Amnesia Dissociative Causes Symptoms Information

Amnesia refers to a loss of the everyday sense of memory responsible for knowing facts, events, information and experiences. Also called amnestic syndrome, this memory loss can't be accounted for by problems with attention, perception, language, reasoning or motivation.

People with amnesia typically are lucid and maintain a sense of self, but they face severe difficulties in learning new information and forming new memories. They may not be able to recall memories of past experiences and information.

Though a common plot device in movies and television, amnesia occurs quite rarely in real life. It can result from damage to parts of the brain that are vital for memory processing and learning. A more common cause of memory impairment in older people is mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transition stage between the cognitive (thinking) changes of normal aging and more serious problems caused by dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Unlike a temporary episode of memory loss (transient global amnesia), amnestic syndrome can be permanent. Medications or other medical treatment can't restore memory loss in amnesia. But techniques for enhancing day-to-day memory and social and psychological support can help people with amnesia and their families cope.

Causes

Dissociative amnesia has been linked to overwhelming stress, which might be the result of traumatic events—such as war, abuse, accidents or disasters—that the person has experienced or witnessed. There also might be a genetic link to the development of dissociative disorders, including dissociative amnesia, since people with these disorders usually have close relatives who have had similar conditions.

Symptoms

The central symptom of dissociative amnesia is loss of memory for a period or periods of time in the patient's life. The memory loss may take a variety of different patterns, as described earlier.

Other symptoms that have been reported in patients diagnosed with dissociative amnesia include the ollowing:

•    Confusion.
•    Emotional distress related to the amnesia. However, not all patients with dissociative amnesia are distressed. The degree of emotional upset is usually in direct proportion to the importance of what has been forgotten, or the consequences of forgetting.
•    Mild depression.

Some patients diagnosed with dissociative amnesia have problems or behaviors that include disturbed interpersonal relationships, sexual dysfunction, employment problems, aggressive behaviors, self-mutilation, or suicide attempts.

.Treatment

The treatment for dissociative amnesia is therapy aimed at helping the person restore lost memories as soon as possible. If a person is not able to recall the memories, hypnosis or a medication called Pentothal (thiopental) can sometimes help to restore the memories. Psychotherapy can help an individual deal with the trauma associated with the recalled memories.

Hypnosis is often used in the treatment of dissociative fugue. Hypnosis can help the client/patient recall his/her true identity and remember the events of the past. Psychotherapy is helpful for the person who has traumatic, past events to resolve.

Article Tags: Memory Loss, Dissociative Amnesia

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