mental health disorders
Dissociative Amnesia
Treatment of Dissociative Amnesia
A supportive environment Sometimes memory-retrieval techniques (such as hypnosis) Psychotherapy Doctors begin treatment by helping people feel safe and secure—for example, by helping them to avoid further traumatization. If people have no apparent urgent reason to recover the memory of a painful event, this supportive treatment may be all that is needed. People may gradually recall the missing memories. When a supportive environment does not improve matters or when the need to recover memories is urgent, doctors may use hypnosis or medication-facilitated interviews. If the missing memories are not recalled or if the need to recall the memories is urgent, memory-retrieval techniques are often successful. They include Hypnosis Medication-facilitated interviews (interviews conducted after a sedative, such as a barbiturate or benzodiazepine, is given intravenously) Doctors use Hypnotherapy and medication-facilitated interviews to reduce the anxiety associated with the period for which there are gaps in memory and to penetrate or bypass the defenses people have created to protect themselves from recalling painful experiences or conflicts. However, doctors are careful not to suggest what should be recalled (and thus create a false memory) or to cause extreme anxiety. Recalling the traumatic circumstances that stimulated memory loss is often very upsetting. Furthermore, memories recalled through such techniques may not be accurate and may require confirmation from another person or source. Therefore, before hypnosis or a medication-facilitated interview, doctors inform people that memories retrieved with these techniques may or may not be accurate and ask for consent to proceed. Also, doctors try to reassure people with dissociative amnesia that they want to help. People who were Overview of Child Neglect and Abuse , are sometimes suspicious of therapists and may expect the therapist to exploit or abuse them and to impose uncomfortable memories rather than help them recover real memories. Filling in the memory gap to the greatest extent possible helps restore continuity to personal identity and sense of self. Once amnesia has resolved, continued Psychotherapy helps people do the following: Understand the trauma or conflicts that caused the disorder Find ways to resolve them Avoid future traumatization if possible Return to normal functioning 