How common is dpafu?

You might be very surprised to discover just how common the sensations of DPAFU are. Indeed, when members of the public are surveyed the vast majority report that they have experienced DPAFU for brief periods of time. One study found that just over 70 per cent of people reported experiencing DPAFU at some point in their life. It is more common in younger rather than older adults. Another recent random telephone survey in the US found that nearly a quarter of people questioned had had periods of DPAFU during the last year alone. Luckily, more severe DPAFU is less common. Nevertheless, a survey of people in South London, again randomly selected but then interviewed face-to-face, found that up to 2 per cent had DPAFU that was severe enough to be causing distress and significantly affecting their life. These figures are equivalent to those for other common problems such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

The figures increase when the interviews involve people who have mental health problems or have been through traumatic events. For example, up to two thirds of people who survived life-threatening danger stated that they had DPAFU at the time of their trauma. In addition, those who have diagnoses of depression, anxiety or other mental health difficulties report high rates of DPAFU alongside their other symptoms. Some of the highest rates of DPAFU are in those people who have anxiety problems, especially those who experience panic attacks.

Overall, the results of these various surveys show that DPAFU is not rare. Temporary sensations of DPAFU are widespread in the general population. More severe DPAFU is much less common but still as common as some other well-known conditions such as OCD.

Is there a typical dpafu pattern?

There is no single type of person who experiences DPAFU, nor is there a set pattern for the way the condition arises or develops. However, studies have looked at large numbers of people reporting recurring DPAFU and have found some general trends. First, equal numbers of men and women seem to experience DPAFU. This is an interesting result because anxiety and depression tend to be much more common in women. People often first experience DPAFU in the period from their late teens to their mid-twenties, although there are significant numbers who report their first experience much later than this.

Second, there seem to be three main ways in which sensations of DPAFU first start. Some people describe a sudden onset i.e. one day it was just there. The sensations then remain at roughly the same severity over time. Others mention that they started with short periods of DPAFU that became longer until the DPAFU became continual (i.e. present all the time) or recurrent (i.e. coming back after periods of being absent). Lastly, some people feel that they have always had some DPAFU, although they were perhaps unaware of this until a later date.

Around 75 per cent of people with continual or recurrent DPAFU experience both a sense of unreality about themselves and the world around them. A smaller proportion experience feelings of unreality just about themselves. Approximately 5 per cent of people have only a sense of unreality about the outside world.

In the next chapter, we present three case studies of people affected by DPAFU. They provide an excellent illustration of the different patterns of DPAFU and the influence these experiences can have on someone’s life.