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Related Experiment Videos

Depersonalisation disorder: a cognitive-behavioural conceptualisation.

E C M Hunter1, M L Phillips, T Chalder

  • 1Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. e.hunter@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Behaviour Research and Therapy
|October 30, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Depersonalisation (DP) and derealisation (DR) symptoms, often transient, can become chronic when catastrophically appraised, leading to anxiety and a vicious cycle. Cognitive and behavioral interventions may help break this cycle.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Depersonalisation (DP) and derealisation (DR) are subjective experiences of unreality concerning self and external world.
  • These symptoms exist on a continuum from transient episodes in healthy individuals to chronic depersonalisation disorder (DPD).
  • Research into psychological treatments for DPD remains limited despite frequent symptom reporting.

Observation:

  • DPD shows strong links with anxiety disorders, particularly panic.
  • The catastrophic appraisal of transient DP/DR symptoms is proposed as a key factor in developing chronic disorder.
  • Misinterpreting DP/DR symptoms as signs of severe mental illness or brain dysfunction can initiate a cycle of increasing anxiety and symptom severity.

Findings:

  • Cognitive and behavioral responses, including avoidance and safety behaviors, maintain DPD.

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  • These responses increase symptom awareness, perceived threat, and prevent disconfirmation of catastrophic misinterpretations.
  • A coherent model of DPD is essential for developing effective interventions.

    • Implications:

    • Understanding the cognitive model of DPD is crucial for targeted psychological treatments.
    • Cognitive and behavioral interventions can potentially disrupt the cycle of anxiety and DP/DR symptoms.
    • Further research into these interventions is warranted to address the distress caused by DPD.