Dissociative escape: what it is and how it is treated

Dissociative fugue is a particular amnesia that can last a few hours or several months. Let's find out more and try to understand how to treat it.

When we talk about dissociative fugue we mean a period of amnesia that can last for a very long time and that pushes those who suffer from it to lose some memories of their past and sometimes even all of them.
This obviously leads to problems in everyday life and shortcomings that in the most serious cases can lead those suffering from this disorder to forget for several times of their life, starting a new one.

Dissociative fugue: symptoms and causes

It can often happen that some people pretend that they have forgotten something in order to avoid uncomfortable aspects of their life. When this happens, however, it is usually easy to recognize them as not knowing the disease they have a wrong way of showing its symptoms.

Those who really suffer from this disorder tend to behave in a completely normal way, appearing only slightly confused. Once the moment of amnesia is over, however, shame and confusion often arise for having suddenly found themselves in such a strange situation. In some cases, however, it is possible that the memory returns slowly and sporadically.

Going instead to dissociative fugue and the causes, it is thought that these may be linked to trauma and severe stress. Traumas capable of undermining the psychological balance of a person leading him, in fact, to dissociate.

How is dissociative fugue treated?

Obviously, for dissociative fugue there is a well-defined treatment that takes place through psychotherapy and hypnosis sessions. Medicines are also often used which, of course, must be prescribed by the attending physician. The aim is to understand what triggered the first dissociative event, thus dealing with the underlying problems and making possible escapes less and less frequent and less lasting.

Obviously, this is a rather long and complex treatment that cannot always completely resolve the situation. In most cases, however, this tends to improve significantly in order to allow those suffering from it the possibility of regaining possession of a life as normal as possible.