Differential diagnosis of altered mind/body perception.
Psychiatry November 1, 1982 G O Gabbard, S W Twemlow, F C Jones
The psychiatric literature often confuses different altered mind/body perception states, such as out-of-body experience (OBE), depersonalization, autoscopic phenomena, and schizophrenic body distortions like boundary loss. This paper aims to clarify these distinct syndromes, noting that some studies focus on patients, others on nonpatients, and some on both. The fact that some individuals with these experiences do not define themselves as patients or seek treatment underscores the need for precise definitions. After explaining each syndrome's characteristics, treatment implications are briefly considered.