As part of a routine interview of a patient in a psychiatric hospital, a psychologist asked, "What did you have for dinner?" The patient described a dinner of Beef Wellington and all the trimmings. After determining that Beef Wellington had not been served, the psychologist checked the patient's records and found he had been admitted for severe alcohol problems. With that information, the psychologist concluded the answer was most likely an example of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient's description of a dinner that did not actually occur is an example of confabulation, which is common in people with severe alcohol problems or other brain injuries. Repression involves forgetting or suppressing traumatic events, delusional thinking involves a false belief in something that is not true, and dissociative amnesia involves forgetting important personal information. None of these apply to the situation described in the scenario.

As Part of a Routine Interview of a Patient in a Psychiatric