Amnesia is a rare brain disorder causing memory loss, with two basic causes: organic and functional. There are several types of amnesia, including traumatic, dissociative, childhood, global, and source amnesia. Treatment for functional amnesia is psychotherapy, while little can be done for organic amnesia.
Amnesia is a brain disorder that causes a person to forget a period of their life. Despite being a popular storyline in movies and novels, the condition is quite rare in real life. It has two basic causes: organic, where the brain is actually damaged, and functional, where the causes are psychological. Memory loss can happen to anyone, at any age.
There are several common types of amnesia:
Traumatic amnesia is often temporary and occurs after a head injury. The duration and intensity of memory loss is related to the type of injury received, but memory often returns after the patient has recovered.
Dissociative amnesia is common in people who experience traumatic events such as rape. While the person can remember everything about their life, the specific traumatic event is blocked from memory. Childhood amnesia is closely related and involves blocking out childhood events, usually involving abuse or traumatic experiences.
Global amnesia, the most complete type of memory loss, often accompanies PTSD. While memory often does not fully return, the patient may sometimes experience spontaneous flashes of memory, often of the traumatic events themselves. This type is more common in older people.
Some physiological disorders, such as long-term alcoholism, malnutrition and Alzheimer’s disease can also cause memory loss.
Damage to the temporal lobes of the brain usually results in anterograde amnesia, in which new events cannot be remembered for more than a few minutes, or retrograde amnesia, in which the person will be unable to remember anything before the accident but is able to create new memories.
One of the most common types is source amnesia, in which a person remembers information but is unable to explain how or when they obtained it.
The most common treatment for functional amnesia is psychotherapy. Some experts also recommend hypnosis as a way for the patient to recall forgotten events. Exposing the person to ordinary places and people can sometimes help trigger memories of the past as well.
There is little that can be done for patients suffering from organic amnesia. The brain may eventually recover partially, allowing some of the memories to return. However, if the brain cells are permanently damaged, there is no turning back time. Some degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, usually cause permanent memory loss.
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