This study examines the cases of two in-patients in an interim secure unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital, both of whom had killed their wives in the previous 18 months. They both had a history of depression and were of similar age. One, however, claimed total amnesia for the offence and the events in the subsequent days; the other had never claimed any amnesia. Both patients were assessed fully on measures considered relevant to the incidence of amnesia for major crime. The results suggest a mechanism involving organic substrate which directed the form of the patient's denial and dissociative reaction responsible for the amnesia.
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