Depersonalization disorder

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Treatments and drugs

Treatment of depersonalization disorder may include:

  • Psychological counseling. This helps you understand why depersonalization occurs and trains you to stop worrying about the symptoms so that they go away. Depersonalization disorder may also improve when counseling helps with other psychological conditions, such as depression.
  • Medications. While there are no medications specifically approved to treat depersonalization disorder, a number of medications generally used to treat depression and anxiety may help. Some examples that have been shown to relieve symptoms include fluoxetine (Prozac), clomipramine (Anafranil) and clonazepam (Klonopin).
References
  1. Depersonalization disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed May 2, 2011.
  2. Simeon D. Depersonalization disorder: A contemporary overview. CNS Drugs. 2004;18:343.
  3. Hunter ECM, et al. The epidemiology of depersonalization and derealisation. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2004;39:9.
  4. Kihlstrom J, et al. Dissociative disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. 2005;1:227.
DS01149 July 7, 2011

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