What is Ganser Syndrome?
Ganser syndrome is sometimes known as the syndrome of approximate answers or pseudostupidity . It is most often observed in a forensic setting or where marked psychosocial stress is present.
The key features are approximate answers (referred to as vorbeireden ), clouding of consciousness, memory or personal identity loss, somatic conversion symptoms, and hallucinations.
Duration of symptoms is brief, and patients usually have amnesia for the episode upon resolution.
Most often seen in psychiatric disorders, it has also been reported following neurologic conditions such as head trauma, neurosyphilis, or even imprisonment.
There is some controversy as to whether the syndrome is due to a true dissociative disorder, a factitious disorder, or malingering.
