What condition is indicated by a person who wakes up confused and fails to recognize their spouse after a job loss?

The condition described, where a person wakes up confused and has difficulty recognizing familiar individuals like their spouse after a significant life event such as job loss, aligns closely with dissociative disorders. Dissociative disorders often involve a disruption in consciousness, memory, identity, or perception of the environment. This can manifest as confusion, memory gaps, or alterations in identity, which can be triggered by stressful events or trauma.

In the scenario provided, the job loss might serve as a psychological stressor that leads to dissociative symptoms, wherein the individual temporarily disconnects from their sense of self or reality, possibly producing confusion and memory disturbances. The failure to recognize a spouse can reflect the dissociative aspect of detachment from personal relationships or identity.

In contrast, while major depressive disorder involves feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in activities, it typically does not specifically include confusion or disconnection from identity. Post-traumatic stress disorder primarily involves re-experiencing a traumatic event, avoidance of reminders, and increased arousal, but not necessarily confusion about identity or familiarity. Anxiety disorders are characterized more by excessive worry and physical symptoms of anxiety, rather than disorientation and identity confusion. Thus, the characteristics presented in the question are most indicative of a