Derealization is ruining my life !

[Andromeda]

Hello everyone .

back at rock bottom again , sick and tired of going round in circles .

I've had derealization on and off since i developed anxiety , but it's never really bothered me ? it would last a few seconds and then i wouldn't even give it any thought and it would go .

But for the past week it's been CONSTANT . i can honestly say that waking up with that feeling is quite literally the most terrifying thing i've experienced in my life . waking up and feeling like everything around me - my room , my family isn't real . not having any kind of emotional connection to everything i love .

It's destroying me .

Even now i'm struggling to type this because my brain is going crazy , it just doesn't feel real .

I feel like my body is just in limbo - like i'm waiting to die , or waiting for something really terrible to happen .

i can't go to uni - it's too much of a struggle sitting through a lecture ! it's beginning to become impossible for me to go out clubbing , the lights and the noise just makes me so nervous so this is making me a recluse !
i went out tonight and had to leave after an hour cause i just couldn't relax , i ruined my friends night and they were mad at me , they just don't understand i can't help it .

i'm literally at rock bottom , i don't know what to do anymore .
i'm not living a life , i'm just a zombie , too afraid to do anything .

can't stop thinking that i'm going to die at any moment :weep:

[chili2424]

I can relate exactly to your post. It truly feels like your soul has died but your physical presense remains. Probably the scariest symptom associated with anxiety besides a full blown panic attack. I had this real bad about 2 weeks ago and now it's starting to fade. My best advice to you is be very patient and it will slowly go away on it's own. I was so scared that I was going to die suddenly and just thinking about it made it worse. The best thing you can do for yourself is try to distract your mind and not to think about it so much because that will only make it worse.

[guitarpants]

Have you been to a neurologist? One possibility is that you may have temporal lobe dysfunction. It can cause non-convulsive seizures and would cause some of the symptoms you are experiencing. It usually doesn't show on an EEG. It's not likely, but worth looking into since it's easily treated with medication, and can stop it 100%.

[iris333]

I get derealisation a lot , it is very very scary and this week I have been in constant fear of having an attack :/ weird stuff

[Kelley]

Hiya.
I too have been experiencing this. Although mine are more like a mind blank. It feels like my brain has gone to sleep and won't retrieve the information i need at that second. I feel too foggy to think and sometimes look around while i'm driving and the road doesn't look familiar! It is incredibly scary but from reading posts on here i am just letting it go and not adding fear to it.
Kel x

[Anxious_gal]

I have experienced a few hours of but a week? my gosh that must be dreadful no wonder your not feeling good :-(
I wonder if there is anything that helps get you back in feeling normal?

[shanlynn1012]

I had it for months it took a lot of convincing that it was anxiety but once it was it SLOWLY started to fade away. Excesise was a big help and I still get it from time to time.

[Anxious_gal]

I had it yesterday for a few hours and made me think of you. how are you holding up? x

[OnlyDan]

Well i get all the numbing you explained, and occasionally things go all 3D, only for a few seconds, its horrible.
Anyone else go 3D? Its usually my arms or something close to me.
Im sure its anxiety related, i also have Depression and used to smoke alot of weed, get bullied and the usual bother with life.
Help!

[Olivia]

That's like me. The past few months I've been very anxiety ridden and it's been really bad. It comes and goes but for the most part it's there. When I think about it it gets worse. Try not to worry about it and try (as much as you can) to focus on other things and with time you'll get better.

[phil06]

I've had this bad a week..

wake up feeling unreal..not me, like something is wrong with my health, disconnected with reality..freaking me out as it won't go. :weep:

[Andromeda]

i stated this threat almost 2 months ago , got to say the derealization still comes and goes but the most important thing is to not think about it when it surfaces otherwise it turns into anxiety !

definitely the worst symptom

[AM1986]

I have been experiencing the same symptoms for approximately 3 months, 24/7. It is a very uncomfortable and frightening. Have you had any issues with alcohol? One interesting thing I've encountered is the inability to get drunk, almost like I cannot feel a transition from sober to drunk.....any thoughts? ( I haven't tried to get very intoxicated, but have noticed that I do not have my normal response to alcohol, ie. should be feeling tipsy after the usual 2-3 glasses of wine....)

[Diamond of Neptune]

my first year of college away from home i developed panic attacks, and towards the end of the year i experienced 2 weeks straight of my first episode of derealization. It almost felt like my eyes weren't open all the way. Like i was seeing things, but it wasn't real, or it was just a dream. Nothing seemed vivid or even important. I remember trying to eat lunch with my roommate, and just staring at her and saying "i think i'm going to go home today, it doesn't matter becasue i don't think any of this is real anyway." It was a tuesday afternoon and i had classes until friday, but i was in such a state of derealization that nothing mattered or seemed as important as trying to regain some sense of real life.

For me, i think what caused it was being so far away from home for the first time. Such a total change in my normal atmosphere...added with the stress of school, and missing my boyfriend...along with my being prone to panic attacks.

this was maybe 4 years ago now, and to this day i still get occurances of derealization, but nothing to the extent that those 2 weeks were. i think we are all very lucky to have this forum, where we can get support and comfort from those who have been in our shoes. Nothing is more terrifying than feeling alone in something like this.

take care.

[Neuro-sis]

Ive also had that, i dont want to be near anyone when i get like that as like you say i cant connect with them or anything somehow. Its like living in a scarey cartoon. I dont really have any sure fire bits of information for you on this one, i just sit them out. i hope your feeling better soon Andromeda.

Love Neuro-sis x

[cwoz82]

I can totally sympathise, after 12 months of no derealisation, mine became a lot worse whilst i was on citalopram that i finished taking 6 months ago. 4 weeks ago i started sertraline and in recent days my derealisation has begun kicking in again
Do many find it worse on medication?
When i was on citalopram my derealisation was at it's worst when my blood pressure took a tumble because of the medication. I'm wondering if there is a link with derealisation and some medications? Have a docotrs appointment tomorrow and will request to have my blood pressure checked as a measure

[phil06]

I think Depersonalization only hits at severe times of panic...

But I feel strange all the time and don't want to go anywhere so I must suffer Derealization.

Anybody found a proper cure for it?