Is it the illness, the neuroleptic drugs, or the hospitalizations?
In 2018/2019/2020 I had bouts of derealization, and weird anxiety. I even had psychotic episodes after that, but no more derealization.
Have any of you got this innately?
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I got it from weed, took a year or so to wear off. APs were helpful.
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I don’t know how but I am diagnosed with sza and I experience derealization all day every day without break and I have for years. It’s usually moderate to intense but never lets up and I barely remember what life without it is like although I know something is really off. It’s just how I live now, but there is so much I would give for it to go away, I haven’t felt like I’ve been alive in the world or existed here most of this time.
I’ve experienced it on and off since I was a child and remember extreme periods and trying to explain it to my parents, so it may be innate, but it only became constant after a psychosis in 2019.
Is it a persistent thing with sz?
I would like to know if anyone else experiences it so constantly, I barely grasp now that this is not normal for people.
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My doctor told me it’s part of schz diagnosis, and anxiety can worsen it. I have been having dissociative issues for years now, but I never could find a conclusive answer: from google to my doctor to other doctors to forums, so I’m a bit confused but I’m leaning towards my doctors, because this is recorded in my history, but everyone is different.
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I think dissociation causes psychosis.
I also think medication causes dissociation. I think it is why medication works. You are less aware of the nasty memories.
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Agree with you 
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I don’t know if what I have is called disassociation but basically when I feel anxious around ppl, this other me personality sort of pops up. It’s really automatic and not easy to prevent overnight. I hope I can learn to manage it better over time and it is a very very very… Very distressing/annoying emotionally thing. So much so, that I would not be surprised if that was the next step towards psychosis.
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SZ is characterized with a disturbed sense of self which manifests as dissociation or derealisation, so it’s definitely the illness itself not the drugs or anything else.
That doesn’t mean you have a poor identity, you can have a strong identity but still experience dissociation:
“Depersonalization also isn’t the same as identity confusion or alteration, other components of dissociation. Experiencing depersonalization means your identity remains even if you feel separated from your sensations.”
Schizophrenia and Depersonalization: What’s the Relationship? (healthline.com)
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Why do you think dissociation causes psychosis?
The same thing happens to me! It’s like someone else steps into my body and I’m trapped in the back of my head watching. It is definitely distressing. I wish you the best in trying to work through this.
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I had trauma and started to dissociate. I pushed away bad stuff. I had emotional flashbacks in which the suppressed bad stuff came back. Sometimes these flashbacks got psychotic.
I think if one can integrate the bad stuff and stop dissociating…acknowledge the problem…the psychosis may stop. If it happens early enough.
I think antipsychotics are like an artificial dissociative layer. That blocks the memories again. It pushes the memories even further away and stops the breakthrough flashbacks. But it also keeps the trauma locked up in the body. And makes it impossible to solve it.
Imho. For my situation. I don’t know how this works for different type psychosis. Also difficult to find words.
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I wish you the same in managing that. I don’t know if that classifies as disassociation but it does feel like it. Often times it’s not even apparent to others due to masking but I certainly feel the difference internally, sorry you go through that too
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