An 18-year-old man is involved in a motorcycle accident and sustains a closed head injury. After being in a coma for a few weeks, he awakens to find he has no memory of his family or life, and his cognitive function has declined to that of a 9- or 10-year-old child. His memories of his family and life never return, and he must re-learn how to perform activities of daily living. These findings are most consistent with:

Choice A reason: Factitious disorder involves intentionally producing or feigning symptoms to assume the sick role. This patient’s cognitive deficits are clearly related to trauma, not deliberate deception. Choice B reason: Transient global amnesia is a brief, temporary episode of memory loss, often lasting hours, from which the patient recovers. This patient’s memory loss is permanent, ruling out this diagnosis. Choice C reason: Major neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury involves significant cognitive decline after head trauma, including memory loss, impaired executive function, and the need to relearn daily living skills. This matches the patient’s presentation. Choice D reason: Ataque de nervios is a culturally bound syndrome characterized by acute anxiety, emotional outbursts, and somatic symptoms, unrelated to trauma-induced cognitive deficits.