Which of the following statements is true about someone with dissociative amnesia?

• A. They lose all memory of how to perform basic motor skills such as walking or talking.
• B. They experience an inability to recall important personal information, usually following a traumatic event.
• C. They have a chronic and progressive loss of memory due to physical brain damage.
• D. They consistently have hallucinations and delusions as primary symptoms.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the definition of dissociative amnesia. It is a psychological disorder characterized by an inability to recall important personal information, usually related to a traumatic or stressful event, that cannot be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
2. Step 2: Differentiate dissociative amnesia from other types of memory or cognitive impairments. For example, losing motor skills like walking or talking is not typical of dissociative amnesia but may indicate neurological damage.
3. Step 3: Recognize that dissociative amnesia involves memory loss specifically about personal information or events, not a general loss of memory or cognitive decline caused by brain damage.
4. Step 4: Note that hallucinations and delusions are symptoms more commonly associated with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, and are not primary symptoms of dissociative amnesia.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the true statement about someone with dissociative amnesia is that they experience an inability to recall important personal information, usually following a traumatic event.