
There is a lack of damage to the brain, but brain images do show abnormal activity. This disorder may be accompanied by sexual dysfunction, self-mutilation, suicidal impulses and acts, and impairment in social functioning, and they may meet criteria for Conversion Disorder, Mood Disorders, Substance-Related Disorders, or Personality Disorders.Some individuals with this disorder report trance states, spontaneous age regression, anxiety, depersonalization, analgesia, depressive symptoms, and they may provide approximate, though incorrect, answers to questions.With this disorder, the degree of memory loss goes beyond normal forgetfulness and includes gaps in memory for long periods of time or of memories involving the traumatic event.Dissociative amnesia occurs when a person blocks out certain information, usually associated with a stressful or traumatic event.523).Īssociated features for dissociative amnesia according to the American Psychiatric Association (2000) are: C. “The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning” (p.B. “The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dissociative Fugue, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder, or Somatization Disorder and is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a neurological or other general medical condition (e.g., Amnestic Disorder due to head trauma)” (p.A. “The predominant disturbance is one or more episodes of inability to recall important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature, that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness” (p.The DSM-IV-TR criteria according to the American Psychiatric Association (2000) includes the following: An increased likelihood of passive suicidal ideation as well as violent ideation, sometimes even homicidal, is present, most likely due to severe frustration of the dissociation.Reasoning and judgment are limited, and insight is lacking.A negligible degree of conceptual disorganization is present.Recent memory may be slightly impaired.Energy level is not characterized by hyperactivity or slowing.Attention and concentration are limited.


(American Psychiatric Association, 2000) Mental illness The nature of the information is usually traumatic or stressful. The crucial feature of this type of dissociative disorder is the failure to recall important personal information more extensive than explained by an individual’s normal forgetfulness. It used to be known as Psychogenic Amnesia. Dissociative Amnesia could be brought on by a Traumatic Event.
