Amnesia
What is Amnesia?
Amnesia is a term used to cover the partial or complete loss of memory. Memory loss is the inability to recall people, objects, places, or events that took place in the recent or distant past. It is most often a temporary condition and covers only a part of a person's experience, such as immediate memory. The causes of amnesia range from psychological trauma to brain damage caused by a blow to the head or conditions such as a brain tumour, a stroke or swelling of the brain.
Causes and Risks
- Normal aging
- Alzheimer's disease
- Depression
- Head trauma
- Hysteria
- Seizures
- Chronic alcohol abuse
- Drugs such as anesthetics, barbiturates, and hallucinogens
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- Temporal lobe surgery for conditions such as a brain tumor
- Stroke
- Huntington's, Parkinson's, Creutzfeld-Jakob, Pick's, and Wilson's disease
- Atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries
- Multiple sclerosis
- AIDS
- Viral or bacterial encephalitis
- Normal pressure hydrocephalus
- Chronic subdural hematoma , or bleeding on the brain
- Brain tumour
There are several steps a person can take to boost memory. These include:
- Following a regular routine when possible
- Setting up a reminder system. This may include a book, calendar, or pocket diary.
- Making daily lists
- Keeping track of daily medicines. This can be done with a medicine reminder box or a chart posted on the refrigerator.
- Keeping track of appointments, birthdays, and bills to pay
- Keeping a list of names and telephone numbers
- Keeping keys in the same place
Many people with progressive memory loss may not be aware of their worsening forgetfulness. Family members or friends may be more able to judge whether memory lapses are getting worse. Depending on whether the memory loss is of short- or long-term memory, the individual or family may notice certain events, such as:
- Inability to recognize family members
- Forgetting one's phone number or home address
- Forgetting how to return home from a familiar location
- Forgetting to eat, bathe, or maintain one's hygiene
- Forgetting friends' or family members' names
Credit: National Institute of Health.