The wife of a client who has returned to his pre-fugue state asks if her husband will be able to remember what happened during the time of the fugue. The nurse's best response is:

• A. He will have no memory for events during the fugue.
• B. He will be able to tell you-if you can gently encourage him to talk.
• C. Only his therapist should have him talk.
• D. Avoid mentioning it, or he may start alternating old and new identities.

Answer: (A)

In dissociative fugue, a person experiences sudden travel or wandering with an inability to recall the past and often the emergence of a new identity. This state is a form of dissociative amnesia, and the memory gaps during the fugue are typical. When the fugue ends, the person usually does not remember what happened during that period. So the best way to respond to the wife is to acknowledge that he will not have memory of the events from the fugue, reassuring her that this is a common feature of the condition and not a sign of willfulness or deceit.

Some memories from the fugue period may gradually surface later, but that recall is unpredictable and should not be assumed. Encouraging him to talk right away won’t reliably restore memories, and involvement is not limited to the therapist; the nurse can provide honest, supportive information to family. As for avoiding the topic, that isn’t necessary and can increase confusion; discussing memory gaps is appropriate, given the clinical context.