Diagnostic Criteria
A. The predominant disturbance is sudden, unexpected travel away from home or one's customary place of work, with inability to recall one's past.
B. Confusion about personal identity or assumption of a new identity (partial or complete).
C. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of Dissociative Identity Disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., temporal lobe epilepsy).
D. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Someone suffering from Dissociative fugue suddenly leaves where they were without any idea where they are going and when they realize that they left to go somewhere, they no longer know where they are, why they left or how they got there.
Many times these symptoms also include no memory of who they are, or in more rare cases, they believe they are someone that they are not.
Dissociative fugue has two main causes – extreme stress or substance use.
Extreme stress or trauma can be caused by life events, accidents, abuse, war, or other acts of violence.
Substances can cause Dissociative fugue when used to extreme, when the individual reacts poorly to the substance, or when they have alcohol induced blackouts.
Psychotherapy to reduce stress and overcome past abuse is the primary treatment for Dissociative fugue – however, medication evaluations are very important to rule out medical issues and substance abuse problems.