Chantel's children were killed in an automobile accident, which Chantel survived. When police question her about the events surrounding the accident, Chantel is unable to remember anything. She remembers getting into her car to drive her children to school, and she remembers her trip by ambulance to the local hospital, but everything in between is a complete "blank." Which disorder is most consistent with Chantel's experience?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Chantel's inability to remember the events surrounding the automobile accident is consistent with dissociative amnesia, which involves the inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature. The fact that she remembers getting into her car and her trip to the hospital suggests that she did not suffer from dissociative fugue, which involves a sudden and unexpected travel away from one's home or customary place of work or study, followed by an inability to recall one's past. Generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder are characterized by different symptoms than those described in Chantel's case.

Chantel's Children Were Killed in an Automobile Accident, Which Chantel