Formerly called psychogenic fugue, dissociative fugue is one of subtypes of dissociative disorders. People with dissociative fugue suddenly and temporarily lose their sense of personal identity and impulsively wander or travel away from their homes or places of work. They often become confused about their “past” identity and may create a new identity. People with this disorder show no outward signs of illness, such as a peculiar appearance or strange behavior.
Symptoms
A fugue in progress often is difficult for others to recognize because of the normality of the person’s behavior but symptoms may include:
- Sudden and unplanned travel away from home.
- Inability to recall past events or important information from the person’s life.
- Confusion or loss of memory about identity, possibly assuming a new identity.
- Extreme distress and problems with daily functioning (due to the fugue episodes).