A psychiatrist diagnosed Boatwright with transient global amnesia in a fugue state—a combination of two types of amnesia related to memory loss and confusion about one's location. But while transient global amnesia lasts only a few hours, a fugue state can last for years.

The term "fugue state" was first used in the 1901 French publication Mental State Hystericals. The word "fugue," which means "running away" or "flights of fancy" in French, was used to  describe a young woman who would have "hysteric attacks" and then act like a different person. She could recount these actions only when under hypnosis. When the article was translated into English, the French word fugue was used—and it stuck.

"Fugue state" has migrated to