The traveler without luggage. a case of lost identity in an adolescent
Marcelli, D.; Duché, D.J.
Annales de Medecine Interne 130(8-9): 419-422
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-410X PMID: 496142 Document Number: 150382
Loss of personal identity is a difficult problem which is relatively rarely encountered in psychiatric practice. A case is reported of an adolescent of 15 years of age with total amnesia over a period of two months. His true identity was discovered only after his photograph and story had been published in a widely-read daily newspaper. Following a discussion on the possible etiological mechanisms involved, two problems remained unresolved: the difficulty of establishing a psychopathological basis for a loss of identity, and the prognostic uncertainty inherent in restoring the adolescent's identity.