What Is Amnesia?

Amnesia is when a person’s memory is lost either completely or partially or they remember things differently than they actually occurred (disturbed memory). This usually occurs in the elderly but it is not unheard of to occur in younger people as well. There are many reasons this could happen, generally including post-traumatic stress (for example extreme violence or rape), mental disorders, or damage to the brain through physical injury (for example concussions or other blows to the head), or certain drugs (especially in large doses and sedatives) etc. The end result is amnesia which is can be categorized into two categories: anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia.

Anterograde amnesia is the most common form that we all know. This is when someone is not able to commit new things to memory. We all know of an elder who forgets things momentarily after being told them and cannot quite recall where he was about to go, or for what or perhaps with whom, even though he just made those plans the other day. This type of amnesia affects the short term memory as well as the transferring from the short term memory to the long term.

The other category of amnesia is called retrograde amnesia and is slightly different than the type above. Retrograde amnesia entails not being able to remember the past, to a much more extreme degree than just regular absent-mindedness. This type of amnesia affects the long term memory as well as the transferring from the long term memory to the conscious mind.

Inside these two categories of amnesia are many other varieties of amnesia and what it specifically impairs. There are many different ways the memory can be affected; this is certainly not an all or nothing scenario where the person in question either has his memory or does not. For example, one may have lost his memory about who he is and where he came from; however given a piano, he can play magnificent songs which take years of practice to learn well. This means that a certain part of his memory is lost, but yet another is retained. This grey area of neither black nor white is where most people with amnesia fall into.

The most common cause of memory loss is from concussions. This is when a person receives a severe blow to the head (sometimes so severe that he or she may end up in a coma) and after the person awakes from the concussion, sometimes they cannot recall the exact events just before the head trauma. Memory loss from light concussions is rarely permanent, however medical attention should be sought immediately if you suffered from a concussion.