Introduction
There is a memory phenomenon of relatively rare occurrence called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, or HSAM. Discovered fairly recently, it refers to a person’s ability to remember almost all the details of his or her daily life. The main emphasis in remembering the owners of this feature demonstrates precisely in calendar accuracy and knowledge of everything that happened to them on any day of their lives. However, this phenomenon has certain negative aspects that are manifested in its carriers, including psychological problems and other disorders in the brain over time.
Background
The phenomenon has been diagnosed in less than a hundred people to date and is considered an abnormality, originally named hyperthymesia. Concentrated specificity of memory most often does not involve knowledge of massive events or things that have not occurred directly to those possessing such a memory (Santangelo et al., 2018). The lack of selective forgetting, which is recognized as a mechanism developed during evolution, contributes to the development of OCD or depressive disorder (Ford et al., 2022). Thus, the first known case of HSAM in 2006 demonstrated negative feedback from a patient who described his condition as very tedious and uncontrollable (Mazzoni et al., 2019). The processes responsible for this condition are still not fully understood and have not been fully reflected in electronic encephalograms.
In some cases, the work with determination of causes of such conditions in order to find out methods of struggle with its consequences was complicated by concomitant factors. For example, one patient kept a detailed diary of her life and was constantly memorizing and repeating data. Moreover, another patient was blind from birth, and it was difficult to determine the differences in brain structure between blindness and HSAM (Ford et al., 2022). In addition, not all potential holders of the phenomenon are willing to cooperate with researchers or report truthful data in questionnaires (Ford et al., 2022). On this basis, many potential psychological problems to date can only be evaluated theoretically.
An example of one of the current studies of the phenomenon’s characteristics is the article by Mazzoni et al. in the digital peer-reviewed journal Cortex. It examines functional brain activation using case studies of HSAM (Mazzoni et al., 2019). It also highlights the potential for concomitant abnormalities of this condition. The authors, who have many papers and degrees in the field, have noted the features of the brain structure and the differences between HSAM. The significance of such work for modern science cannot be overemphasized, and work is ongoing in this direction.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Connection
There is no way to diagnose the connection between HSAM and OCD accurately. However, many of those observed with the phenomenon had the syndrome in at least a light form (Ford et al., 2022). The potential for this condition to worsen with the subject’s increasing age has been observed (Santangelo et al., 2021). From a theoretical lens or the viewing method, there is a possibility of determining some correlation between these two manifestations of mental and brain functioning features.
As all in the psychology science community know, OCD is a disease associated with obsessive thoughts that can cause compulsive, i.e. compulsive actions. This condition is explained by the instability of a person’s mental state, and episodes of compulsive behavior are triggered by specific triggers or beacons. As with HSAM, in this disorder, there is the possibility of coexisting conditions, for example, depression or ADD. In this case, the states may complement and reinforce each other.
In OCD, the example trigger could be any disordered set of objects, with the need for ordering as one of the popular manifestations. Thus, in HSAM, any mention of the date in written, verbal, or symbolic representations in most of the subjects involuntarily evokes memories of that day (Santangelo et al., 2018). Because of their inability to forget, patients recall the day of the week, weather conditions, their own actions on that date, and other details (Ford et al., 2022). Moreover, because of the involuntary nature and frequency of encountering any dates in nowadays information age, this quickly becomes tedious and annoying, as well as time-consuming. A direct link to OCD can likewise be assumed, especially with some people’s inability to abstract memories and the compulsive nature of the process.
Treatment methods for OCD may be helpful in counteracting similar symptoms in HSAM. Serotonin-enhancing antidepressants reduce symptoms and may make it easier to coexist with HSAM. However, such treatment is certainly not necessary for everyone because the phenomenon has different degrees of manifestation. For example, some of the subjects studied exhibited only absolute memory for the day of the week or the exact specifications of any date or location but did not exhibit accurate memory of their actions on that day (Santangelo et al., 2018). In such cases, the psychological damage of HSAM could not be diagnosed in them to any significant extent.
The Possibility of Depressions
An even more common comorbid disorder with HSAM is a depressive disorder in various forms. Interestingly enough, researchers have also found a hint of a directly proportional relationship between memory detail and the severity of the emotional state (Mazzoni et al., 2019; Ford et al., 2022). With logical reasoning, it is quite possible to explain this without any additional analyses or studies of behavioral patterns.
The mechanism of forgetting unimportant details and details as well as insignificant facts is an evolutionary process. Some information remains on the periphery of memory and can be retrieved from there when memory is stimulated by some related important or physically imprinted reminder. Thus, the operative volume of human memory is freer and allows concentration on the most relevant issues in the current period of life (Mazzoni et al., 2019). Initially, it was related to problems of survival; in today’s time, the theme of survival has taken on a softer and more global scale in developed countries.
However, the number of tasks to be solved at any given time has increased significantly due to digitalization and the global informatization of society. Furthermore, many studies have noted that negative emotions and memories are forgotten more often and faster than positive ones in order to avoid long-term damage to the human psyche (Santangelo et al., 2018; Santangelo et al., 2021).
Based on this, it is definitely not surprising that most of those with HSAM suffer from depression spectrum disorders, unable to forget the bad moments in their lives. According to some, the memory is so good that it makes one feel as if the event remembered is happening in the moment of remembrance (Ford et al., 2022). Furthermore, if one adds frequent compulsive or involuntary recourse to such memory cells, the surfeit of negative emotions can undoubtedly cause such consequences.
Conditions mentioned above can likewise be treated quite effectively with standard treatments for depressive disorders: antidepressant medications prescribed by a consulting physician help to improve the manifestations of the disorder. However, symptom control is not a solution for HSAM when the cause of the mental disorder remains in place and cannot be suppressed (Mazzoni et al., 2019). Thus, much more research in this direction is needed to determine the best methods of adequate care in such cases.
Preoccupation and Distraction
Another major problem, which likewise increases with age, is preoccupying attention. Lack of concentration caused by large amounts of information and constant reference to memory cells due to associative processes provoke distraction (Santangelo et al., 2021). With an extensive array of details and worsening symptoms of intrusive recall, lack of concentration and thoughtful procrastination can take on frightening proportions. In addition, the emphasis on long-term memory and distraction provoke the deterioration of short-term memory (Ford et al., 2022). Thus, attention problems are likewise a growing unexplored HSAM problem.
Conclusion
In summary, with the help of researched sources on related topics and related reasoning, a number of potential mental problems have been confirmed to accompany HSAM. An increased likelihood of disorders directly proportional to the detailing of memories in those observed was determined. Among these problems, OCD, depression, and attention deficit disorder have been observed most frequently. Treatment of such conditions can be allowed by symptom management and standard countermeasures.
However, if the original source in the form of HSAM persists, further research is needed to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon itself. In the process of such research, it will be possible to determine the causes of the condition and develop methods of its treatment or suppression, should such a need arise. While rare and ambiguous, Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory is of great attraction to scientists because of its potential utility. By gaining a deep understanding of how the deviation works, there is the potential for progress in understanding the mechanisms of memory and the treatment of memory disorders.
References
Ford, L., Shaw, T. B., Mattingley, J. B., & Robinson, G. A. (2022). Enhanced semantic memory in a case of highly superior autobiographical memory. Cortex; A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior, 151, 1–14. Web.
Mazzoni, G., Clark, A., De Bartolo, A., Guerrini, C., Nahouli, Z., Duzzi, D., De Marco, M., McGeown, W., & Venneri, A. (2019). Brain activation in highly superior autobiographical memory: The role of the precuneus in the autobiographical memory retrieval network. Cortex; A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior, 120, 588–602. Web.
Santangelo, V., Cavallina, C., Colucci, P., Santori, A., Macrì, S., McGaugh, J. L., & Campolongo, P. (2018). Enhanced brain activity associated with memory access in highly superior autobiographical memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(30), 7795–7800. Web.
Santangelo, V., Pedale, T., Colucci, P., Giulietti, G., Macrì, S., & Campolongo, P. (2021). Highly superior autobiographical memory in aging: A single case study. Cortex; A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior, 143, 267–280. Web.