Depersonalisation/derealisation strange thoughts

[bell23]

Hi All,

I've been suffering with intense feelings of unreality since I had a panic attack on december 5th, and its been crippling. I had to go to the doctors on jan 5th and he prescribed me citalopram which I have been taking since.

Its really strange it feels like I'm in a dream all the time and things don't feel real I can't ever see myself being the old me again, I feel lost? :( recently I've been having thoughts that I can't shake like why do we look like we do and humans are just skeletons with skin on etc which makes me scared in that I feel jumpy looking at people and the thoughts run through my head when I'm speaking to people. It makes me feel like I'm goin mad!

I can't see me gettin back to normallity I feel separated from reality. I have a son and one on the way a lovely girlfriend and I just want to be able to be a good dad! I don't deserve these crippling mental problems as I have never done anything wrong.

Sorry this note is a bit depressing but I have nowhere else to express my self. I hate the tought that others are going through this.

[lucyloulucylou]

Hello, i had the exact same things as you, id think really terrifying and unreal things like what if i accidently killed someone or had a mental breakdown, i started taking citalopram on the 1st Jan and have had a few good days, but like you i feel like im dreaming 24/7 and cant ever see myself being normal, iv read that it can take up to 12 weeks for the meds to take effect so am hanging onto that bit of hope, your not alone

[Lizziesaurus]

I get this every now and again, it's not a constant thing though and yes, it is horrible. But don't feel like you've done something bad which has made you deserve this. Give the citalopram a chance, it does take a while to kick in, if it doesn't work for you, there's plenty more out there. That's what keeps me going.
Stick with it, hope you feel better soon :)

[alswife]

I had feelings of DP for quite a while a few years ago. It was horrendous and i thought i'd never be myself again, but slowly it faded and now I only get it a bit if i'm very tired. I decided to stop fighting the feeling and just go with it and try & keep myself as distracted as possible. You will get back to normality one day i'm sure:hugs:

[mercer88]

This may sound pretentious of me but; since a lot of people on here have experienced this feeling I can't help but feel it will be more of a compliment than an insult.

You are probably quite an intelligent individual, as a lot of us are and, thus, probably suffer from thinking too much.

I know most of my depersonalisation was due to thinking far too much about the world around me, and others, and not myself. It stems from being a little bit too smart and a little bit too perceptive; qualities that you should not give up, but which, over time, you will hopefully learn to tame a little bit.

I would suggest not giving up on the meds. Citalopram takes a while to kick in and, even then, is not for everyone. But stick with it and hopefully it will come good; if it does not, you have many other options.

What I would suggest is that, while you are feeling a little detached; try to take it from a negative experience and spin it into a positive one. There's nothing like a little detachment from the irritating frankness of reality to put some real perspective on your life, and your future goals. So while you're a little out of it, try to think what you would like to achieve from your experience. Once you're back on your feet, you can work on making it happen!