What is Amnesia? Amnesia is a type of disease affecting the brain where a person experiences severe memory loss. This can be a symptom of another condition or be caused by itself. Rooting from the Greek word "forgetfulness", it causes major gaps in a person's memory, ranging from low to high importance. It can also cause trouble in learning new things and be permanent. Causes of Amnesia Amnesia can be caused by psychological or neurological causes, damaging the limbic system, including the thalamus and the hippocampal formations. Psychological causes include traumatic events and PTSD, along with dissociative disorders. Causes neurologically include strokes, brain inflammations, alcohol abuse, seizures, Alzheimer's disease, tumors, etc. Concussions are another example of causes, coming from external forces. These people all have higher risk of developing amnesia. Symptoms Symptoms of Amnesia include trouble learning new information and trouble remembering important life events. This differs with dementia because people with amnesia can still have easy daily functioning but they just can't remember many parts of their life. People with amnesia can also experience false memories and confusion, or also called confabulation. Overall, it can change people's ability when it comes to remembering events and things. Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention Amnesia is diagnosed by a healthcare provider asking a series of questions about your life and will recommend specific tests after initial evaluation. Some of these include physical/neurological exams, MRI scans, CT scans, EEG, and more. These will determine the final outcome. There is no set treatment for amnesia. Generally, it relies on the brain to recover on its own. In order to motivate this, cognitive rehabilitation and occupational therapy assist in gaining some memories back. There are ways to prevent, and that is to lower your risk of getting amnesia. Some examples include not drinking large amounts of alcohol, following safety precautions on roads, treating infections that could spread to the brain immediately, and if there are any symptoms, getting them checked as soon as possible. Summary Amnesia can appear as a daunting disease, but of course, there are ways to treat it. It is important to stay calm during times like this and allow your brain to fully recharge and get rest. Keeping a healthy lifestyle is one of the best things you can do to prevent amnesia. And if there are any symptoms, it is most vital to contact a healthcare provider and get help right away. Though amnesia can be daunting, you should know that you are not alone in this. Resources:
Amnesia: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Types (clevelandclinic.org) (Cleveland Clinic)
Amnesia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic (Mayo Clinic Staff)
Image Source: Amnesia - InfoEscola
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