What Is Amnesia?

Long dramatized in movies and novels, amnesia refers to a profound loss of memory that’s temporary, permanent, or progressive (gets worse over time).

There are two broad categories of amnesia: retrograde and anterograde amnesia.

Comparatively, anterograde amnesia would make it difficult for you to form new memories after the causative event, but you can remember what happened before that point in time.

These two types of amnesia are not mutually exclusive, and you can experience being unable to remember past events while also struggling to form new memories.

There are also other, more specific types of amnesia, including:

• Transient global amnesia: A sudden episode of memory loss that typically lasts for a few hours to a day. This type of memory loss primarily affects middle-aged and older individuals and involves both retrograde and anterograde amnesia.

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• Dissociative amnesia: Memory loss caused by psychological trauma or stress, rather than a physical cause. It is part of a group of conditions called dissociative disorders, which involve a loss of awareness of surroundings or self and includes dissociative identity disorder.

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• Post-traumatic amnesia: Temporary memory loss that develops after an injury, such as head trauma, making it difficult to form new memories and recall events that directly preceded or followed the event. How long it lasts is indicative of the severity of the brain injury.

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• Infantile amnesia: The natural inability to recall early childhood memories (typically the first two to three years of our lives). Infantile amnesia can also be thought of as the beginning or onset of memory.

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The signs and symptoms of amnesia differ depending on the type you have, and they include:

• Difficulty recalling past events or personal details
• Inability to form new memories
• Forgetting upcoming events

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• Trouble recognizing faces

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• Confusion or disorientation
• Repeating questions or statements
• Confabulation, or the subconscious invention of false memories to fill in gaps

Some forms of amnesia, such as dissociative and post-traumatic amnesia, stem from psychological trauma or severe stress. More often, however, amnesia results from issues that can directly damage the brain, including:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Brain surgery

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• General anesthesia
• Electroconvulsive therapy
• Brain tumors
• Migraine, specifically with transient global amnesia

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• Cerebral hypoxia (brain damage from lack of oxygen)
• Stroke
• Seizure
• Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia
• Degenerative brain diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis
• Encephalitis (viral infection of the brain)
• Chronic alcohol abuse, which causes a deficiency in thiamin (vitamin B1), resulting in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a condition affecting brain functioning and memory

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• Certain drugs, such as heroin, barbiturates (depressant drugs sometimes used to treat epilepsy and seizures), and sedatives
• Carbon monoxide poisoning, heavy metal poisoning, and other forms of toxin exposure

Diagnosis of amnesia begins with a general examination and review of your symptoms and medical and family history.

Your healthcare provider will then run a series of diagnostic tests to determine the extent of your memory loss and what may be causing it, including:

• Cognitive and neurological tests of your memory, attention, language, and other brain functions

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• Blood tests to identify any infections or vitamin deficiencies
• Electroencephalogram to measure the electrical activity in your brain and detect signs of seizure

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• Imaging tests to detect any brain damage, including head X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT)
• Cerebral angiography, a type of X-ray scan that uses a special injected dye to visualize blood vessels and detect aneurysms, tumors, and other issues

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• Spinal tap (lumbar puncture) to examine your cerebral spinal fluid for signs of infection in your brain

There is no single cure that can return your memory to normal if you have amnesia. Usually, your memory will return over time, in minutes to years, depending on the cause of memory loss. Treatment generally focuses on symptom management and correcting the underlying cause of the memory loss, such as by:

• Detoxifying from and avoiding alcohol
• Changing medications or their dosages

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• Treating infections
• Resting (if recovering from concussion)

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• Creating a safe, supportive environment to recover from psychological triggers and stress

Other therapies may help you retrieve lost memories, cope with memory loss, or improve memory and cognitive function, such as:

• Occupational therapy to learn new information or skills to replace what you lost and also strengthen memory and cognitive abilities
• Cognitive behavioral therapy to help you deal with psychological distress, manage stress, and improve your well-being (CBT is especially helpful for dissociative amnesia cases)
• Cognitive rehabilitation to improve memory, attention, problem-solving skills, and organizational skills

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While there’s no surefire way to prevent amnesia, you can take some steps to reduce your risks of psychological and neurological issues that may cause amnesia.

• Protect yourself from head trauma, such as by using safety equipment in appropriate situations, for example a helmet while riding a bike and a seat belt while in the car.
• Manage your cardiovascular health to prevent stroke.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
• Seek timely treatment for infections or illnesses, especially eye or ear infections, which could spread to your brain.
• Reduce stress through mindfulness, therapy, and other modalities.
• Stay mentally fit, such as by learning a new skill, reading, and doing puzzles.

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• Eat a balanced, nutritional diet.
• Stay active and maintain a healthy weight for you.
• Make sleep a priority.
• Nurture your social relationships.

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• Review and potentially change your medications with your provider, especially if you take sedatives.

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If you’ve experienced some form of amnesia, certain lifestyle changes can help you better navigate life and compensate for memory issues.

• Keep a structured daily routine.

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• Use reminders, notes, or digital apps for memory support.
• Engage in memory-enhancing activities like puzzles or reading.
• Stay socially active to stimulate cognitive function.
• Join support groups for people with memory loss or memory disorders.
• Adopt a healthy lifestyle with respect to diet, physical activity, sleep, and stress management.
• Keep your tasks as simple and straightforward as possible, breaking them down into smaller steps if necessary.

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Amnesia can significantly impact your quality of life and various aspects of it, including your:

• Personal relationships
• Employment
• Mental health and risks for conditions like anxiety and depression
• Independence

It’s difficult to determine how many people have amnesia given its various forms and many causes.

The Takeaway

• Amnesia can result from various causes, including head trauma and psychological stress.
• While there’s no specific treatment for amnesia itself, addressing underlying conditions like infections or managing risk factors such as alcohol abuse can aid recovery.
• For some types of amnesia, memory may return naturally over time. When it doesn’t, approaches such as cognitive rehabilitation and occupational therapy can help to maintain daily functioning.