Psychotherapy Treatment of Depersonalization

Psychotherapy can successfully treat depersonalization disorder (DPD) for some patients, leading to important symptom improvement and better life adaptation, though it may not work fully for everyone. The chapter reviews traditional approaches, some outdated and others still useful, alongside state-of-the-art therapies that have proven most effective. Therapeutic approaches are tailored to patients' psychological makeup and specific symptoms, and accumulated success stories have formed a body of suggested approaches worth considering.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Can depersonalization be successfully treated with psychotherapy? Although traditionally the psychotherapy literature has been rather pessimistic on this issue, more recent advances in psychotherapy technique aimed specifically at treating this condition leave us with more reason to be optimistic. To say that psychotherapy works, or always works fully, may be misleading or overly optimistic. But to say that it cannot work, at least for some, and cannot lead to important symptom improvement and better life adaptation would be overly pessimistic and incorrect. Logically, therapeutic approaches can sometimes seem as diverse as the manifestations of depersonalization disorder (DPD) itself, but this isn’t tantamount to a hit-or-miss philosophy. Evidence of success stories that have emerged through therapy tailored to the psychological makeup and specific symptoms of patients, has, over time, accumulated into a body of suggested approaches that are now worth considering. In this chapter, we first examine the more traditional approaches, some of which are outdated, while others remain relevant and useful. Later, we’ll look at the state-of-the-art therapies that have proven to be most effective thus far.