Abstract
Mal de debarquement (MdD), the “sickness of disembarkment,” occurs when habituation to
background rhythmic movement becomes resistant to readaption to stable conditions and results in
a phantom perception of self motion typically described as rocking, bobbing, or swaying. Although
several studies have shown that brief periods of MdD are common in healthy individuals, this
otherwise natural phenomenon can become persistent in some individuals and lead to severe balance problems. Increased recognition of MdD in a persistent pathological form occurred after the
publication of a case series of six patients by Brown and Baloh in 1987. Over 20 years later, although
more is known about the clinical syndrome of persistent MdD, little is known about what leads to
this persistence. This review addresses the clinical features of MdD, the associated symptoms in the
persistent form, theories on pathogenesis, experience with treatment, and future directions for
research.
Keywords
Mal de debarquement; persistent MdD; motion sickness; visual motion intolerance; vestibular
adaptation