Depersonalization and derealization: which statements describe them?

• A. Depersonalization is a mood disturbance characterized by sadness.
• B. Derealization is the experience of being outside the body.
• C. Depersonalization means memory loss.
• D. Depersonalization: feeling detached from self; Derealization: surroundings feel unreal.

Answer: (D)

Depersonalization and derealization describe distinct subjective experiences of dissociation. Depersonalization is the sense of being detached from oneself—feeling as if you’re observing your own thoughts, feelings, or body from outside, as if you’re not fully in control of yourself. Derealization is the sense that the external world is unreal, dreamlike, or not quite real.

The statement that accurately captures both is that depersonalization means feeling detached from self, and derealization means surroundings feel unreal. The other options mix up these phenomena or describe unrelated features: depersonalization is not a mood disturbance like sadness, nor is it memory loss, and being outside the body is a hallmark of depersonalization, not derealization.