Please help...I feel hopeless.

I am aware that I should see a specialist. I am just wondering if anybody has any knowledge on the condition. My symptoms are...

-Vision seems kind of "off" (Especially bad during the day and when I am outdoors)
-Memory/perceptions seem cloudy (I deal with short-term memory loss, and things that happened earlier seem more distant and somehow not in sync)
-Things seem "dreamy" or "foggy" all the time...
-I suffered a panic attack several months ago, but no longer suffer from anxiety or panic.

This is causing me significant distress, and it gets especially bad when I am at my parents' home because I had some stressful events that took place there in the past 6 months. It also gets bad when I am emotionally aroused in some way. Note: I can still experience emotion, and do not feel like I am having an out of body experience unless my anxiety gets very very severe. I just can't shake this dreamy state I am in, and it makes me not want to go out very often. It's bizarre.

I used to have episodic depersonalization when I would be in crowds, but this only lasted a year and didn't bother me much because it wasn't chronic. Also, I had a minor whiplash/head bump about 6 months ago which sparked my anxiety and this whole entire thing.

Also. I am wondering about the possibility of vertigo? It is common for head injury to cause vestibular problems that can be somewhat long-lasting, but usually temporary I have read. Can vertigo also cause altered states of consciousness such as depersonalization/derealization?

Don't know about vertigo. But any trauma can cause a symptom like depersonalization.

I know it can feel hopeless, but when you are ready, your current state should get better. You are probably still working on your hurt inside yourself.

Anger can help clear your head temporarily. Maybe even physical activities can help. But the real problem should get better by itself eventually. Just hang on.

Thanks for the reply. I just can't seem to stop worrying and analyzing how I feel all the time...and then hearing people's stories about suffering for years and years from this doesn't help my anxiety. I just fear that I have somehow permanently altered my brain chemistry and am incapable of being normal again. Is this an irrational fear?

I think you should trust your brain to do the right thing. Fear can only make things worst.
It is very likely not going to be permanent.
But you may be predisposed to such things, so it might be an idea to consult in order to cope better with stress and so on. And who knows, talking about it might help as well.
I had a bout of about 8 months and it does get hopeless, but then it suddenly got better.
It is a little chronic in my case, but that was long.

Yeah. The head injury really complicated everything, because I find myself wondering if the injury itself has anything to do with my dp/dr. If this had just been induced by stress, or a drug for example, it would be obvious what the cause was. I can't determine if this was caused by an injury to my brain, or if it was caused by me worrying constantly about my brain. Everybody tells me that my mild concussion was pretty benign and I shouldn't worry about it, but I am a worrier. =(

The fact that others have the same symptoms after some injury should give you a good indication that most likely there was no permanent damage. The brain is very resilient and can rewire itself in many cases.

You make a good point, Tungsten. I think when you have a brush with mortality, it just messes with your head for a while. We get so used to our routines and structure and security and then BAM! all it once it caves in and wakes you up. Perhaps perception is a lot like everything else. Analysis is good, but over-analysis is bad. i.e., Walking is easy and can be done with no conscious thought. However, you get in front of people and you think too hard about it and what happens? You trip. Perhaps it is my constant rumination on how I feel and perceive reality and myself that perpetuates this problem?

If you feared for your life, or some permanent injury, then it does require some adjustment in your old thought pattern. Before that happens, most people more or less live as if they were immortal and without limitations.

Learning that you do have limitations due to your body and that there is nothing you can do can certainly create an imbalance which will get resolved in time. You may be in the process of readjusting your life to the new realization and knowledge gained from your experience. It may be done subconsciously, which may also explain why it takes longer, but since part of you is not totally there, you get those symptoms.

That is one explanation that is plausible and that I like myself.

Yeah. I have never been officially diagnosed with DPD, but I just can't seem to find anything else that better fits what I am experiencing. I just don't understand why I would develop this. I was never abused in any way, and have had a perfectly normal life up until this point.

You may not have the disorder, but just a spell, so to speak. It is more of a symptom than anything else.
You said you had a trauma or an anxiety attack, so that is enough.

It does not mean to be abuse in the sense of people abusing you.

Hurting your head or having some high physical pain could be enough.

To have the disorder, it would have to be chronic. If it lasts too long, you might want to consult and maybe get a diagnosis. There might be some other problems you are unaware of.