The Search for Self

Exploring Depersonalization Disorder

by Elena Bezzubova, M.D., Ph.D.

Depersonalization in the ER

The mental disorder of depersonalization could hide itself behind presentations of an alarming medical emergency with seeming physical disturbances that could lead to the ER. This type of depersonalization is known as vital depersonalization and closely connected to anxiety and pain. Read More

Man and His Mask

The word 'persona' means mask. People with depersonalization often feel as if they wear masks. What is the relationship between one and one's mask? Read More

Lucian Freud and Depersonalization: Dis-clothing Self

Sometimes art can see more deeply into human nature than science. The paintings of Lucian Freud open up a dimension of understanding self unknown even to his famous grandfather Sigmund Freud. Read More

Depersonalization as a Way to Personalization

Patients who experience depersonalization describe it as the loss of the feeling "I am myself." Like breathing, we sometimes aren't aware of the "I am myself" feeling until we lose it or have difficulty recalling what it feels like. Read More

Do You Feel Like a Stranger to Yourself?

Despite the fact that Depersonalization Disorder (DPD) is believed by some researchers to be the third most common mental disorder, many people, including professionals in the psychology field, do not know what it is or how to go about treating it. Here's a brief introduction to DPD and its symptoms. Read More

Elena Bezzubova, M.D., Ph.D., maintains a private practice as a psychoanalyst in Newport Beach, and teaches at UC-Irvine and the New Center for Psychoanalysis.

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