Dissociative disorders: dissociative amnesia: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Dissociative disorders: dissociative amnesia

Sample item

A 28-year-old man is found well but cannot recall his name or events of the past week after witnessing a murder. Neurological examination and CT are normal. Which is the likeliest diagnosis?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. Dissociative amnesia

Dissociative amnesia is inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is more than ordinary forgetting. Investigation is normal. Recovery is usually spontaneous, and supportive therapy helps.

Option by option

  • A. Wernicke encephalopathy

    Wernicke encephalopathy needs a nutritional context with ophthalmoplegia and ataxia.

  • B. Dissociative amnesia (correct)

    Correct. Stress-related loss of autobiographical memory with normal tests is dissociative amnesia.

  • C. Temporal lobe tumour

    A tumour would produce neurological signs or imaging abnormalities.

  • D. Transient global amnesia

    Transient global amnesia is anterograde amnesia in older people lasting hours and usually retaining identity.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is B, Dissociative amnesia. Dissociative amnesia is inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is more than ordinary forgetting.

Why is "Wernicke encephalopathy" not the answer?

Wernicke encephalopathy needs a nutritional context with ophthalmoplegia and ataxia.

Why is "Temporal lobe tumour" not the answer?

A tumour would produce neurological signs or imaging abnormalities.

Why is "Transient global amnesia" not the answer?

Transient global amnesia is anterograde amnesia in older people lasting hours and usually retaining identity.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Dissociative disorders: dissociative amnesia in Psychiatry. Investigation is normal. Recovery is usually spontaneous, and supportive therapy helps.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Dissociative disorders: dissociative amnesia?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.