 depersonalization (or depersonalisation) is an anomaly of self-awareness. it consists of a feeling of watching oneself act, while having no control over a situation.american psychiatric association (2004). diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders dsm-iv-tr (text revision). american psychiatric association. isbn 0-89042-024-6. subjects feel they have changed, and the world has become vague, dreamlike, less real, or lacking in significance. it can be a disturbing experience, since many feel that, indeed, they are living in a "dream". chronic depersonalization refers to depersonalization disorder, which is classified by the dsm-iv as a dissociative disorder. though degrees of depersonalization and derealization can happen to anyone who is subject to temporary anxiety/stress, chronic depersonalization is more related to individuals who have experienced a severe trauma or prolonged stress/anxiety. depersonalization-derealization is the single most important symptom in the spectrum of dissociative disorders, including dissociative identity disorder and "dissociative disorder not otherwise specified" (dd-nos). it is also a prominent symptom in some other non-dissociative disorders, such as anxiety disorders, clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, migraine and sleep deprivation, and it can be a symptom of some types of neurological seizure. it can be considered desirable, such as in the use of recreational drugs. in social psychology, and in particular self-categorization theory, the term depersonalization has a different meaning and refers to "the stereotypical perception of the self as an example of some defining social category". == description == individuals who experience depersonalization feel divorced from their own personal physicality by sensing their body sensations, feelings, emotions and behaviors as not belonging
Abnormal_psychology Dissociative_disorders Symptoms_and_signs:_Cognition,_perception,_emotional_state_and_behaviour