Through The Fog
Getting Help for Dissociation, Depersonalisation is a booklet resource for young people experiencing dissociation.
Launch Webinar
Dissociation and depersonalisation are real, common, and often misunderstood experiences - especially among young people. As online discussions about mental health grow, platforms like TikTok have become major spaces where young people share feelings of being “unreal,” disconnected, or “watching life through a fog.” This 90-minute webinar explored what dissociation really is, clears up common myths, and introduces Understanding Dissociation and Depersonalisation - a new co-produced booklet designed to help people talk about dissociation with clarity, confidence, and compassion. Join researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience as we unpack the science, the stigma, and the real stories behind dissociation.
(Information for Young People About Dissociation)
IYPAD Team
The booklet was authored by a team combining research knowledge, clinical expertise, and lived experience from the University of Birmingham (Dr Emma Černis, Gwynnevere Suter, Eleanor Sinfield), Unreal (Gwendalyn Webb, Joe Perkins), and the McPin Foundation (Roya Kamvar).
The content and tone were directed by an advisory group of young people with lived experience of dissociation and/or depersonalisation (Emma McShane, Lowenna, and Betty Ewens).
We thank the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham for funding this work. We also thank Liberty Dutton, Meg Kay, Christopher Jones, Anna Davis, Amalya Millan, Amelia Deakin, and Maria Photiou for collecting the 2025 round of Attitudes and Beliefs Concerning Dissociation data, which informed many of the ‘myths’ about dissociation that we address here.
Thank you to Jodie Howard for kindly granting permission to use her illustrations.
