Psychogenic amnesia refers to a dissociative disorder resulting in loss of memory due to psychological, rather than neurological causes. Also known as dissociative amnesia, it’s a condition in which the affected individual is unable to recall important information from their past.
The loss of memory that occurs as a result of the psychogenic (dissociative) amnesia is more severe than normal forgetfulness and can’t be explained by a medical condition. This type of memory loss can be related to a specific area from the life of the affected individual (thematic loss of memory), or it can refer to a loss of a larger part of the individual’s identity and life (general loss of memory) as a result of severe mental stress.
Psychogenic amnesia is characterized by disconnection and lack of continuity between thoughts, memories, surroundings, actions, and identity. The individuals try to escape their traumatic reality in ways that are involuntary and unhealthy. Hence, they become less or completely dysfunctional in their everyday life during the course of time.
What Are the Causes of Psychogenic (Dissociative) Amnesia?
This type of amnesia occurs when the affected individual force themselves not to think about certain traumatic information from their personal past, often associated with a stressful or traumatic event (such as war, abuse, accidents, or disasters).
The affected person could have suffered the trauma, or just witnessed it. As a result, they may forget a specific event of their life, or they may even forget who they are.
What Are the Symptoms of Psychogenic (Dissociative) Amnesia?
The symptoms depend on the type of psychogenic (dissociative) amnesia. They include:
- Memory loss (amnesia) of certain parts of the personal history and personal information
- A feeling of detachment from yourself and your emotions
- Loss of personal identity
- Problematic relationships in all spheres of life (private relationships, work relationships)
- Inability to cope with emotional or professional stress
- The occurrence of mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors)
What Are the Types of Psychogenic (Dissociative) Amnesia?
Psychogenic (dissociative) amnesia belongs to the group of dissociative disorders that mentally separate a person from some aspect of their personality or life. Often occurring after a traumatic event or severe stress, the individuals suffering from dissociative amnesia are literally torn apart from their memories, which results in memory loss that has a negative influence on their everyday life.
We can distinguish 3 types (or patterns) of psychogenic amnesia:
- A localized pattern of psychogenic amnesia
- A generalized (global) pattern of psychogenic amnesia
- Dissociative fugue
Localized Pattern of Psychogenic Amnesia
In the case of localized psychogenic amnesia, the loss of memory affects specific (thematic) areas of remembered information or parts of the life of the affected individual. In most cases, memory loss occurs as a result of a specific trauma.
The person is unable to remember important personal information because of their efforts to keep unpleasant information at bay, which makes it more difficult to recall that information from the memory.
Generalized (Global) Pattern of Psychogenic Amnesia
In the case of generalized psychogenic amnesia, the loss of memory affects all areas of remembered information, such as personal identity or life. Global psychogenic amnesia refers to the sudden loss of autobiographical memories. The affected individual is usually unable to remember anything from the past.
Affected by this type of amnesia, the individual is unable to recall very specific information regarding their life, such as their name, family members, professional obligations, etc.
Dissociative Fugue
In the case of generalized psychogenic amnesia, the loss of memory affects all areas of remembered information (such as personal identity or life), due to which the affected individual adopts a new identity.
The person affected by dissociative fugue also embarks on some kind of unplanned travel, escaping the traumatic or intolerable environment both physically and mentally. This person may suddenly find himself/herself in a place such as the park or at work without being able to recall why or how they arrived there. This travel (escape from the traumatic event or environment) can last from several hours to months or years.
What Are the Symptoms of Psychogenic (Dissociative) Amnesia?
Psychogenic amnesia includes temporary erasing of the following personal information from the person’s memory:
- Who one is
- Where one went
- To whom one spoke
- What one did, said, thought, and felt
The symptoms of a dissociative disorder can vary from mild to inhibiting, in which case the person struggling with such disorder is unable to function properly. The more severe symptoms also affect the relationships and the professional activities of the affected individual.
What Is the Difference Between Psychogenic Amnesia and Amnesia Caused by Medical Conditions?
Unlike the medically conditioned amnesia that results from a brain injury, brain lesions, strokes, or brain tumors, psychogenic amnesia has psychological reasons (traumas) behind its occurrence.
What Is the Treatment of Psychogenic Amnesia?
The treatments for psychogenic (dissociative) amnesia include psychotherapy (talking to a psychiatrist), as well as medication therapy. Although treating dissociative disorders can be difficult, many people learn new ways of coping with the illness, thus giving themselves another chance of leading a healthy and productive life.
Fun Facts
Did you know?
- Psychogenic amnesia is sometimes referred to as functional amnesia or dissociative amnesia.
- Dissociative disorders are mental illnesses characterized by an impairment of memory, consciousness, awareness, as well as the loss of identity and/or perception.
- Psychogenic dissociative amnesia can occur as a result of the genetic heritage of the affected individual.
- The term fugue refers to the loss of awareness of the affected person’s identity, often accompanied by efforts to escape one’s usual environment.
- An episode of psychogenic dissociative amnesia usually occurs suddenly and may last for minutes, hours, or even months or years.
- When the person comes out of the state of dissociative fugue, they usually don’t remember any details or events from the affected period of their lives.
- The loss of memory due to psychogenic amnesia is a far more severe medical condition than common forgetfulness.
- For many people, the dissociation is a natural response to a trauma over which they have no influence or control.
- Memory-retrieval techniques, including hypnosis, are used to fill in the memory gaps.
- Psychogenic amnesia is more common in women than in men.