Executive Summary
Psychogenic amnesia is one of the most acute mental disorders due to brain damage. Amnesia refers to the loss of memories resulting from damage to the brain’s structure responsible for memory formation. Psychogenic amnesia implies memory loss in the case of a psychological cause, for example, after experiencing violence, emotional crisis, military operations, childhood traumas, and others.
The purpose of this study is to identify the causes of brain damage and, consequently, the onset of amnesia, to discuss areas of research, to examine the impact of the disease on human life and behavior, and to seek a treatment for this disorder. It was based on an article by Harrison et al. (2017) in which all aspects of the disorder are described in the most detail, and a study of groups of people suffering from psychogenic amnesia is conducted.
Description
Psychogenic memory impairment develops against the background of psychological trauma or severe stress associated with painful emotions and experiences. The disorder can also occur due to a panic reaction to one’s own experiences, which is unacceptable from the point of view of morality and ethics. At the same time, the psychological protection of the individual consists in isolating the threatening memory from consciousness. The triggers are objects and events surrounding a person during a traumatic event (Harrison et al., 2017). The hereditary factor is also crucial since patients with psychogenic amnesia are more often found to have relatives who have suffered from this disease.
Causes
Psychogenic amnesia is caused by damage to memory storage areas in various areas of the brain. This type of damage can be the result of trauma, severe illness, seizure, or stroke. The cause of the disease is a temporary loss of memory about traumatic events such as the loss of loved ones, severe stress, and shock, but the memory of other events and skills remains in perfect order (Harrison et al., 2017). Interestingly, with dissociated amnesia, memory function is impaired only in the waking state, not during sleep. In contrast, in an altered state of consciousness, such as sleep, trance, or hypnosis, the patient can recall all the events that occurred.
Impact
Psychogenic amnesia has had a significant negative impact on the lives and behavior of patients. People suffering from this disease were deprived of a sense of personal identity and also experienced prolonged progressive depression. The family experienced significant problems, including strained relationships with loved ones, non-recognition by family members, and difficulties with employment (Harrison et al., 2017). This is because the patients lost most of their memories and were unable to standardize their behavior with relatives and other people. Subsequently, without the support of loved ones, patients became prone to depression, suicidal thoughts, and other complications of the disease.
Treatment
Psychotherapy is an integral part of the treatment of psychogenic amnesia. It allows patients to recognize and address the problems associated with mystical episodes. Work is also being done with relatives; hypnosuggestive therapy can be used (Harrison et al., 2017).
Drug therapy is also prescribed, which involves taking nootropic drugs, nicotinic acid derivatives, B vitamins, neuroleptics, vasoactive drugs, and other means. It is also necessary to create a favorable environment and normalize the work and rest regime. After this stage of treatment, some improvements may be visible.
The article noted that activation was reported in patients, “increased activation was detected in the dorso- and ventral-lateral prefrontal cortex with corresponding deactivation in the medial temporal structures,” which leads to psychogenic amnesia (Harrison et al., 2017, p. 2509). That is, patients, due to brain damage, tend to forget unwanted information, including any autobiographical data. To conclude, patients can be cured, but it will take a lot of time, and yet there are likely situations in which the human brain will still tend to forget negative information.
Reference
Harrison, N., Johnston, K., Corno, F., Casey, S., Friedner, K., Humphreys, K., Jaldow, E., Pitkanen, M. & Kopelman, M. (2017). Psychogenic amnesia: syndromes, outcome, and patterns of retrograde amnesia. Brain, 140(9), 2498-2510.