Dissociative Fugue
Pronunciation: dih-SOH-see-uh-tiv FYOOG
A psychiatric emergency presentation in which a patient suddenly loses autobiographical memory and may assume a new identity, often presenting to the ED without knowledge of their own name or history.
Full Definition
Dissociative fugue is a subtype of dissociative amnesia characterized by sudden, unplanned travel or confused wandering accompanied by loss of personal identity and autobiographical memory. It frequently presents in emergency psychiatry as an undifferentiated altered mental status case requiring both neurological and psychiatric evaluation to rule out organic causes such as temporal lobe epilepsy or toxic encephalopathy. Episodes are typically precipitated by severe psychosocial stress or trauma. Editors working on emergency psychiatry documents must distinguish this term from general amnesia or dementia, and must not conflate it with malingering, which is a separate diagnostic consideration. The term retains its clinical specificity and should not be rendered as 'dissociative episode' without clinical justification.
Usage
Usage note: DSM-5-TR reclassified fugue as a specifier of dissociative amnesia rather than a standalone diagnosis; editors must ensure documents reflect the correct DSM edition being cited.
In Context
- "The attending documented a presentation consistent with dissociative fugue after neuroimaging and toxicology returned negative results." — Emergency Department Psychiatric Consultation Note
- "Editors should verify that 'dissociative fugue' has not been replaced by the broader 'dissociative amnesia' unless the fugue specifier is clinically supported." — Clinical Documentation Style Guide