Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder vs. Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia and depersonalization derealization disorder (DDD) are two mental health issues that seem to share a lot of similarities; However, they are two unique, unrelated disorders.
Early symptoms of schizophrenia include, but are not limited to, extreme feelings of anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and unclear thinking. Early symptoms of DDD create an altered sense of time, and the feeling that you aren’t in your own body and mind.
Let’s dive deeper into these two mysterious diseases
An Overview of Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder
DDD is a disorder that creates the feeling of living your daily life from an outsider’s point of view.
Many describe it as feeling like you’re just watching a movie about your life. You can see the main character (you) and what they’re doing, but you aren’t in control of them. You don’t know what they’re thinking or how they truly feel.
People who suffer from DDD feel disconnected from their bodies. They can feel mentally and physically numb to whatever happens to them.
The exact cause for this disorder is still unknown, but there are many things that contribute to DDD. The first and most notable can root back to having a traumatic and/or abusive childhood. Another factor is likely substance abuse or overdose.
Related Article: Cocaine Psychosis
Depersonalization Symptoms
Most depersonalization symptoms relate to feeling disassociated with your own life. Some common ones are:
- Not trusting your memories
- Feeling like a robot or a machine
- Distrust in one's own memory
- Emotions and feelings being absent
Derealization Symptoms
Derealization involves dream-like and unreal feelings that everything going on around you isn’t real. The most common symptoms include:
- Distortion of time and surroundings
- Feeling like everything around you is a dream
- Lack of empathy for those around you
- Believing that life has no meaning or purpose
Is it the Same as Dissociative Identity Disorder?
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) has major differences from DDD, but it does share some common traits. While DDD and DID both relate to malformed identity, they are the opposite ends of the spectrum. DDD involves feelings of not being associated with your own personality or making you feel like you have no personality.
DID is diagnosed in 1.5% of the population according to the National Institutes of Health. It generally involves having multiple, distinct identities. It used to be knows as multiple personality disorder. Similar to derealization, DID is believed to stem from abuse and/or substance abuse.
An Overview of Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia typically involves hallucinations, or seeing, hearing, and sensing things that aren’t really there. You tend to have an altered and deluded lens of reality. The most common symptoms of schizophrenia include:
- Distorted thoughts and speech
- Talking to yourself or someone who isn’t there
- Paranoia
- An delusional perspective of the world
Usually, these symptoms don't happen constantly. Instead, a person with schizophrenia will experience an episode. Signs that someone is having a schizophrenic episode include:
- Uncontrollable laughter or crying
- Aggressive or violent behavior
- A drastic decrease in quality of life or work performance
Most people who suffer from schizophrenia describe it as the feeling of someone or something else controlling their mind and actions. A handful of people who experience it are unaware, or in denial that they have any form of mental illness.
Related Article: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Borderline schizophrenia
Similarities Between Depersonalization and Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia and DDD have quite a few common elements. Both will impact your life and the lives of your loved ones. Both heavily involve altered realities, delusions, and hallucinations.
Altered Senses of Reality
The first major similarity of these two disorders is the altered senses of reality. People diagnosed with either one don’t see reality for how it actually is. The world and other people feel unreal.
Things feel out of control for people with either disorder. Those with schizophrenia feel like someone else is controlling their behavior. Those with DDD feel like they don't really don’t exist in reality.
Dissociative Hallucinations
It’s fairly common knowledge that the main symptom of schizophrenia is hallucinations. Studies have shown that 70% of patients with schizophrenia experience hallucinations. These typicaly start as auditory–hearing things—then turn into visual hallucinations as the disease progresses.
Believing that you aren’t really a person present in the world is another form of hallucination. This sensation does cause the same type of stress that schizophrenic hallucinations do.
DDD hallucinations still happen, but are more rare. Patients who have had DDD hallucinations find it difficult to describe them.
Differences Between DDD and Schizophrenia
The biggest difference between the two disorders is based on the classifications of each disorder. DDD is a dissociative disorder, while schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder. It is
Dissociative Disorders vs. Psychotic Disorders
A dissociative disorder involves feeling the loss of connection and absence of awareness of your surroundings, feelings, and thoughts. Psychotic disorders involve maladaptive behaviors caused by an altered perception of reality. While they both involve altered senses of reality, their interpretations of reality are different.
Someone with a dissociative disorder is more likely to suffer from losing their memories and their sense of awareness. They tend to not feel emotions or understand the emotions of others. This causes them to feel as though they aren’t connected to reality.
Psychotic disorders all present as distorted and unrealistic interpretations of events. This may cause those with psychotic disorders to feel paranoid, like others are against them.
Can They Be Treated the Same?
The good news is that schizophrenia and DDD can be managed. Their treatments are different from each other, but they usually both involve therapy, and medication.
Severe schizophrenia may require inpatient care. However, many with schizophrenia manage with outpatient therapy (CBT). You may get prescribed antipsychotics and participate in cognitive behavioral therapy or other forms of psychotherapy.
For DDD and other dissociative disorders, the level of care you receive can also depend on how severe the symptoms are. However, any treatment will still involve extensive talk therapy. Doctors commonly prescribe mood stabilizers or antidepressants.
Related Articles: CBT, Medication Management, Inpatient Treatment
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