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Dissociative fugue is a medical condition, where an individual has 1 or more incidences of unexpected, sudden and purposeful traveling from home during which he or she cannot remember all or some of his or her previous life and either has lost memory of who he or she is or has formed new identities. Dissociative fugue affects approx. 2 of every 1,000 individuals. It is more likely to occur in individuals who have been in accidents, natural disasters, or war. Dissociative fugue’s causes are similar to causes of dissociative amnesia but with some additional causes. Frequently dissociative fugue happens in circumstances, where malingering is suspected. Malingering is a state, where an individual, feigns disease, because it removes him or her from accountability for his or her action giving him or her an excuse to avoid responsibility, or lowering his or her exposure to a known hazard – for example, dangerous job assignments. Many fugues are likely to represent disguised wish fulfillment. Other fugues are related to feeling of sepration or rejection, or they can protect the individual from homicidal or suicidal impulse. An individual in a dissociative fugue state, have lost his or her customary identity, commonly disappearing from his or her normal hant, leaving the job and family. An individual can travel far from home and start a new job with a new identity. The dissociative fugue can continue from hours to weeks or months, or even longer. The person can appear normal and attract no attention. In some cases the dissociative fugue may not be diagnosed unless the individual’s past identity returns, and an individual is stressed to find him or herself in unfamiliar situations. Frequently, the individual experiences no symptoms or only a little confusion at the time of fugue. However when the dissociative fugue ends, an individual can have discomfort, depression, aggressive or suicidal impulses, intense conflicts, shame or grief. Individuals may also experience distress and confusion. Fugues are rarely recognized as they are occurring. A physician can suggest dissociative fugue when an individual seems to be confused about his or her previous life, or when confrontation challenging his or her new identity, or absence of identity. Diagnosis depends on the individual’s history and obtaining information that documents the circumstances before an individual is left home, the alternate life establishment, and the travel itself. If dissociative fugue repeats more than several times, the individual has dissociative identity disorder. Dissociative fagues are treated with drug-facilitated interviews or hypnosis (similar to dissociativeamnesia). A psychiatrist can help an individual explore his or her patterns handling the conflicts, mood triggering the fugue incidences, or the situation types.
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