Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: dissociative fugue: practice question

A Forensic Medicine 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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Forensic Medicine · Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: dissociative fugue

Sample item

A bank clerk is found in a distant city weeks after leaving home. He has no memory of who he is or of the journey, has been behaving normally and working there under another name. What is the likely diagnosis?

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

The answer and the reasoning

A. Dissociative fugue

Dissociative fugue is sudden purposeful travel away from home with amnesia for identity and past, and apparently normal behaviour in the interval. In a seizure automatism the episode lasts minutes with confusion, and delirium causes disorientation.

Option by option

  • A. Dissociative fugue (correct)

    Correct. Prolonged purposeful travel with loss of identity and normal behaviour fits a fugue.

  • B. Complex partial seizure automatism

    Seizure automatism lasts minutes, not weeks, and is not purposeful travel.

  • C. Malingering

    Malingering needs a clear external gain, which is not described.

  • D. Delirium

    Delirium produces clouding and disorientation, which would not allow weeks of normal work.

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 Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is A, Dissociative fugue. Dissociative fugue is sudden purposeful travel away from home with amnesia for identity and past, and apparently normal behaviour in the interval.

Why is "Complex partial seizure automatism" not the answer?

Seizure automatism lasts minutes, not weeks, and is not purposeful travel.

Why is "Malingering" not the answer?

Malingering needs a clear external gain, which is not described.

Why is "Delirium" not the answer?

Delirium produces clouding and disorientation, which would not allow weeks of normal work.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: dissociative fugue in Forensic Medicine. In a seizure automatism the episode lasts minutes with confusion, and delirium causes disorientation.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as a multi-step question: it asks you to combine more than one idea. 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 Sexual offences and forensic psychiatry: dissociative fugue?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic Medicine 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.