Depersonalization disorder? Maybe? or is it a health concern?

The Psychology Today article says that depersonalization/derealization disorder often occurs with (and can be triggered by) other mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. It doesn't mention anything other than mental health problems. Also, I think if your doctor was concerned about physical illnesses he would have mentioned this to you.

Again, the article says that this CAN be associated with a mental health problem, which doesn't mean it always is, but it's something you might want to talk with the doctor about.

Article - signs that you may have an anxiety disorder

https://www.rd.com/health/conditions/anxiety-disor...

Depression screening tests - CESD R, or KADS 6-Item for teenagers

Again, I'm not saying this is the reason, but if you talked with the doctor about a mood disorder you'd want to tell the doctor how you feel at different times of day, any symptoms you might have like change of sleep or appetite, and things in your life affecting how you feel. Advice about mood disorders in my recent answers.

The Psychology Today article mentions grounding exercises, which brings up the interesting topic of mindfulness meditation. Some people say that they've had very good results with mindfulness for derealization but others say their results were disappointing.

An article online from the Oxford University Mindfulness Center, "Is Mindfulness Safe?" has cautions for people who suffer from mental and emotional problems. It's possible for meditation to make symptoms of a disorder worse, and the more intense the experience is the more danger there is. The article points out that there's a variety of good relaxation methods other than mindfulness.

The intensity of meditation experiences varies enormously. At the high end of the spectrum you have the Buddhist meditation retreats, which are very demanding, at the low end, grounding exercises.

I'd describe the range this way, high intensity to low -

* meditation retreat

* mindfulness-based therapy programs, such as MBSR and MBCT

* 10-minute exercise with the Headspace app

* grounding exercise

I'll give you some examples of grounding exercises.

Eat a handful of raisins or nuts very slowly, appreciating every piece, taking a long time to finish them, being aware of your slow breathing.

Wash and dry the dishes very carefully, focusing on what you're doing, the feelings in your hands and the sound of the water.

Examine objects. Pick up a a few objects, name them, feel them and carefully inspect them.

Count things.

Breathing slowly though your nose, be aware of bodily sensations - the air passing through your nostrils, the feeling of your clothing on your skin, the pressure of the floor on the soles of your feet. Look around at the room, aware of the present moment, the here and now.

Again, think about getting help from a mental health professional, who can tell you about D/D and other possible problems.

Depersonalization does't last very long unless you have depersonalization disorder, which I have suffered from. I see that this was posted four months ago, so I don't know how you're doing now, but I just want you to know, you will be okay. I know how scary it can, you may think it will never go away or that you are losing your mind or even that your are in this all alone because no one else could understand the feeling. But let me tell you, I understand what your'e feeling, every bit of it. I was so depersonalized I was bed ridden for awhile but now I am great compared to how I use to be. I still get the feeling of depersonalization every now and then but I don't have it constantly like I use too. Oh, and did I also mention I have beaten it twice already? 

I'll explain what helped me and I think it can help you to. What i noticed is that depersonalization mainly seems to be fueled by my anxiety and thought. I was able to help out my anxiety tremendously by going to the gym. I started out by going 3 times a week and now I go 5 times a week because it turned into both a hobby and a therapy. Ever since I started exercising, all aspects of the disorder have gotten better. 

Another thing that will help is watching your diet. Don't drink caffeine, alcohol, and don't smoke any more pot. It makes it worse. Just try going sober for awhile. I promise you it will help. Also, it won't hurt to eat healthy.

Next thing, you need to tame your thoughts. When I was depersonalized, I had constant thoughts, and they were insane thoughts too. Most of them existential thoughts which isn't good for the disorder. The exercising will help with the thoughts but the best thing you can do is look into mindfulness and meditation. There are many books out there that can help you achieve a mindful state. Mindfulness will clear your mind like water. You will no longer have a racing mind and will be able to focus and think clearly. 

I hope this doesn't seem like a lot but I really do think it can help you. I know how hard it is and I wouldn't have taken the time to type this out if I didn't care and if I didn't want to try to help you out.