A fellow nurse reports a strange experience: She was riding with her carpool partner after working her second double shift in a row when she looked down at her hands on her lap and did not immediately recognize them as her own.They seemed "small and far away" to her.She felt "like I wasn't myself" for several minutes,after which she gradually returned to normal.This happened several weeks ago,and she has never had a similar experience otherwise.She is worried she is losing her mind or suffering from a brain tumor.Which response most accurately reflects what the friend probably experienced?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Feeling detached,distanced,or disconnected from one's body or that one's body is somehow unreal,while otherwise maintaining contact with reality,is called depersonalization.About half of adults have a transitory episode,but in a small number of cases,it becomes recurrent and can then be diagnosed as depersonalization disorder (which does not appear to be the case here).Body dysmorphic disorder involves a mistaken belief that one has a significant bodily defect.There is no such thing as a "mini-fugue." Dissociative identity disorder does not typically include present or later awareness of the activities of alter personalities,especially early in the disorder.

A Fellow Nurse Reports a Strange Experience: She Was Riding