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Related Experiment Videos

Cognitive-behaviour therapy for depersonalisation disorder: an open study.

Elaine C M Hunter1, Dawn Baker, Mary L Phillips

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

Behaviour Research and Therapy
|July 12, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) shows promise for treating depersonalisation disorder (DPD). Patients experienced significant symptom reduction and improved functioning after CBT, with some no longer meeting diagnostic criteria.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • Clinical Neuroscience

Background:

  • Depersonalisation (DP) and derealisation (DR) are dissociative symptoms involving altered self-perception and reality testing.
  • These experiences range from transient episodes in healthy individuals to depersonalisation disorder (DPD), a chronic condition causing significant distress.
  • Despite high symptom prevalence, research into effective psychological treatments for DPD remains limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as an individual treatment for depersonalisation disorder (DPD).

Main Methods:

  • An open study involving 21 patients diagnosed with DPD.
  • Treatment focused on cognitive restructuring to re-interpret symptoms non-threateningly, alongside reducing avoidant behaviors and symptom monitoring.

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  • Assessments included patient-defined severity measures, standardized scales for dissociation, depression, anxiety, general functioning, and clinician ratings via the Present State Examination.

    • Main Results:

    • Significant improvements were observed in patient-reported DP/DR severity, dissociation, depression, anxiety, and overall functioning post-treatment and at six-month follow-up.
    • Clinician ratings showed significant reductions.
    • Twenty-nine percent of participants no longer met the diagnostic criteria for DPD by the end of the therapy.

    Conclusions:

    • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) appears to be an effective psychological treatment for depersonalisation disorder (DPD).
    • The findings suggest CBT can reduce symptom severity and improve functioning in individuals with DPD.
    • Further research with larger sample sizes and robust methodologies is warranted to confirm these results and explore treatment specificity.