Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Déjà Vu?CausesRisk FactorsTreatment

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is Déjà Vu?

Causes

Risk Factors

Treatment

Déjà vu is the feeling of having already experienced something happening for the first time. Approximately two-thirds of all people have experienced déjà vu, and for the most part, the phenomenon is harmless.

However, déjà vu has been linked to conditions such as psychiatric disorders,seizures, stress, anddementia.

This article discusses the causes, risks, and treatment of déjà vu.

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An elderly man looking at black and white photos

Although the term didn’t originate until the late 1800s, poets and writers have been describing déjà vu for centuries. Two main definitions of “déjà vu” are:

Causes of Déjà Vu

Déjà vu is challenging to research because it usually occurs unexpectedly and is short-lived; however, the phenomenon continues to intrigue scientists worldwide. Although more research is needed, here are some common causes of déjà vu:

Other studies suggest that déjà vu can occur from increasedstress,anxiety, andfatigue. Since déjà vu likely originates from the brain, it makes sense that conditions affecting the brain can result in deja vu. Additionally, people withdementiaalso experience symptoms of deja vu.

Risk Factors and Complications of Having Déjà Vu

Researchers in one study found contributing factors for developing déjà vu among participants to could include being young (around 15–25 years old), having the ability to recall their dreams, having higher education, and having traveled frequently.

Déjà Vu and Children

Treatment for Déjà Vu

9 Stress Management Ideas You’ll Feel Confident About

Summary

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleary AM, Neisser J, McMahan T, et al.Subjective distinguishability of seizure and non-seizure Déjà Vu: A case report, brief literature review, and research prospects.Epilepsy Behav. 2021;125:108373. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108373Neppe VM.An overview perspective on what déjà vu is(Part 1).JPCPY. 2015;2(6). doi: 10.15406/jpcpy.2015.02.00111Cleary AM, Brown AS, Sawyer BD, Nomi JS, Ajoku AC, Ryals AJ.Familiarity from the configuration of objects in 3-dimensional space and its relation to déjà vu: A virtual reality investigation.Consciousness and Cognition. 2012;21(2):969-975. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2011.12.010Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21Adachi N, Adachi T, Kimura M, Akanuma N, Takekawa Y, Kato M.Demographic and psychological features of déjà vu experiences in a nonclinical Japanese population.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2003;191(4):242-247. doi:10.1097/01.NMD.0000061149.26296.DCTeale J and O’Connor A.What is déjà vu?.Front Young Minds.2015;3:1. doi:10.3389/frym.2015.00001

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleary AM, Neisser J, McMahan T, et al.Subjective distinguishability of seizure and non-seizure Déjà Vu: A case report, brief literature review, and research prospects.Epilepsy Behav. 2021;125:108373. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108373Neppe VM.An overview perspective on what déjà vu is(Part 1).JPCPY. 2015;2(6). doi: 10.15406/jpcpy.2015.02.00111Cleary AM, Brown AS, Sawyer BD, Nomi JS, Ajoku AC, Ryals AJ.Familiarity from the configuration of objects in 3-dimensional space and its relation to déjà vu: A virtual reality investigation.Consciousness and Cognition. 2012;21(2):969-975. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2011.12.010Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21Adachi N, Adachi T, Kimura M, Akanuma N, Takekawa Y, Kato M.Demographic and psychological features of déjà vu experiences in a nonclinical Japanese population.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2003;191(4):242-247. doi:10.1097/01.NMD.0000061149.26296.DCTeale J and O’Connor A.What is déjà vu?.Front Young Minds.2015;3:1. doi:10.3389/frym.2015.00001

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Cleary AM, Neisser J, McMahan T, et al.Subjective distinguishability of seizure and non-seizure Déjà Vu: A case report, brief literature review, and research prospects.Epilepsy Behav. 2021;125:108373. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108373Neppe VM.An overview perspective on what déjà vu is(Part 1).JPCPY. 2015;2(6). doi: 10.15406/jpcpy.2015.02.00111Cleary AM, Brown AS, Sawyer BD, Nomi JS, Ajoku AC, Ryals AJ.Familiarity from the configuration of objects in 3-dimensional space and its relation to déjà vu: A virtual reality investigation.Consciousness and Cognition. 2012;21(2):969-975. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2011.12.010Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21Adachi N, Adachi T, Kimura M, Akanuma N, Takekawa Y, Kato M.Demographic and psychological features of déjà vu experiences in a nonclinical Japanese population.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2003;191(4):242-247. doi:10.1097/01.NMD.0000061149.26296.DCTeale J and O’Connor A.What is déjà vu?.Front Young Minds.2015;3:1. doi:10.3389/frym.2015.00001

Cleary AM, Neisser J, McMahan T, et al.Subjective distinguishability of seizure and non-seizure Déjà Vu: A case report, brief literature review, and research prospects.Epilepsy Behav. 2021;125:108373. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108373

Neppe VM.An overview perspective on what déjà vu is(Part 1).JPCPY. 2015;2(6). doi: 10.15406/jpcpy.2015.02.00111

Cleary AM, Brown AS, Sawyer BD, Nomi JS, Ajoku AC, Ryals AJ.Familiarity from the configuration of objects in 3-dimensional space and its relation to déjà vu: A virtual reality investigation.Consciousness and Cognition. 2012;21(2):969-975. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2011.12.010

Bošnjak Pašić M, Horvat Velić E, Fotak L, et al.Many faces of déjà vu: A narrative review.Psychiatr Danub. 2018;30(1):21-25. doi:10.24869/psyd.2018.21

Adachi N, Adachi T, Kimura M, Akanuma N, Takekawa Y, Kato M.Demographic and psychological features of déjà vu experiences in a nonclinical Japanese population.J Nerv Ment Dis. 2003;191(4):242-247. doi:10.1097/01.NMD.0000061149.26296.DC

Teale J and O’Connor A.What is déjà vu?.Front Young Minds.2015;3:1. doi:10.3389/frym.2015.00001

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