A woman cannot recall her name, where she lives, or any event from her past after being found wandering at a railway station. She has lost memory for her entire life, including well-rehearsed skills such as driving. Which subtype of dissociative amnesia does this represent?
- A Localised amnesia
- B Generalised amnesia ✓
- C Selective amnesia
- D Systematised amnesia
Correct answer: B. Generalised amnesia
Explanation
Generalised amnesia refers to loss of memory for the individual's entire life history, including personal identity and overlearned skills. Localised amnesia covers a circumscribed period, typically the first few hours after a traumatic event, and selective amnesia covers some but not all events of that period. Systematised amnesia is loss of memory for specific categories of information, such as everything related to one particular person.
Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 11th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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