Depersonalization and Derealization

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Common with autistic people? Uncommon? I kind of assumed that those feelings i got of being disconnected from myself and of the world seeming unreal and unfamiliar might be symptoms of AS, once i discovered that that's probably what i have.. That it might just be a side-effect of feeling disconnected from other people for so long and having unpleasant sensory stimuli coming at you. But then i found some stuff online about depersonalization/derealization and see that it's actually a separate disorder. I'm kind of wondering if there are many autistic/AS people who experience this. I'd have to say that i have those feelings for a pretty good sized portion of my life, normally occuring multiple times a day. Funny thing is that even when i feel that "disconnection," loud noises and stuff still bother me(maybe even more sometimes, because it's like a really rude awakening from the real world coming through to my different perception of it). Hard to explain... Anyway, from what i've read about the definitions of those words... I seem to have both derealization and depersonalization at the same time in most of the cases. It doesn't really negatively effect my functioning that much, because i still have a grip on what is real and what isn't. In the more severe instances of it, i probably seem kind of robotic(all my autistic-like traits take over and i revert back to being more "flat"), and the severe cases usually come from stress, being tired, or coincide with the short "shutdowns" i can get caused by being out around people for awhile. But, in milder cases, it happens on and off throughout the day. Everything seems like a dream and like i'm not really here, even though i know it's real and that i am really here. And, something that i think is interesting about the way it happens with me is that it's not 100% involuntary. At times i can, at will, shift my consciousness to feeling that way if i'm just lonely or bored or whatever. And most of the time i snap out of it pretty quickly, it's just a matter of something interesting getting my attention and i'm feeling "normal."
So, yeah... I know i'm posting a lot here lately, but since i found this site it seems like a lot of stuff about myself makes sense, so i end up logging onto here multiple times and day and always feel like i want to say something, lol. Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Depersonalization/Derealization. Discuss.

i expierence this frequently. i dont know if autism causes this or not. i also have adhd, and schizoaffective disorder along with my aspergers. my counciler thinks its do to the schizoaffective symptoms. these expierences are common with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, dissociative spectrum disorders, and personality disorders. i dont know about autism though, but those other disorders are more common in autisitc people than non autistic people. im not a doctor though so i dont know what is causing it for you.

I think I experience this... Sometimes, when I'm laying down in bed, I feel like my body literally weighs 2 tons and that my forearms and lower legs are bigger than the rest of my body. This doesn't happen very often though and I actually kind of like it. It's very relaxing, so it's definiteley not a disorder for me.

I experience this quite a bit, but I think it's a scitzophrenic symptom, not an AS one. But then again, many people with AS/Autism have flattened emotion so I imagine that it's pretty common with aspies too. It's linked to insomnia for me (as are my positive schizophrenic traits). I never recognise myself when I look in the mirror, and I'm hyposensitive to pain so life can feel a little "dreamy" at times (ironically my dreams feel more real than real life, I have emotions in my dreams )

I experience this during my depressive phases. Before I began taking medication they were a lot more severe than they are now. My depression is also less severe and not as frequent as it used to be. When I become depressed for some reason, or no reason at all, I have a feeling of emotional and physical disconnectedness, and suddenly everything seems void of meaning. I don't feel like myself during these phases, but rather like some sort of polygon left in a cold, dark vacuum (empty space). There isn't much to a polygon other than it's shape, so being left alone in empty space it loses all practical value. My cognition slows down which causes me to feel like time, and life in general, is proceeding very slowly. After an arbitrary interval of time has elapsed, I suddenly feel myself coming back to me. Like being born again, everything blossoms with meaning. Happiness returns accompanied by confidence and curiosity. My cognition is clear and quick, and productivity is adequately efficient.

Among AS, I am diagnosed with OCD, Atypical Mood Disorder, and mild Schizotypy. I do know that depersonalization is common among Schizotypal Personality Disorder and OCD. It is also likely to be common among Depression or other Mood Disorders. I'm not sure if a correlation exists between AS and Depersonalization disorder, but if there is one then I am unaware of such.

I used to get that all the time in high school/middle school. Still do sometimes, but nowhere near as much as I used to. I always assumed it had more to do with depression than anything else, or was simply a defense mechanism to get through the hell that was high school.

I occasionally have these experiences, but they generally last very shortly. I used to have these experiences more as a teenager than now. I have no clue whether they're related to AS or not in my case, but I seem to remember there's even a Dutch book on the subject.

For me sensations of depersonalization and derealization are signs of an impending meltdown, a warning to get out of that situation or environment fast. They can be unnerving and a bit scary.

That sounds like perfectly typical hypnogogic hallucinations many people have as they drift off to sleep, it's a side-effect of your brain switching from wakefulness into non-REM sleep.

I've been diagnosed with Depersonalization Disorder, but not AS (I just suspect it) and I imagine it would be somewhat common with those on the Autistic Spectrum because it is an anxiety-induced disorder. I've had DP since for 9 years and I wake up with it and fall asleep with it and it never goes away except on really rare occasions. Try meditation and yoga if it really bothers you. You can also try to find an Arnica extract/flower essence that might help. It sort of helps with me but I have a much more severe case of it than you do.

Good luck!

me too

I get that a lot, its pretty weird feeling.

i have such feeling but not often from young age. it's like i can even remember pictures from the first time i had that

the feeling can make me feel really bad.

another thing i experience is a hardness if not inhaling deeply in a certain manner

also, i tend to try to get a lot of attention and draw people into giving this to me
if people don't respond me i can have a bad mood or something for some time

always need attention

maybe needing the attention to express myself fully

let me share another thing i wanted:
my first memory is really annoying me. there were actually two. one of them is hearing the wind through window. the second is a perception of the word USA in hebrew. my early perception of it was a picture where i see bright white colors ( sort of the white house) and two people shaking hands together and the word peace. the whole picture is very bright white.

i think we all guys here need to play some associations game sometime

I experienced this alongside suicidal depression because of PTSD.

I felt it was due to my PTSD, not autism as such.

I had to rebuild a sense of body-and-mind-relation from scratch at age 22.

The best treatments are counselling, or better good therapy. And being around people and environments that allow you to work through the trauma and release it, assuming this is why you have derealisation to begin with.

But if it's just autism related, I'm not so sure. Will have to think about that. The autistic self is definitely differently integrated, or even less well integrated.

Yes I do. However, I do not know if it is due to Autism. I am going for a diagnosis later this month so will know for sure then, but I am already diagnosed with OCD, Depression, Anxiety and Panic Disorder.

I get a lot of both depersonalisation and derealisation when I have a panic attack, and also at random times during the day. Some examples are feeling as though I am in a dream/things aren't real, feeling like my arms are too long or not attached to my body and thinking that there is another world going on inside my head.

At first it freaked me right out but now I know what it is I can calm myuself and try to avoid it getting too bad. As I said I don't know if this is due to ASD or anxiety or somehting else, but it does not surprise me that a lot of people with ASD experience it.

I often escape into my fantasies and such. My favorite is where I am with my tulpa, a half raven/half phoenix that has telepathy. Together we just create things, music, visual art, environments, whatever. It's like LittleBigPlanet, whatever I wish to be created can be made.

Might be why I have issues with delusions...