Lately Iâve been coming across more and more stories about people worried that they have âExtreme Depersonalization / Derealizationâ.
What is Extreme Depersonalization / Derealization?
Itâs the idea that there is some variant of DPDR that only a few people get, that is worse than most (and possibly all) other cases, and is either extremely difficult or totally impossible to treat.
This rare form of Depersonalization and Derealization only strikes down those who are very unlucky. Those people whose circumstances, and how they developed the condition, were unique.
The people who may have taken so much weed that they have suddenly flicked a switch in their brain from ânormalâ to âExtreme Depersonalization / Derealizationâ mode.
If they had ânormalâ or âregularâ DPDR, theyâd be able to handle it and recover quickly. But unfortunately with the âextremeâ variant, itâs virtually impossible to cope with it or cure it.
Does that sound familiar? I bet it does.
In fact, I'll bet that if you have DPDR, you've had that exact same thought.
You've thought that your version of DPDRÂ is different from everyone else's.
Sure, there are lots of scary stories out there, on forums and groups. But they're not at as bad as what you're experiencing, what you're going through.
And there's lots of people out there who have recovered too. But those people MUST be different from you too, right?
They must have had a less serious version of DPDR if they were able to recover at all.
Nobody can quite describe what you're going through, how bad it feels.
But guess what?
Literally every person -- every single person -- who has ever developed Depersonalization disorder has had that exact same fear.
Depersonalization is an anxiety-based disorder. It runs on fear, over-analysis and negative thought habits.
Of course youâre going to assume that you have the worst case ever, or that you are somehow the one person thatâs incurable.
I regularly had that thought during my time with Depersonalization and it was incredibly frightening.
But think about it like this:
With an anxiety-based condition where youâre constantly assuming worst-case scenarios, it would be strange if you didnât have that thought, right??
This is vitally important:
Depersonalization / Derealization is NOT an organic disease.
It doesnât have sizes or stages, or diagnoses of being moderate or extreme. Itâs just a habit of thought, a defence mechanism of the brain.
Youâre either having those thoughts or youâre not. Sure, you might have a particularly bad day / week with it but that certainly doesnât mean youâve suddenly developed some âExtremeâ variation of it.
But what about the phrase 'Extreme Depersonalization'Â itself?
Surely thatâs a medical term?
No, it absolutely is not.
In fact, the phrase seems to have developed from panicked posts on various Depersonalization forums, which you should not be reading anyway.
And also -- it doesnât matter one bit if you got DP from weed / LSD / mushrooms -- or any other drug.
You havenât âdamagedâ your brain or caused any permanent change. The cause of the Depersonalization / Derealization is irrelevant, the condition is always the same.
There is NO SUCH THING as âExtreme Depersonalizationâ.
It simply doesnât exist and you donât need to worry about having it or ever developing it.
Yes, itâs a frightening condition but it's temporary and harmless and you can recover from it completely!

Written by Shaun O Connor
Shaun O Connor is the creator of The DP Manual Recovery Program and a mental health educator specializing in DPDR recovery. Since overcoming Depersonalization himself, he has helped tens of thousands of others do the same through his writing, one-on-one coaching and YouTube channel.
âď¸đ Last Updated on July 25, 2025 by Shaun O Connor
