Ned seeks therapy after having recurrent episodes of feeling "outside himself" for several months. He reports chronically feeling groggy, dizzy, and preoccupied, and his friends have recently labeled him "space cadet, first class." He notes that his interactions with others seem mechanical and dreamlike. He is most likely suffering from ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ned is experiencing symptoms consistent with depersonalization disorder, which involves feeling detached from one's own thoughts, feelings, and sensations, as if he is an observer of his own life. This can include feeling like one is "outside oneself" and having mechanical interactions with others. Dissociative fugue involves suddenly traveling away from home and experiencing amnesia for one's identity and past, while dissociative identity disorder involves the presence of more than one distinct personality within an individual. Dissociative amnesia involves the inability to recall personal information.

Ned Seeks Therapy After Having Recurrent Episodes of Feeling "Outside