Depersonalization Disorder Quotes

“It was strange when I would hear myself talking. Who was this person speaking words out of my mouth? I didn't feel like it was me.”
― Malia Bradshaw, A Return to Self: Depersonalization and How to Overcome It

“Dissociative Disorders have a high rate of responsiveness to therapy and that with proper treatment, their prognosis is quite good.”
― Marlene Steinberg, Interviewer's Guide to the Structured Clinical Interview for Dsm-IV Dissociative Disorders

“Th dissociation continued to get worse, until I was living in a constant state of dissociation.”
― Malia Bradshaw, A Return to Self: Depersonalization and How to Overcome It

“The first time I experienced dissociation I had no idea what was happening to me. I sat on the couch with my boyfriend. He said something to me and when I looked at him, I didn't recognize his face.

I still knew it was him, but his features looked mangled and foreign. This face that I had looked at thousands of times now seemed strange.

Needless to say, I was terrified.”
― Malia Bradshaw, A Return to Self: Depersonalization and How to Overcome It

“Derealization—A feeling that one's surroundings are strange or unreal. Often involves previously familiar people.”
― Marlene Steinberg, Handbook for the Assessment of Dissociation: A Clinical Guide

“Depersonalization—Detachment from one's self, e.g., a sense of looking at one's self as if one is an outsider.”
― Marlene Steinberg, Handbook for the Assessment of Dissociation: A Clinical Guide

“It is not unusual for subjects diagnosed with a Dissociative Disorder on the SCID-D to be surprised at having their symptoms validated by a clinician who understands the nature of their disorder.”
― Marlene Steinberg, Interviewer's Guide to the Structured Clinical Interview for Dsm-IV Dissociative Disorders

“Interviewer: Have you ever felt as if there was a struggle going on inside of you as to who you really are?

Patient: Yes, for years, and I still can't find out who the fuck am I, man. Excuse my language, doctor. I don't know who the fuck l am.

Interviewer: What do you mean by that?

Patient: Who is [A.B.]? Who the fuck am I? I don't know. I don't know who I am. I really don't know who I am. I look at the rest of my family and I say, "I ain't part of this family, man, this can't be. They're all different than me. They also look alike, but they look different to me." (SCID-D interview, unpublished transcript)

As the preceding example indicates, the theme of puzzlement is characteristic of patients at all levels of educational achievement and verbal ability. The clinician should be alert to the presence of this theme in the self-descriptions of all patients endorsing dissociative symptoms, not just in those of patients who completed a college degree or who are accustomed to introspection and self-analysis.”
― Marlene Steinberg, Handbook for the Assessment of Dissociation: A Clinical Guide