Dissociative Amnesia with Dissociative Fugue and Psychosis: a Case Report from a 25-Year-Old Ethiopian Woman

Abstract

Introduction. The case after exposure to intense traumatic events manifests signs and symptoms of dissociative amnesia with a dissociative fugue and schizophrenia. The psychotic symptoms we found, in this case, were very complicated and mimicking primary psychotic disorders. Therefore, this might be a good forum for the scientific world to learn from this case report, how psychotic disorders coexist with dissociative disorders, since the literatures in this area are too rare. Main Symptoms and/or Important Clinical Findings. This case report focuses on the case of dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue and psychosis in a 25-year-old Ethiopian female who lost her husband and three children at the same time during the nearby ethnic conflict. Associated with amnesia, she lost entire autobiographical information, and she also had psychotic symptoms like delusions and auditory hallucination which is related to the traumatic event she faced. The Main Diagnoses, Therapeutic Interventions, and Outcomes. The diagnosis of dissociative amnesia with a dissociative fugue comorbid with schizophrenia was made, and both pharmacological and psychological interventions were given to the patient. After the intervention, the patient had a slight improvement regarding psychotic symptoms but her memory problem was not restored. Conclusions. The observation in this case report brings to the fore that individuals with dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue can have psychotic symptoms, and it takes a longer time to recover from memory disturbances.

Man of Mystery: A Case Report of Dissociative Amnesia in Schizophrenia

“…His pattern of agitation may indicate severe trauma that may have happened to him, yet he repressed unconsciously, which is typically associated with the dissociative fugue [ 1 ]. We saw a similar pattern of agitation in a case report where an Ethiopian woman lost her memory after an ethnic massacre [ 5 ]. The patient would also report feeling tense intermittently, possibly indicating his past traumatic experiences resurfacing.…”

“…ECT in one case has been reported to be successful, the other one precipitating [ 18 - 19 ]. In one similar case where the patient presented with dissociative amnesia and schizophrenia, hypnosis and risperidone were used to improve hostility over the 20 weeks with no resolution of memory loss [ 5 ]. Our case study learned that medication and inpatient hospitalization could improve patients’ moods.…”

“…Moreover, the demographics of the disease are more commonly seen among restrictive cultures and females [ 1 ]. Very rarely is dissociative amnesia seen presented along with comorbid schizophrenia [ 5 ]. Nevertheless, this case demonstrates that dissociative amnesia can co-present with schizophrenia.…”

A 3-year retrospective study of 866 children and adolescent outpatients followed in the Nice Pediatric Psychotrauma Center created after the 2016 mass terror attack

“…Nevertheless, a comparison of estimates of the burden of PTSD with the estimated cost of treating all adults with PTSD with the recommended treatments shows the potential for substantial economic gains to be made through extension and investment in effective evidence-based treatments ( 24 ). After a mass terrorist attack, children may also develop traumatic grief ( 25 ), mood disorders ( 26 ), anxiety disorders ( 27 ), behavioral disorders ( 28 , 29 ), dissociative disorders ( 30 ) or psychotic episodes ( 31 ).…”

Homoeopathic management of dissociative fugue: A case report

“…[4] Individuals with dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue can have psychotic symptoms, and it takes a longer time to recover from memory disturbances. [5] Dissociative fugue can be associated with depressive disorder. [6] Homoeopathy can be defined as a system of drug therapeutics based on the law of similars.…”