In one week, a psychologist at a district hospital in Pune meets four new clients. Ramesh, 34, cannot recall the weeks after a flood that washed away his house, though he remembers the rest of his life well. Geeta, 19, says she often feels as if she is in a dream, cut off from herself, and the world around her looks unreal. Prakash, 45, keeps complaining of stomach pain and headaches, but his tests show either nothing or only a minor problem. Anjali, 28, has no illness, yet she worries all the time that she may soon develop cancer.
Ramesh's condition is best identified as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Dissociative amnesia
Option (1) Dissociative amnesia — Correct. Dissociative amnesia is extensive but selective memory loss with no known organic cause. Ramesh has lost the memory of a stressful period while the rest of his memory stays intact.
Option (2) Dissociative fugue — Incorrect. Dissociative fugue is a part of dissociative amnesia, but its features are unexpected travel away from home, a new identity and no recall of the old one. Ramesh shows none of these.
Option (3) Dissociative identity disorder — Incorrect. Dissociative identity disorder means taking on alternate personalities. Ramesh keeps his one identity.
Option (4) Conversion disorder — Incorrect. Conversion disorder is a loss of motor or sensory function, such as paralysis or blindness, with no physical cause. Ramesh's problem is with memory.
NCERT (2026-27): “Dissociative Disorders … |