Dissociative amnesia causes memory loss, often due to severe stress or trauma. People may not remember important information about themselves or things that have happened to them.

For example, the person may not remember their name, where they live, and who they are, among other details.

Potential causes for dissociative amnesia include childhood trauma, abuse, and neglect. Dissociative amnesia can also stem from learning information about a person’s identity or history.

Read on to learn about how dissociative amnesia affects people, the different types of amnesia, what treatments are available, and the outlook for those with this condition.

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Dissociative amnesia is the most commonTrusted Source dissociative disorder, which are conditions that cause people to feel detached or disconnected from themselves or reality. In dissociative amnesia, this manifests as memory loss.

This memory loss goes beyond the realm of typical forgetfulness. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR), the different types of dissociative amnesia include:

  • localized
  • selective
  • continuous
  • systematized
  • generalized

Localized amnesia

Localized amnesia means that someone cannot recall a specific event or series of events, which creates a gap in their memory.

These memory gaps often relate to stress or trauma. For example, someone who experienced childhood abuse may forget that entire chunk of time. Those with localized amnesia often have more than one episode of memory loss.

Selective amnesia

Selective amnesia involves losing only some of a person’s memory from a certain period. For instance, this could mean forgetting some parts of a traumatic event but not all of it.

An individual can have both selective and localized amnesia.

Continuous amnesia

In this type of amnesia, a person forgets each new event as it occurs. A certain traumatic event may trigger this continuous forgetting.

Systematized amnesia

Systematized amnesia is a loss of memories relating to a specific category or topic. For example, someone may forget all of their memories involving a particular person.

Generalized amnesia

This rare form of amnesia occurs when an individual completely forgets their own identity and life experiences. They can forget who they are, who they spoke to, where they went, what they did, and how they felt.

Some people with generalized amnesia may lose previously well-established skills.

Dissociative fugue

Dissociative fugue is a related condition to dissociative amnesia and can occur at the same time.

People in a fugue state suddenly and unexpectedly travel far from home, unaware of who they are. The fugue can lastTrusted Source for just a few hours or go on for months.

During the fugue, people appear to act relatively typically. However, once it ends, they suddenly find themselves in a strange new situation.

For instance, in some cases, a person may have started a new job, assumed a new identity, and essentially begun a new life. The end of the fugue may leave them feeling shame, depression, or grief.

The primary symptom of dissociative amnesia is memory loss that is more extensive than typical forgetfulness. People with dissociative amnesia may forget:

  • all or parts of certain memories
  • people or places
  • information about themselves

The person may not realize they have memory loss or only have limited awareness of it. Others may know they have memory loss but downplay its importance.

The amnesia may be persistent or come and go in episodes. For example, a person may go through phases of forgetting significant information for days, weeks, or months at a time.

A traumatic event or stressor usually causes dissociative amnesia. Traumatic events are incidents that a person perceives as threatening.

Typically, these events are those that individuals experienced during childhood, such as emotional abuse or emotional neglect.

Other potentially traumatic events include:

  • natural disasters
  • accidents
  • serious illness
  • military combat

There is no average age of onset for dissociative amnesia, so it can occur at any age.

Although research has not revealed what exactly causes dissociative amnesia, it is clear that the disorder has a relationship to trauma.

The most significant risk factor is exposure to an overwhelming traumatic experience, either once, multiple times, or continuously.

Those who experienced physical or sexual abuse during childhood have an increased risk of dissociative amnesia.

Doctors may begin diagnosing dissociative amnesia by asking questions about the symptoms. They may also perform examinations to rule out physical causes, such as a head injury, and take a medical history.

If they believe a person may have dissociative amnesia, they may use the criteria within the DSM-5-TR to make a diagnosis or refer a person to a mental health specialist.

Doctors may recommend carrying out certain tests:

A doctor should also ensure that a person’s symptoms are not due to another medication, mental health condition, or cultural tradition, such as some types of meditation.

The initial treatment for dissociative amnesia depends on its severity. People who cannot remember a short event and otherwise have no symptoms or distress may not need to recover their memories.

However, those who experience severe forms of amnesia, fugue states, or distress may need psychotherapy, which is the main treatment for dissociative disorders.

Types that mental health professionals may recommend include:

  • Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT): TF-CBT is a form of CBT that focuses on the effects of trauma. It involves learning coping skills and ways of managing feelings as well as processing what has happened.
  • Eye movement desensitizing and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR helps reduce the intensity of traumatic memories, helping the brain process and integrate them with a person’s regular memories. This may reduce dissociation.
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): DBT focuses on helping people learn to regulate their emotions, manage difficult emotions, and improve relationships.

People in a fugue state or who are still in traumatic situations may first need to move to a safe environment before they can begin treatment. If the need to recover memories is urgent, health professionals may use hypnosis.

Some medications may also help reduce specific symptoms, such as anxiety. However, there are no medications that treat dissociative amnesia itself.

Preventing psychological trauma may help prevent dissociative amnesia, although this is not always possible.

If a person receives treatment as soon as symptoms present, it may limit future amnesic episodes.

The outlook for people with dissociative amnesia is favorable. If an individual is no longer in a stressful or traumatic situation, treatment can help them recover lost memories.

Memories can returnTrusted Source suddenly or gradually, even without treatment. However, some individuals never recover their missing memories.

Whether or not someone’s memories return depends on their stress levels, the conflicts relating to their trauma, and their overall mental state. Timely treatment can significantly improve someone’s outlook.

Dissociative amnesia causes a person to forget important memories, personal information, or in severe cases, who they are. It often stems from extreme stress, childhood abuse, or another traumatic experience.

Doctors use thorough clinical and physical evaluations to diagnose dissociative amnesia and rule out other conditions that may be causing a person’s symptoms.

The main treatment is psychotherapy in a safe space. This may allow people to recover memories and cope with them more effectively, integrating them with their other memories.

Most individuals with dissociative amnesia recover their memories once their amnesia resolves.