Daphne Simeon - Böcker

Feelings of depersonalization-derealization, or a sense of detachment from one's normal sense of self, are not uncommon. People often describe being outside of themselves, or watching themselves as if in a movie, during "unreal" circumstances such as a car crash or other trauma. This is the mind's normal dissociative reaction at work. This protective system can go awry, however, and can be triggered by ongoing, lower-level stresses, childhood neglect, or certain drugs. Despite its prevalence, depersonalization is often misunderstood and is understudied compared to other conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.First published in 2006, Feeling Unreal, Depersonalization Disorder and the Loss of the Self was the first book of its kind to delve into the mysterious phenomenon of Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder (DDD). This fully revised and updated edition describes extensive new findings on the origins of DDD, the brain science supporting the diagnosis, and cutting-edge treatment approaches. DDD is examined from medical and psychiatric perspectives, but as the authors reveal, it also emerges in literary, philosophical and spiritual investigations. Feeling Unreal thoroughly explores these different aspects in a fascinating and essential resource that is clear and accessible to medical professionals and general readers alike. Physicians, mental health professionals, families, and those who have experienced DDD themselves will find with this book trustworthy and cutting-edge information on DDD, on its history and treatment, and on its place in literature and philosophy as well as in contemporary society.

Throughout history, people have invented many different ways to inflict direct and deliberate physical injury on themselves - without an intent to die. Even today, the concept and practice of self-injury is sanctioned by some cultures, although condemned by most. This insightful work fills a gap in the literature on pathologic self-injury. The phenomenon of people physically hurting themselves is heterogeneous in nature, disturbing in its impact on the self and others, frightening in its blatant maladaptiveness, and often indicative of serious developmental disturbances, breaks with reality, or deficits in the regulation of affects, aggressive impulses, or self states. Further complicating our understanding is the large and diverse scope of psychiatric conditions, such as pervasive developmental disorders, Tourette's syndrome, and psychosis, in which these behaviors occur.This volume presents a comprehensive nosology of self-injurious behaviors, classifying them as stereotypic, major, compulsive, and impulsive (with greater emphasis on the last two categories because they are the most commonly seen). The chapter on stereotypic self-injurious behaviors (highly repetitive, monotonous behaviors usually devoid of meaning, such as head-banging) focuses on the neurochemical systems underlying the various forms of stereotypic movement disorders with self-injurious behaviors, typically seen in patients with mental retardation and autism, and discusses their psychopharmacological management. The chapter on psychotic, or major, self-injurious behaviors (severe, life-threatening behaviors, such as castration) presents a multidimensional approach to evaluating and treating patients with psychosis and self-injurious behaviors, including the neuroanatomy and neurobiology of sensory information processing as background for its discussion of neurobiological studies and psychopharmacological treatments. Chapters on the neurobiology of and psychopharmacology and psychotherapies for compulsive self-injurious behaviors (repetitive, ritualistic behaviors, such as trichotillomania [hair-pulling]) offer much-needed biological research and the first empirical treatment studies on compulsive self-injurious behaviors, and argue that a distinction can indeed be made between compulsive and impulsive self-injurious behaviors. Chapters on the neurobiology, psychopharmacology, and dialectic behavior and psychodynamic theory and treatment of impulsive self-injurious behaviors (habitual, chronic behaviors, such as skin picking) supplement the few neurobiological studies measuring impulsivity, aggression, dissociation, and suicide and detail the efficacy of various medications and psychotherapies. An eminently practical guide with exhaustive references to the latest data and research findings, this concise volume contains clinical material and therapeutic interventions that can be used right away by clinicians to better understand and treat patients with these complex and disturbing behaviors.