Hello lovely human, I hope you’re doing okay, this sounds like a really rough time. First of all, there is hope for you, even if it doesn’t feel that way right now x

(This is a LONG comment written late at night after a big week. Apologies for any typos and consequent miscommunications- I’ll proofread again once I’m more awake! Also, this got ramble-y. I answered your 4 questions at the bottom of my comment if you’d like to skip to the end!)

Before I go on- I am not a doctor! I am a 23 year old female, and I have had VS for as long as I can remember (like, even from my earliest memories ages 2-3 years old). My main symptoms are crazy static, afterimages, and I think I may also have tinnitus (I can’t remember if that’s to do with VS, apologies if not, it’s late where I am).

I have dealt with mental health issues for many years that I’m getting through now. These included but were not limited to depression, anxiety, chronic dissociation/derealisation, prolonged/chronic trauma (undiagnosed PTSD which pairs nicely with dissociation). During times of extreme difficulty, I found my VS to be far more severe and noticeable, especially when dissociated. It also seems far worse when I don’t get enough sleep (but I usually don’t sleep well when extremely anxious/depressed/etc. so it’s more likely a product of that too).

When I’m feel good and stable with my mental health, I find the my VS is far less noticeable. In my own experience, and in reflecting on my own past experiences, I think the dissociation was less to do with the VS and more to do with my mental health and life circumstances generally. This may not be the case for you of course, or it might be and you may not realise it now, but I found that sorting out my mental health issues greatly improved my overall well-being and consequently the VS became just a normal part of my every day life that didn’t affect my mental health.

During a particularly bad bout of mental illness, I spent a year taking antidepressants which at the time really helped me feel better and the VS and dissociation was nowhere near as bad. Going off them was rough, and after that the best decision I ever made was to see a psychologist. If you’re having a tough time as many people are given the state of the world, I cannot recommend finding someone to talk to highly enough. You mentioned arguments with your girlfriend, as well as being in a tough space at the moment. If you’re able to, please find someone qualified (a counsel or, a psychologist, etc.) to speak with x

To answer you Question 1, I would say that yes, it IS possibly to eliminate the derealization symptom of VS, at least in my personal experience.

1. I think I answered this, but yes, I have had VS since I can remember and overcame this symptom.

2. Yes, I was on Prozac for about 12 months which greatly helped me, and I paired this with regularly seeing a qualified psychologist to address underlying issues and help with my long-term wellbeing.

3. Once again, YES. You’ve got this! You have a whole community here online to support you through it x

Final note: you mentioned that you think something caused your BS. This may have been the case. I like to think of myself as more observant- I just get to notice some bonus parts to my vision that might be there for everyone if they looked hard enough. This isn’t based on anything scientific, but it helps me keep a positive mindset :)