Review of the relationship between obsession and depersonalization

Abstract

Depersonalization is discussed and a brief outline of the primary symptoms is presented. The relationship between obsessionalism and depersonalization is reviewed in the literature, and subsequent similarities are presented. The intellectual obsessive depersonalization syndrome is postulated as a variant, and also as an exposition of what might occur in many other cases of depersonalization. Finally, a picture is presented which takes into account a strong component of obsessionalism in both the etiology and course of depersonalization.