Derealization Quiz

Example Questions From the Test

• 1Someone experiences unreality for the first time soon after a medication change, substance use, or a head injury. Why is a broad professional assessment important?
  • Because every first episode automatically confirms a chronic dissociative disorder
  • Because psychological factors can be considered only after symptoms have lasted a year
  • Because the person should immediately stop every prescribed medication without advice
  • Because clinicians may need to consider substance, medication, neurological, medical, and psychological explanations
• 2Beyond the presence of derealization experiences, what is generally important when clinicians consider a depersonalization/derealization disorder diagnosis?
  • Whether the person has ever felt distracted in an unfamiliar place
  • Whether every episode occurs at precisely the same time of day
  • Whether the person uses the exact word “derealization” without prompting
  • Whether the experiences cause significant distress or impairment and are not better explained by another cause
• 3Leo repeatedly feels that his surroundings are unreal, and the episodes are interfering with work. What is the most appropriate next step?
  • Choose a diagnosis based only on which online description sounds most familiar
  • Arrange an assessment with a qualified healthcare or mental health professional
  • Ignore the episodes because intact reality testing means they cannot be disruptive
  • Use risky physical tests to determine whether the environment is real