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Dissociative amnesia is a cognitive impairment that may be reversible and mostly impact autobiographical information.
Autobiographical information refers to the details and facts about one's history. Typical forgetting cannot account for amnesia. Although the patient is aware that they're having problems remembering, they're oddly not too bothered about it, which is a crucial aspect of the illness.
Around 10% of people have it, and there's a higher frequency of serious depression and anxiety disorders that co-occur. Younger people are also more likely to be affected than older adults, with females often being more affected than males.
Diagnosis of dissociative amnesia
Significant distress or impairment in social and occupational functioning is brought on by symptoms of dissociative amnesia.
It's very important to specify whether or not amnesia is associated with a dissociative fugue. The disturbance is not brought on by the effects of a substance, and you have naturally ruled out all other general medical conditions.
Dementia will, therefore, be part of the differential diagnosis for dissociative amnesia. What makes the two different from each other? There are other ways of separating them, though. Patients will be extremely upset by their memory loss as a result of dementia, but that's unlikely in the case of amnesia.
What are the causes? - Are you at risk?
Unlike other mental illnesses, dissociative disorders, including dissociative amnesia, frequently have a known cause.
They're typically brought on by a traumatic event or scenario that'a exceedingly stressful. Memory loss is a coping technique the brain utilizes to deal with stress or trauma. It'a both unhealthy and unintentional; it'a not something that a person chooses to do.
Although it's a frequent cause of amnesia, the true causes are probably more complex. It's unknown why some people who endure trauma do not go on to develop this illness. It's conceivable that certain people are more likely than others to develop amnesia after trauma due to a hereditary factor.
Children are more prone to dissociation and memory loss than adults. A child who experiences trauma and later develops dissociative amnesia may be more susceptible to experiencing amnesia once more as an adult as a result. Trauma can occur at any time in life and increases likelihood of developing dissociative amnesia, but childhood trauma is more common.
Types and patterns of amnesia
Recognizing the type or pattern of amnesia is an essential precursor to treatment. Dissociative amnesia may manifest in three ways:
1) Localized
Memory loss only affects a small portion of a person's knowledge or life experiences, like a certain time in their childhood or details about a friend or coworker.
Memory loss frequently centers on a particular trauma. For instance, a victim of a crime might not remember being robbed at gunpoint but remember specifics from the rest of that day.
2) Generalized
Major aspects of your life and/or identity are affected by memory loss, like inability to recall your name, occupation, loved ones or social circle.
3) Fugue
Dissociative fugue causes generalized amnesia and a new identity to be assumed. Take the case of a manager who was not given the opportunity to advance to a higher position. When they failed to return from work, they were reported missing.
A week later, they were located residing under a different name and working as a chef. When discovered by authorities, this person was unable to identify any relatives, acquaintances or coworkers and was unable to provide an explanation for their lack of identification.
4) Selective amnesia
Localized amnesia may or may not be accompanied by selective amnesia. It happens when a person loses a particular memory connected to an occasion or a period of time.
For instance, some memories may be gone, while others are still present that are specific to a particular person or key details of an incident.
5) Continuous amnesia
When someone loses new memories, it happens. The recollections of past occurrences fade when new ones take place.
Chronic amnesia may require long-term treatment to control the symptoms. With treatment, people with dissociative amnesia might not always recall their memories or might only do so partially.
In some circumstances, like if the memories are associated with a traumatic occurrence, the person may not wish to restore their memories. To create the best possible treatment strategy, a mental health professional can collaborate with the patient.
Creating a comfortable setting, psychotherapy, clinical or medication-induced hypnosis, and mood-regulating drugs are some specific therapeutic options for dissociative amnesia.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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