Dissociative Amnesia

Dissociative amnesia is a type of dissociative disorder characterized by extreme memory loss that stems from extensive psychological stress.

Individuals with dissociative amnesia retain knowledge of everyday tasks, such as hailing a cab or using a phone, but forget aspects of their identity and personal experiences.

This memory loss can be extensive and can include events such as suicide attempts or violent outbursts.

Dissociative fugue, a subtype of dissociative amnesia, involves sudden, unexpected travel away from home or work, often accompanied by confusion about one's identity or even the assumption of a new identity.

These episodes may last from hours to, in rare cases, years.

Extreme stress often triggers the disorder, but scientists struggle to understand the role of head injury, stroke, or neurological conditions that play in fugue states.

Some individuals may fake amnesia to escape responsibilities or stress, relocate, and start a new life, making it difficult to determine whether trauma or other factors, like avoiding responsibilities, caused the fugue.