Amnesia Dissociative - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Dissociative amnesia is one type of amnesia. Dissociative amnesia also called is Psychogenic Amnesia. This disorder is typically brought on by a traumatic event. Dissociative Amnesia is a pervasive loss of memory of significant personal information. It is a mental illnesses that involve disruptions or consciousness or awareness, identity and/or perception—mental functions that normally operate smoothly. Amnesia may also be a symptom of other disorders, such as acute stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, or somatization disorder.Dissociative amnesia is not the same as simple amnesia, which involves a loss of information from the memory, usually as the result of disease or injury to the brain. With dissociative amnesia, the memories still exist but are deeply buried within the person's mind and cannot be recalled. However, the memories might resurface on their own or after being triggered by something in the person's surroundings. Two factors help distinguish between the forms of DA present in the patient.The first is a sudden, dramatic disturbance in which a vast amount of memories related to personal information are not available for conscious verbal recall. The second is a more common presentation and is a patient with a deletion of a large aspect of personal history from the conscious memory. The most common symptom of dissociative amnesia is memory loss.Dissociative fugue affects about 2 of 1,000 people in the United States. It is much more common in people who have been in wars, accidents, or natural disasters.

Dissociative amnesia is more common in women than in men. It may also block memories of childhood sexual abuse, later recalled in adulthood. Different types of memory loss have been identified in persons with DA. These include localized, generalized, continuous, and systematized amnesia. Generalised Amnesia is diagnosed when a person's amnesia encompasses this entire life. Selective Amnesia: happens when a person can recall only small parts of events that took place in a defined period of time. Continuous Amnesia is occurs when the individual has no memory for events beginning from a certain point in the past continuing up to the present. Systematised Amnesia is characterised by a loss of memory for a specific category of information. A person with this disorder might. Dissociative Fugue is a rare disorder. An individual with dissociative fugue suddenly and unexpectedly takes physical leave of his surroundings and sets off on a journey of some kind. These journeys can last hours, or even several days or months. Individuals experiencing a dissociative fugue have traveled over thousands of miles. The best treatment approach depends on the individual and the severity of his or her symptoms. Treatments may include is Psychotherapy , Cognitive therapy , Medication and family therapy. Creative therapies (art therapy, music therapy) — These therapies allow the patient to explore and express his or her thoughts and feelings in a safe and creative way.

Causes of Dissociative Amnesia

Common Causes and Risk factors of Dissociative Amnesia

• Mechanism for coping with trauma.
• Sexual or emotional abuse.
• Stress.
• Fugue.

Signs and Symptoms of Dissociative Amnesia

Common Sign and Symptoms of Dissociative Amnesia

• Confusion.
• Depression.
• Anxiety.
• Memory Loss
• A blurred sense of identity.

Treatment for Dissociative Amnesia

Common Treatment of Dissociative Amnesia

• Psychotherapy-This kind of therapy for mental and emotional disorders uses psychological techniques designed to encourage communication of conflicts and increase insight into problems.
• Cognitive therapy - This type of therapy focuses on changing dysfunctional thinking patterns and the resulting feelings and behaviors.
• Family therapy helps to teach the family about the disorder and its causes, as well as to help family members recognize symptoms of a recurrence.
• Creative therapies (art therapy, music therapy) allow the patient to explore and express his or her thoughts and feelings in a safe and creative way.
• Antidepressants or other appropriate medications for treatment of the depression, anxiety, insomnia , or other symptoms that may accompany dissociative amnesia.