In my Novel - DETACHED - Dr. Jason Smith suffers from a Dissociative Disorder called Depersonalization Disorder. It has also been called Detachment Disorder. This is a real psychiatric condition...one that real people have been known to suffer from.

Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell and Adam Duritz

It’s difficult for us to understand that people with such amazing talent can suffer from mental illness, but the truth is that it’s all around us.

Rumor has it that Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell, both taking their own lives, suffered from Depersonalization Disorder in addition to Major Depressive Disorder.

People with Depersonalization Disorder can sometimes feel like they are living outside of themselves, unable to connect to the reality of their circumstances or situation. They typically use the words, “as if” to describe their experiences.

For example, “It was as if I was floating outside of myself, unable to touch or feel my surroundings.”

Adam Duritz, the lead singer of the Counting Crows, revealed in a Men’s Health interview in 2008 that he’s been suffering from the disorder for years.

"It's like the world doesn't seem very real, I don't know," Duritz said. "I really hoped it would go away, or that I would find the right medication, so it didn't affect me anymore, or that I would just go to therapy and could think my way around it. But none of that has happened."

No one knows for sure what causes this condition. However, it’s possible that many who have experienced depersonalization have had some form of severe trauma in their lives.

There is help for people who Depersonalization Disorder, and it includes therapy and medication. Talk to your doctor if you think that you might have this disorder, or encourage a loved one who is suffering to do the same.

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/dissociative-disorders/what-are-dissociative-disorders