DEFINITION

• A type of dissociative disorder in which one has a persistent or frequent altered sense of self or one’s surroundings, often feeling detached like an outsider watching oneself or the immediate environment
  • It is important to note that these are common symptoms of other psychiatric disorders, but depersonalization/derealization disorder differs in that no other psychiatric condition exists.

• Depersonalization/derealization disorder is classified under the Dissociative Disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5)[1].
• To summarize, the DSM-5 criteria require persistent or recurrent experiences of depersonalization, derealization, or both in the setting of intact reality testing[1].