Dissociative amnesia can be simply described as a loss of memory of significant personal information. Unlike most other types of amnesia, dissociative amnesia is not caused by physical trauma such as a blow to the head. Dissociative amnesia is predominantly diagnosed after a number of episodes of a person unable to recall their important personal information and occurrences of these episodes being too extensive to be explained as plain forgetfulness. The amnesia may also be localized to a short period of time associated with a traumatic event or even selective memory when a person recollects some, but not all, of a series of events during a particular time. A person is said to have continuous dissociative amnesia when he or she is unable to remember events that took place from a particular date in the past right up to the present. If a person is unable to explain or remember his or her entire lifespan, it is called generalized amnesia. A person may also experience severe depression, anxiety disorders as well as post traumatic stress disorders that generally accompany the dissociative amnesia.
Most of the time, the treatment for dissociative amnesia is concentrated on helping a patient remember the pieces of information or events that took place in the time line of the missing memory. Hypnosis is a very popular variation of therapy geared specifically to help a person delve into their subconscious to access any locked up memories. People suffering from traumatic experiences (which may have played a pivotal role in the onset of amnesia) are provided psychotherapy. Doctors will usually start by helping the patient feel safe and secure and the patient is given any amount of time required to bring back the memories. Drug facilitated interviews are also commonly carried out to reduce the anxiety associated with the period for which there are gaps in the memory. Asking questions has been known to evoke the buried memories but it is important for the therapist not to suggest what events should be recalled as this might create unnecessary anxiety in the patient. Filling in the memory gap helps a person restore their true identity and provides a sense of purpose. Once the amnesia has been cured, it is important for the patient to go through further intensive therapy sessions to help them understand the reasons for blocking away those memories and understanding the underlying trauma and conflict. Some people, though, are not lucky enough to be cured of the amnesia.