مواجهه با نشانه تحریک‌ درونی برای زوال شخصیت: یک مورد سری

Cognitive-behavioral treatment for panic disorder relies heavily on interoceptive exposure. Specifically, therapists induce physical symptoms associated with panic in order to produce habituation to those sensations. Many common symptoms of panic are easily induced, such as increased heart rate and dizziness. However, depersonalization is a difficult symptom to induce in the office. Three uncontrolled cases are presented here where a novel intervention, the use of 3D glasses, was used to successfully induce depersonalization with positive effect. The application of the procedure resulted in rapid habituation within session, and all three patients had significant reductions in panic following treatment. Additional research is necessary to examine the application of this, and other, novel methods for inducing depersonalization as part of a comprehensive approach to treating panic and other psychiatric conditions where depersonalization is present.

Depersonalization (DP) is the experience of feeling separated from one's self (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Individuals may feel a sense of being disconnected from their bodies or their cognitive processes, as if they were in a dream or watching themselves as outside observers. Derealization (DR) can be described as the feeling that an individual's surroundings are unreal or strange. While experiencing DR, a person might perceive that others in the environment are unfamiliar or mechanical (APA, 2000). Brief occurrences of DP/DR seem to be common among the general population and, in the absence of other psychiatric conditions, are typically associated with fatigue or drug use. Hunter, Sierra, and David (2004) reviewed the available epidemiological literature and found lifetime prevalence rates of DR ranging from 26% to 74%. DP and DR, however, are also associated with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses, including panic disorder.