Dissociative disorders: dissociative fugue: 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 fugue

Sample item

A 35-year-old man is found in a distant city with no recall of his name or past. He had left home suddenly after a financial disaster and set up a new life. The amnesia resolves after days. This is:

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

The answer and the reasoning

D. Dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue

In dissociative fugue, a specifier of dissociative amnesia in DSM-5, the person travels away purposefully with amnesia for identity or the past. Organic causes should be excluded.

Option by option

  • A. Temporal lobe epilepsy

    Temporal lobe epilepsy gives automatisms but without purposeful travel and new identity.

  • B. Transient global amnesia

    Transient global amnesia is a short-lived anterograde amnesia without loss of identity.

  • C. Korsakoff syndrome

    Korsakoff syndrome follows thiamine deficiency.

  • D. Dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue (correct)

    Correct. Purposeful travel with amnesia for identity is a fugue.

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 D, Dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue. In dissociative fugue, a specifier of dissociative amnesia in DSM-5, the person travels away purposefully with amnesia for identity or the past.

Why is "Temporal lobe epilepsy" not the answer?

Temporal lobe epilepsy gives automatisms but without purposeful travel and new identity.

Why is "Transient global amnesia" not the answer?

Transient global amnesia is a short-lived anterograde amnesia without loss of identity.

Why is "Korsakoff syndrome" not the answer?

Korsakoff syndrome follows thiamine deficiency.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Dissociative disorders: dissociative fugue in Psychiatry. Organic causes should be excluded.

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 fugue?

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.