I can understand why a doctor would call them "attacks" but I'd call them episodes or incidences (incidents? instances? Darn you, English language! Darn you to heck.)
The similarity to "flashbacks" that I see is derealization and the patterns or singular nature of your perception. The notion of flashbacks and HPPD are interchangeable in my mind, I don't see any distinction between them except that a flashback would be an isolated incident and HPPD episodes would follow a period of use of psychedelics that was beyond typical or in a sensitive person, they persist after the chemical has left the body, not really appearing much later in a person who uses psychedelics lightly.
Schizophrenia rings familiar in your description and your history- patterns, derealization or depersonalization, a loss of response... Shizophrenia literally means "a break from thinking"
NIMH- What is Schizophrenia?
Attention deficits in schizophrenia--preliminary evidence of dissociable transient and sustained deficits.
(I'm only pointing out the similarities for the sake of making this reply complete)
Also your age because schizophrenia appears most often in the late teens or early adulthood.
Symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions usually start between ages 16 and 30.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia typically shows up in young adults. For men it tends to emerge around 20 to 28 years
Podcasts | Scientific American
The fact that your symptoms are so mild actually indicates that it might not be schizophrenia, if that diagnosis comes up I would seek more opinions because it's overapplied and may not be precise enough to adequately treat your issues:
Conditions that can look like schizophrenia
The medical and psychological conditions the doctor must rule out before diagnosing schizophrenia include:
Medical conditions – Schizophrenia-like symptoms can also result from certain neurological disorders (such as epilepsy, brain tumors, and encephalitis), endocrine and metabolic disturbances, and autoimmune conditions involving the central nervous system.
Mood disorders – Schizophrenia often involves changes in mood, including mania and depression. While these mood changes are typically less severe than those seen in bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, they can make diagnosis tricky. Schizophrenia is particularly difficult to distinguish from bipolar disorder. The positive symptoms of schizophrenia (delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech) can look like a manic episode of bipolar disorder, while the negative symptoms of schizophrenia (apathy, social withdrawal, and low energy) can look like a depressive episode.
Conditions that can look like schizophrenia
Epilepsy seems also a potential diagnosis, like someone said. I've seen epileptic episodes that were not seizures, but on the other hand they included tunnel vision or something similar to a "greyout" in nature. (hearing was not impaired) Cognitive impairment only is actually a more common kind of epilepsy.
...characterized by a perceived dimming of light and color, sometimes accompanied by a loss of peripheral vision. It is a precursor to fainting or a blackout
wikipedia: greyout definition
Nothing I've said should be interpreted as medical advice, just leads for further investigation or contemplation. It's lucky that you are aware of the change in perception for the sake of your future health and preventing putting yourself in harmful situations, also that your symptoms don't sound too severe overall. After ruling out any physical cause of changes in cognition (epilepsy, encephalitis, tumor) a doctor would most likely refer you to a psychiatrist who would try to categorize and label these instances as if they knew what they were talking about, and then put you on an antipsychotic. Commonly Seroquil or Zyprexa come up, but I'd look into them before you go on any. It sounds like you will anyway based on your reluctance to take any medication.
I sort of wonder if you are getting enough oxygen? Do you ever notice that you are not passively breathing, like restraining your breath? A lack of oxygen can lead to these kinds of attention deficits, and oxygen therapy is touted as one of the newest effective treatments for attention defecit disorders:
Improving Performance Through Oxygen Therapy
http://newleafhyperbarics.com/add-adhd-attention-deficit-disorder-hyperactivity-disorder/
Also, blood sugar. Is your blood sugar level a persisting problem?
I found these interesting abstracts linking oxygenation differences in hemoglobin to both ADD and absence epilepsy on ncbi(PubMed):
Phase synchronization of oxygenation waves in the frontal areas of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder detected by optical diffusion spectroscopy correlates with medication.
NIRS-measured oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin changes associated with EEG spike-and-wave discharges in a genetic model of absence epilepsy: the GAERS.
Anyway, overall it sounds like attention deficit or cognitive impairment. It'd seem simpler if it wasn't for the fixated attention on pattern recognition that led to your loss of responses. If it wasn't for that bit, I'd say check for things like low blood sugar, suppressed breathing, or exhaust leaking into your car's interior.
Everything I've said is only food for thought, could help set a frame of mind before you easily agree with a psychiatrist. If it happened to me I'd wonder about my breathing and blood sugar, except for the thought fixation.
Depending on who you go to I'd bet money that you'll end up on a mild stimulant or antipsychotic if it isn't physical in nature. Stimulants indirectly alter oxygen levels to the brain and also blood sugar, through changing heart rate and blood pressure.
It'd be worth checking if you have low blood pressure?
It might be worth trying some fish oil to improve cognitive function, but that's not real medical advice, just an idea.
The real answer is: Go to a few doctors and psychiatrists and don't drive until you are certain it is safe. I think you'll end up having a physical and some minor bloodwork (to rule out physical causes like blood pressure, blood sugar, blood oxygen levels), an MRI (to check for enxephalitis and tumors), possibly an electroencephalogram if an MRI indicates any physical differences in your brain, and a psychological evaluation. A good doctor would rule out all the physical causes before referring you to a PsyD. A poor one will diagnose you prematurely and in that case go to another doctor. Doctors aren't nearly as good as they should be in most cases, you have to be your own doctor these days and get multiple opinions, unfurtunately, Be really careful about being diagnosed by a psychiatrist prematurely as it could end up being worthless and hindering your return to health. I hope some of this helps somehow and you return to great health soon. Peace
