Diagnosing Depersonalization Disorder
Feeling Nureal April 20, 2006 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780195170221.003.0005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Practical guide or manual Peer reviewed |
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| Key points | The text explains that DPD is diagnosed clinically through a thorough evaluation interview, requiring recurrent or persistent symptoms that are not exclusively tied to another psychiatric, medical, or substance-related condition. Depersonalization occurring only during depression, panic attacks, seizures, brain tumors, or regular substance use would not qualify for a DPD diagnosis. |
Abstract
Abstract: Like any other psychiatric condition, the diagnosis of depersonalization disorder (DPD) is made clinically, by meeting with the patient and conducting a thorough evaluation interview. Descriptions of the symptoms, as we have described throughout this book, and as spelled out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV), serve as the point of departure—symptoms that are not just fleeting, but recurrent or persistent. The symptoms must also not be occurring exclusively and only in the context of some other condition, be it psychiatric, medical, or related to substance use. If, for example, the depersonalization happened only when the person was deeply depressed, or during a panic attack, or a seizure, or because a person has a brain tumor, he or she would not be diagnosed as having DPD. Likewise, regular substance users (daily drinkers or marijuana users) who experience depersonalization only in that context would not be diagnosed with DPD.