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Dissociative Flashback Definition — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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ModerateAnxiety & Stress-Related DisordersDissociative Flashback DefinitionMRCPsych Paper B

Which description best distinguishes a dissociative flashback in post-traumatic stress disorder from an intrusive trauma memory?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: D — Experiencing the trauma as recurring in real time, with reduced awareness of current surroundings

Explanation lettering: D = shown as A · A = shown as B · B = shown as D

A dissociative flashback involves reliving the traumatic event as though it is occurring in the present, often with diminished awareness of the person's actual surroundings. This altered sense of temporal context distinguishes it from an intrusive memory, which is distressing but remains recognised as a memory of a past event. Depersonalisation (A) is detachment from the self, whereas derealisation (E) is a sense that the environment is unreal; either may accompany PTSD but neither alone defines a flashback. A hallucination (C) is a perception without an external stimulus and does not necessarily involve reliving or altered temporal awareness. An illusion (D) is the misinterpretation of a real external stimulus.

Reference: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), section 'Re-experiencing, or intrusion symptoms'. Accessed 19 August 2026. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/mental-illnesses-and-mental-health-problems/post-traumatic-stress-disorder