone else's "OH", remaining in the rest a mentally balanced person.
- Fear of insanity … The stories of A. A. Mehrabyan's patients have become quite well-known cases in psychiatry (in total, 195 life situations of this kind are described in his works). One serviceman-political instructor, after overwork, first developed a systematic migraine, and then something changed in his mind, after which the world seemed alien and unnecessary. Fear of insanity led to the fact that the once adequate personality made several attempts to commit suicide. Another patient of the clinic, a well-known journalist, once could not arrange an article, because he began to see everything around as if in a fog. Having lost the sense of reality, the creative person, fearing to go mad, turned to A. A. Mehrabyan for help.
Important! In addition to the listed possible consequences of derealization, there is a danger of regular panic attacks, loss of consciousness during an attack and constant thoughts of death. How to treat derealization - watch the video:
When asked how to get rid of derealization, you should calm down and then visit a specialist. Without determining the stage of development of the disease, effective treatment is out of the question.
