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Psychogenic amnesia

MedGen UID:
66743
•Concept ID:
C0236795
•
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
Synonyms: Amnesia, Dissociative; Amnesias, Dissociative; Dissociative Amnesia; Dissociative Amnesias
SNOMED CT: Psychogenic amnesia (84209002); Amnesia neurosis (84209002); Dissociative amnesia (84209002)

Definition

A disorder characterized by a retrospective gap in memory of important personal information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature; the memory loss far exceeds ordinary forgetfulness and is not the result of substance use or the consequence of a medical condition. [from NCI]

Term Hierarchy

CClinical test,  RResearch test,  OOMIM,  GGeneReviews,  VClinVar  
  • CROGVPsychogenic amnesia

Professional guidelines

PubMed

New uses of hypnosis in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Spiegel D, Cardena E
J Clin Psychiatry 1990 Oct;51 Suppl:39-43; discussion 44-6. PMID: 2211565
The amytal interview in the treatment of psychogenic amnesia.
Ruedrich SL, Chu CC, Wadle CV
Hosp Community Psychiatry 1985 Oct;36(10):1045-6. doi: 10.1176/ps.36.10.1045. PMID: 4054860

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

Psychogenic amnesia: syndromes, outcome, and patterns of retrograde amnesia.
Harrison NA, Johnston K, Corno F, Casey SJ, Friedner K, Humphreys K, Jaldow EJ, Pitkanen M, Kopelman MD
Brain 2017 Sep 1;140(9):2498-2510. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx186. PMID: 29050391
Longitudinal Measurement Invariance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Deployed Marines.
Contractor AA, Bolton E, Gallagher MW, Rhodes C, Nash WP, Litz B
J Trauma Stress 2017 Jun;30(3):259-269. Epub 2017 May 4 doi: 10.1002/jts.22181. PMID: 28470977
Functional (Psychogenic) Cognitive Disorders: A Perspective from the Neurology Clinic.
Stone J, Pal S, Blackburn D, Reuber M, Thekkumpurath P, Carson A
J Alzheimers Dis 2015 Sep 24;48 Suppl 1:S5-S17. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150430. PMID: 26445274
Should conversion disorder be reclassified as a dissociative disorder in DSM V?
Brown RJ, Cardeña E, Nijenhuis E, Sar V, van der Hart O
Psychosomatics 2007 Sep-Oct;48(5):369-78. doi: 10.1176/appi.psy.48.5.369. PMID: 17878494
Questionable validity of 'dissociative amnesia' in trauma victims. Evidence from prospective studies.
Pope HG Jr, Hudson JI, Bodkin JA, Oliva P
Br J Psychiatry 1998 Mar;172:210-5; discussion 216-7. doi: 10.1192/bjp.172.3.210. PMID: 9614469

Diagnosis

Acute-onset amnesia: transient global amnesia and other causes.
Miller TD, Butler CR
Pract Neurol 2022 Jun;22(3):201-208. Epub 2022 May 3 doi: 10.1136/practneurol-2020-002826. PMID: 35504698
Functional (dissociative) retrograde amnesia.
Markowitsch HJ, Staniloiu A
Handb Clin Neurol 2016;139:419-445. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-801772-2.00036-9. PMID: 27719861
Functional ("psychogenic") amnesia.
Brandt J, Van Gorp WG
Semin Neurol 2006 Jul;26(3):331-40. doi: 10.1055/s-2006-945519. PMID: 16791779
Disorders of memory.
Kopelman MD
Brain 2002 Oct;125(Pt 10):2152-90. doi: 10.1093/brain/awf229. PMID: 12244076
Amnesia.
Benson DF
South Med J 1978 Oct;71(10):1221-7, 1231. doi: 10.1097/00007611-197810000-00011. PMID: 360401

Therapy

Effect of high-dose cortisol on memory functions.
Brunner R, Schaefer D, Hess K, Parzer P, Resch F, Schwab S
Ann N Y Acad Sci 2006 Jul;1071:434-7. doi: 10.1196/annals.1364.037. PMID: 16891593
The amytal interview in the treatment of psychogenic amnesia.
Ruedrich SL, Chu CC, Wadle CV
Hosp Community Psychiatry 1985 Oct;36(10):1045-6. doi: 10.1176/ps.36.10.1045. PMID: 4054860
Amnesia.
Benson DF
South Med J 1978 Oct;71(10):1221-7, 1231. doi: 10.1097/00007611-197810000-00011. PMID: 360401

Prognosis

Acute-onset amnesia: transient global amnesia and other causes.
Miller TD, Butler CR
Pract Neurol 2022 Jun;22(3):201-208. Epub 2022 May 3 doi: 10.1136/practneurol-2020-002826. PMID: 35504698
Psychiatric and legal considerations in cases of Fetal Abduction by Maternal Evisceration.
Welner M, Burgess A, O'Malley KY
J Forensic Sci 2021 Sep;66(5):1805-1817. Epub 2021 Jun 22 doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.14788. PMID: 34156091
Psychogenic amnesia: syndromes, outcome, and patterns of retrograde amnesia.
Harrison NA, Johnston K, Corno F, Casey SJ, Friedner K, Humphreys K, Jaldow EJ, Pitkanen M, Kopelman MD
Brain 2017 Sep 1;140(9):2498-2510. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx186. PMID: 29050391
Psychogenic amnesia.
Brna TG Jr, Wilson CC
Am Fam Physician 1990 Jan;41(1):229-34. PMID: 2403726
New uses of hypnosis in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Spiegel D, Cardena E
J Clin Psychiatry 1990 Oct;51 Suppl:39-43; discussion 44-6. PMID: 2211565

Clinical prediction guides

Anomalies of Autobiographical Memory.
Kopelman MD
J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2019 Nov;25(10):1061-1075. Epub 2019 Sep 2 doi: 10.1017/S135561771900081X. PMID: 31474234
Psychogenic amnesia: syndromes, outcome, and patterns of retrograde amnesia.
Harrison NA, Johnston K, Corno F, Casey SJ, Friedner K, Humphreys K, Jaldow EJ, Pitkanen M, Kopelman MD
Brain 2017 Sep 1;140(9):2498-2510. doi: 10.1093/brain/awx186. PMID: 29050391
Dissociative disorders in the psychiatric emergency ward.
Sar V, Koyuncu A, Ozturk E, Yargic LI, Kundakci T, Yazici A, Kuskonmaz E, Aksüt D
Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2007 Jan-Feb;29(1):45-50. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2006.10.009. PMID: 17189745
Dissociation of implicit and explicit knowledge in a case of psychogenic retrograde amnesia.
Campodonico JR, Rediess S
J Int Neuropsychol Soc 1996 Mar;2(2):146-58. doi: 10.1017/s1355617700001004. PMID: 9375200
New uses of hypnosis in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Spiegel D, Cardena E
J Clin Psychiatry 1990 Oct;51 Suppl:39-43; discussion 44-6. PMID: 2211565

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