Conversion disorder in the context of "DSM-5"

Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the basis for diagnosis operated under the belief that women are predisposed to mental and behavioral conditions; an interpretation of sex-related differences in stress responses. In the twentieth century, it shifted to being considered a mental illness. Influential physicians the likes of Sigmund Freud and Jean-Martin Charcot had dedicated research to hysteria patients.

Currently, most physicians do not accept hysteria as a medical diagnosis. Today, psychiatrists may use the term to refer to behavior in which patients "imitate physical or psychological disorders of a kind that draws medical and nursing attention to them", usually as a self-deception rather than an attempt to defraud. The blanket diagnosis of hysteria has been fragmented into myriad medical categories such as epilepsy, histrionic personality disorder, conversion disorders, dissociative disorders, or other medical conditions. Furthermore, lifestyle choices, such as choosing not to wed, are no longer considered symptoms of psychological disorders such as hysteria.

Dissociative fugue (/fjuːɡ/ FYOOG), previously referred to as a fugue state or psychogenic fugue, is a rare psychiatric condition characterized by reversible amnesia regarding one's identity, often accompanied by unexpected travel or wandering. In some cases, individuals may assume a new identity and be unable to recall personal information from before the onset of symptoms. It is classified as a mental and behavioral disorder and is variously categorized as a dissociative disorder, a conversion disorder, or a somatic symptom disorder. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), dissociative fugue is a subset of dissociative amnesia.

Recovery from a fugue state typically results in the restoration of prior memories, and additional treatment is generally unnecessary. Episodes are not considered dissociative fugue if attributable to psychotropic substances, physical trauma, general medical conditions, or disorders such as dissociative identity disorder, delirium, or dementia. Dissociative fugue is often triggered by prolonged traumatic experiences and is most frequently associated with individuals who experienced childhood sexual abuse, during which they developed dissociative amnesia to suppress memories of the abuse.