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Amnesia or '''amnaesia''' (see Spelling Differences ) is a condition in which Memory is disturbed. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain (generally sedative) drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such as defense mechanisms. Hysterical post-traumatic amnesia is an example of this. Amnesia may also be spontaneous, in the case of global amnesia''' . This global type of amnesia is more common in middle-aged to elderly people, particularly males, and usually lasts less than 24 hours.


TYPES OF AMNESIA



  • Traumatic Amnesia is generally due to a Head Injury (fall, knock on the head). Traumatic amnesia is often transient; the duration of the amnesia is related to the degree of injury and may give an indication of the prognosis for recovery of other functions. Mild trauma, such as a car accident that could result in no more than mild whiplash, might cause the occupant of a car to have no memory of the moments just before the accident due to a brief interruption in the short/long-term memory transfer mechanism.



  • Long-term alcoholism can cause a type of memory loss known as Korsakoff's Syndrome . This is caused by brain damage due to a Vitamin B1 deficiency and will be progressive if alcohol intake and nutrition pattern are not modified. Other neurological problems are likely to be present in combination with this type of Amnesia.



  • Fugue State is also known as dissociative fugue. It is caused by psychological trauma and is usually temporary. The Merck Manual defines it as "one or more episodes of amnesia in which the inability to recall some or all of one's past and either the loss of one's identity or the formation of a new identity occur with sudden, unexpected, purposeful travel away from home" {Link without Title} .


  • Childhood Amnesia (also known as Infantile amnesia) is the common inability to remember events from your own childhood. Whilst Sigmund Freud attributed this to sexual repression, others have theorised that this may be due to Language Development or immature parts of the brain.




  • Psychogenic Amnesia results from a psychological cause as opposed to direct damage to the brain caused by head injury, physical trauma or disease, which is known as organic amnesia.


  • Source Amnesia is a memory disorder in which someone can recall certain information, but they do not know where or how they obtained it.



  • Excessive short-term alcohol can cause a blackout phenomenon with similar symptoms to amnesia.



AMNESIA IN FICTION


Amnesia is a common motif in fiction. .


SEE ALSO