derealization

American  

[dee-ree-uh-luh-zey-shuhn] / diˌri ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

Psychiatry.

1. an alteration in perception leading to the feeling that the reality of the world has been changed or lost.

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Etymology

Origin of derealization

1940–45; de- + realization, originally in the phrase feeling of derealization, as translation of German Entfremdungsgefühl (Freud)

Example Sentences

Since then, the user said he had changed, “mainly from the anxiety and sense of derealization and hopelessness.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2023

Many people, Camille suggests, undergo episodes of derealization without knowing what it is.

From Scientific American • Jun. 14, 2022

Some people experience derealization out of the blue, others only under stressful circumstances—for example, while taking a test or interviewing for a job.

From Scientific American • Jun. 14, 2022

In an informal survey of my colleagues who work in college counseling centers nationwide, other clinicians agreed they had seen an increase in student complaints of depersonalization or derealization.

From Washington Post • Dec. 17, 2021

Although exact rates in college students are not known, surveys of students not in treatment for psychiatric conditions reported depersonalization or derealization experiences in 8 to 46 percent of respondents, depending on the method used.

From Washington Post • Dec. 17, 2021