Amnesia

Amnesia is the loss of memory and the inability to form new memories. It can be a temporary or permanent condition. The causes of amnesia range from brain damage to severe anxiety.

Retrograde Amnesia

This type of amnesia usually follows any severe head injury that produces unconsciousness. The patient is not able to recall what happened immediately before the accident, the accident itself, or some of the events of the recovery period. In most cases, this type of amnesia is not significant because no other memory is affected and no treatment is needed.

Korsakoff Syndrome

An inability to record new memory along with a defect in recent memory, usually accompanied by confabulation (storytelling of fabricated events), is known as Korsakoff syndrome. It can be caused by head injury, stroke, encephalitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain), deficiency of vitamin B, cancer of the brain, or poor blood supply to memory tissue or pathways in the brain. However, heavy drinking of alcohol, with resultant brain damage, is commonly the cause. Although there may be little or no loss of memory or skills that were acquired before the disease began, the person with Korsakoff syndrome cannot effectively learn new skills or remember recent events. To hide this loss, from themselves as well as from others, patients may create experiences to take the place of the missing experiences. Sometimes the stories are so convincing that Kors-akoff patients appear normal. Treatment of Korsakoff syndrome is limited to treating the condition that caused it. Permanent brain damage may make it incurable. Frequently, however, the condition will disappear with time, especially if it was caused by a concussion (a swelling in the head that puts pressure on the brain).

Psychological Amnesia

Amnesia of psychological origin is less common than other forms of amnesia. A man disappears from home, job, and family; he travels to a new place and assumes a new identity -- all without being aware that anything has changed. After days or weeks, he "awakens," becomes his old self, and wonders what happened. There is no memory of the period of amnesia.Anxiety is the cause of this type of amnesia. The person is faced with an intolerable situation of high emotional stress or pain. To protect itself, the mind forgets the anxieties and everything related to them.Treatment may not be necessary for amnesia, since most affected persons recover without help. However, if the problem that caused the amnesia still remains, it must be faced and solved. Family therapy and change of work or activities may help. Hypnosis may be used to bring back the memory of the "lost days" and unlock the ideas and feelings that caused the original flight from home and self.

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In Case of any Queries, please feel free to contact Dr Anil K Dhull