What is Dissociative Amnesia? What are Dissociative Amnesia Treatment Options?

Dissociative Amnesia is a complex mental health disorder that delays an individual’s ability to recall significant personal information. It mainly effects the ability to recall after any traumatic event. This disorder is in classification of a dissociative disorder, which includes dissociative identity disorder and depersonalization/derealization disorder. People with dissociative amnesia often have sudden and upsetting memory gaps that can’t be explained by normal forgetfulness. There are dissociative amnesia treatment options to help people safely get back the memories. Dissociative amnesia treatment options help individuals to feel like their life and identity are still going on.

What is Dissociative Amnesia?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) says that dissociative amnesia is a type of dissociative disorder that makes it hard for a person to remember important parts of their past, usually because of stressful or traumatic events. This memory loss is too bad to be normal. It usually happens when the brain tries to protect itself from too much stress.

People with this condition may forget some events, whole parts of their lives, or even parts of who they are. For example, someone might suddenly forget things from a traumatic childhood or a traumatic accident. Dissociative fugue is a condition that can happen to people. It makes them forget who they are and travel far away, taking on a new identity without even knowing it.

Diagnostic Criteria of Dissociative Amnesia:

According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) the diagnostic criteria of dissociative amnesia is:

Diagnostic Criteria A.

Individual is unable to recall important information. This forgetfulness is usually due to any traumatic or stressful life event. The forgetfulness is different from ordinary forgetting.

Note:

Dissociative Amnesia mostly have localize or selective amnesia. This is forgetfulness of specific life events and generalized amnesia which is forgetting identity and life history.

Diagnostic Criteria B.

These symptoms disturb the social and professional life of individual.

Diagnostic Criteria C.

The disturbance in behavior due to dissociative amnesia is not due to physiological effect of any substance.

Diagnostic Criteria D.

The disturbance in behavior is not due to dissociative identity disorder or any other psychological disorder.

What are Types of Dissociative Amnesia?

Different types of Dissociative Amnesia depending on memory loss are:

1. Localize Amnesia.

This dissociative amnesia is associated with memory loss of specific events. This memory loss is associated with event connected with trauma.

2. Generalized Amnesia.

This is a rare condition of memory loss. In this Amnesia there is total loss or personal identity and personal life memories.

3. Selective Amnesia.

Selective amnesia is related to loss of selective memory related to certain event.

4. Continuous Amnesia.

People with continuous amnesia can’t remember new things as they happen, which means they keep forgetting things.

5. Systematized Amnesia

Systematized amnesia is a kind of memory loss that only affects certain memories, like all memories about a certain person or subject.

What is Dissociative Fugue?

Dissociative fugue are episodes, in which people may travel or wander without knowing it. Feeling numb or cut off from your feelings or the world around you. People with dissociative amnesia may develop PTSD, depression, or anxiety. A professional evaluation is necessary for an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of dissociative amnesia due to this overlap.

What are causes of Dissociative Amnesia?

Dissociative amnesia is typically associated with severe traumatic events. The traumatic events include physical or sexual abuse, exposure to combat, natural disasters, or serious accidents. To suppress pain, the mind blocks access to painful traumatic memories. Some of the main causes of Dissociative Amnesia are:

• Being abused for a long time or when you were a child.
• Being in a place where there is war or violence.
• Losing a loved one suddenly
• Seeing things that make you mad.
• Mental health issues that happen at the same time, such as PTSD or depression

If mental health professionals know these things, they can make a good Dissociative Amnesia treatment. The plan should focus on both emotional safety and a slow recovery.

What are Dissociative Amnesia Treatments?

The main goal of dissociative amnesia treatment is to help the patient safely remember things they have forgotten and feel better emotionally at the same time. The goal of treatment is to help people feel better about themselves, handle their problems, and make their lives better every day. Some of the dissociative amnesia treatments that have been shown to work are psychotherapy, cognitive methods, and trauma-focused interventions.

1. Talk therapy.

Psychotherapy, also known as “talk therapy,” is the most common way to treat dissociative amnesia. It gives people a safe place to slowly think about their memories and feelings. Therapists use gentle ways to help people remember things without making them feel bad again. It’s important to make people feel safe before you show them anything traumatic.

2. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

People who have been through trauma or lost their memory can use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to figure out what bad thoughts they have and how to change them. CBT helps people deal with their problems in healthier ways and have more control over their feelings. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is frequently utilised in the treatment of dissociative amnesia to alleviate underlying anxiety or depression, thereby allowing patients to regain control over their thoughts and behaviours.

3. Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a trauma-focused therapy that helps people with dissociative amnesia deal with bad memories. During an EMDR session, the therapist tells the patient to move their eyes in a rhythmic way while they think about traumatic events. This method helps the brain deal with bad memories in a safe and organised way. This makes the memories less intense and helps them stay together better.

4. Medication.

Sometime drugs are used to treat amnesia. As medications are required for severe issues. These medications are used to treat PTSD, anxiety and depression. Sometime Antidepressants and antianxiety medications are helpful.

5. Hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy can be used as an extra treatment for dissociative disorders to help people remember things in a controlled setting. But it needs to be given with care to avoid false memories and more mental pain.

Dissociative amnesia is a protective but disruptive response to trauma, wherein the mind shields itself from overwhelming pain by blocking access to specific memories. Even though it is upsetting, this condition can be treated with professional care, patience, and the right therapy.

Helping people feel safe again, slowly bringing back lost memories, and giving them the power to live fully again are all good ways to treat dissociative amnesia. CBT, EMDR, and other trauma-informed methods can help you get better. People can get over traumatic memories and build a healthy, integrated sense of self with the right treatment and help from trained mental health professionals.