A CASE OF DEPERSONALISATION SYNDROME PRESENTING AS SOMATOSENSORY DISTORTION IN A 20 YEAR OLD GIRL

Depersonalisation disorder (DPRD), renamed depersonalisation-derealisation disorder in the DSM-5, and Depersonalization-derealization syndrome in ICD-10 , is an alteration in the perception or experience of the self and the environment. It is a persistent, pervasive phenomenon, causing subjective distress and functional impairment and is more common in women as compared to men. Even though depersonalisation symptoms are the third most commonly reported psychiatric symptoms after depression and anxiety and frequently occur secondary to many neurological and psychiatric conditions, primary depersonalization as such is thought to be a rare phenomenon. Here we present the case of a 20 year old female with primary depersonalisation disorder who presented with somatosensory distortions in the form of feeling as if sand and water are passing from the chest to the abdomen.