Question

Select one of the following topics and write a 5-page paper. Your paper must follow APA guidelines including proper citations of references:

Amnesia due to emotional trauma:
There is scientific consensus that amnesia can be caused by head trauma and other organic causes. More controversial is amnesia caused by emotional trauma. There is little or no experimental evidence for the psychodynamic mechanism of repression. Yet movies portray this as a common event. Do you believe that amnesia can be caused by emotional trauma? What possible underlying mechanism would explain this phenomenon in neurologic terms? What doubts are cast by researches on the validity of psychological amnesia? You must address both the pros and cons of this issue and demonstrate critical thinking, not just advocating one position over the other. Support your paper using the current literature. You may wish to refer to this week’s optional learning resources as a starting point.

Amnesia in Korsakoff’s syndrome:
Compare and contrast the amnesia associated with bilateral medial-temporal lobectomy and that associated with Korsakoff ’s syndrome. Support your paper using the current literature.

Answer 1

Amnesia is a form of memory loss. In some cases of amnesia, the patient may not be able to create new memories or learn new material in order for it to be retained, whereas in other forms of amnesia, they may face a challenge in retrieving old memories from the past. Mild memory concerns are an issue of aging, however when there is significant loss in memory data, it falls under the category of amnesia. The primary symptom of amnesia is memory loss or inability to form new memories. Anoxia, i.e. lack of oxygenation to the brain regions or damage to the hippocampus could be some of the major causes behind amnesia. Another common reason for amnesia is head injury. Traumatic head injuries, accidents, stroke, tumors and infections could be damaging to the brain, especially the memory. Although extreme forms of trauma or stress could lead to certain amount of loss in memory, it may not be called a full blown amnesia disorder. Dissociative amnesia or functional amnesia is a disorder characterized by abnormal memory functioning in the absence of structural brain damage or a neurobiological cause. It is often linked to the clinical condition repressed memory syndrome. Freudian psychology suggests that psychogenic amnesia is an act of self-preservation, a kind of defense mechanism wherein the alternative might be overwhelming anxiety or even suicide. Unpleasant, unwanted or psychologically dangerous memories are repressed or blocked from entering the consciousness as a kind of subconscious self-censorship, but they remain in the unconscious. By the help of therapy and use of therapeutic methods, patients may be recovered from the condition in due course of time. The manner in which this is often portrayed is incorrect in films or entertainment shows. The reason is that they are clinical in nature and don’t have anything to do merely with emotional abuse or stress. Any extreme stressor may not culminate into amnesia. Despite this, many Hollywood films have made an attempt to portray these conditions in movies and have led to myths becoming prevelent in the field. Therefore, awareness of doctors along the lines of these myths is a pre-requisite for their accurate treatment plan and implementation. Moreover, the inaccurate depiction is also unethical in very many ways. Many papers have been published in journals to highlight the same and bring about these facts for the public to read as well as for doctors so as to be more mindful during their practice.