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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jen2 on March 1, 2005, at 11:05:29
Hi,
There was a segment on a cross-Canada radio show yesterday about depersonalization. Thought some of you might be interested to see the transcript. There are lots of links embedded in the text of the transcript, so if you want to see those you can go to www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2005/200502/20050228.html
Jen
The Current: Part 3Depersonalization: Filmmaker
For the next half hour we're going to explore an age-old---but little discussed----mental illness called depersonalization disorder. It's something we all might experience at one point in our lives.
For instance, if you've ever been in a car accident, or fought in a war, or suffered a terrible loss, you may have felt numb, detached, as though these awful things weren't really happening. Most of us snap out of it after a short period of time. But imagine if you remained frozen in that state, floating above the action--there, but not there at all.
Jonathan Caouette is a filmmaker who not only suffers from the illness, he's made a film that tries to capture what it feels like to live with it. His film, Tarnation, has been called disturbing, compelling and beautiful. He is now thirty-three, but when Jonathan was eleven, he borrowed a camera and began to document his strange, sometimes tragic, life. There is no real narrative, rather the film combines home movies, stock film footage, and interviews with Jonathan's family, including painful scenes with his mother, Renee, who is also mentally ill.
Jonathan Caouette was in Houston this morning, where he's shooting a movie. He is the director of the film,Tarnation. It has already opened in Toronto and makes its Vancouver debut on March the 4th.
Depersonalization ExpertDepersonalization disorder has been plaguing people and intriguing doctors for decades---because it can be as difficult to diagnose as it is to experience.
Dr. Daphne Simeon specializes in Depersonalization Disorder at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, where she runs the only clinic in North American devoted to its treatment. She's also writing a book about depersonalization due out later this year. She was in New York.
Depersonalization & Art FactboardAccording to depersonalization.info, an information clearinghouse for the disorder, chronically depersonalized people are usually highly intelligent--and prone to philosophical ruminations. In fact, it was the existentialists who believed that human beings' greatest enemy was depersonalization--specifically the depersonalization of the soul---or the way the modern world can sometimes turn us into robots.
The French philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, called depersonalization "The Filth". One of his most famous novels, Nausea, is about a writer who's haunted by the great question of his existence. He keeps a diary chronicling his every thought and mood in order to remind himself that the inability to feel the beauty and wonder around him would mean the death of his soul--another way of describing what it feels like to suffer from the disorder.
Depersonalization has also been called the "Alice in Wonderland" disease--when a person's world is distorted--small things are big---big things small---and nothing is as it seems.
William James, the nineteenth century American psychologist and philosopher called depersonalization "the sick soul". Other literary depictions of depersonalization include Albert Camus' The Stranger or The Outsider, Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Notes from Underground, and Jorge Luis Borges' story, The Aleph. And modern filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen have often tackled the notion of how the big city, modern marriage and too much money can sometimes contribute to feelings of depersonalization.
But most scholars would say Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard was the first to name existentialism as our only hope to fight depersonalization. His work--which peaked in the mid-1800s-- decades before Mr. Sartre, or Woody Allen were born---often dealt with the fact that depersonalization is caused by our increasingly industrialized world.
But we won't get into that debate----lest we "alienate" any listeners.
Posted by Spriggy on March 1, 2005, at 15:26:11
In reply to Depersonalization in the media, posted by Jen2 on March 1, 2005, at 11:05:29
It's good to hear it is getting some recognizition.
I spent about 2 weeks in this "state" during my recent ordeal.
It's sooooo hard to describe to other's.
The only thing I could equate it to is the feeling you get if you have a REALLY high fever.
As a kid, when my fever would hit over 102, I would feel very unreal and strange/bizarre/scared.
It's that same type of feeling.
I imagine if I would have had to stay that way constantly, I would either feel absolutely insane or would've end up ending my life.
That's optimism for you, huh?
Posted by crazychickuk on March 1, 2005, at 16:20:04
In reply to Re: Depersonalization in the media, posted by Spriggy on March 1, 2005, at 15:26:11
Well i felt like this for 6 mnths .. what hope i got eh ?
Posted by Phillipa on March 1, 2005, at 16:44:56
In reply to Re: Depersonalization in the media, posted by crazychickuk on March 1, 2005, at 16:20:04
I think when you expenience stress continuously, and don't have time to recover from each experience you experience this state. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by knicknack55 on March 2, 2005, at 9:08:19
In reply to Re: Depersonalization in the media, posted by Phillipa on March 1, 2005, at 16:44:56
so here's the question: how's it treated? This happens to me from time to time - sometimes I can snap out of it and others I can't. It can last weeks, if i'm not careful. :(
Posted by Spriggy on March 2, 2005, at 13:43:25
In reply to Re: Depersonalization in the media, posted by knicknack55 on March 2, 2005, at 9:08:19
I read on one website that an activating drug can help with this; more of a stimulant type med. One person who had experienced for a long time, noticed after wellbutrin it went away.
When I had it, it came and went throughout the day. I noticed if I drank a few cups of coffee, it seemed to help. Go figure.
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