A 28-year-old woman describes periods where she feels like she is watching herself from outside her body—observing her own actions as if she is a detached observer. This happens during stress and resolves spontaneously. She is distressed by it. Reality testing remains intact. What is the CORRECT DSM-5 term for this experience?
- A Derealization
- B Depersonalization ✓
- C Dissociative fugue
- D Dissociative amnesia
Explanation
Depersonalization involves feeling detached from or being an outside observer of one's own mental processes or body (e.g., feeling like one is in a dream, observing oneself from outside). Derealization involves feelings of unreality or detachment from one's surroundings (as if the external world is unreal, foggy, or dreamlike). Both can co-occur in Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder (DSM-5). The key distinguishing feature is that reality testing remains intact—the person knows these experiences are not real—differentiating it from psychosis. The disorder requires significant distress or functional impairment.
Reference: Kaplan & Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.