The term applied to mild puffer fish poisoning causing mild paresthesiae around the lips after eating fish prepared by a special cook. Accidental overdose may, and does, cause human fatality in Japan.
The term literally means ?ight, and it is used to describe the mental condition in which an individual is suddenly seized with a subconscious motivation to ?ee from some intolerable reality of everyday existence: this usually involves some agonising interpersonal relationship. As a rule, fugue lasts for a matter of hours or days, but may go on for weeks or even months. During the fugue the individual seldom behaves in a particularly odd manner – though he or she may be considered somewhat eccentric. When it is over there is no remembrance of events during the fugue.
Three types of fugue have been identi?ed: (a) acute anxiety; (b) a manifestation of DEPRESSION; (c) a manifestation of organic mental state such as occurs after an epileptic seizure (see EPILEPSY).... fugue
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