For the most part, when thinking of amnesia, one usually thinks of getting hit on the head so hard all memory is wiped clear. The reality is that there are various factors that can cause amnesia. Memory is stored in different parts of the brain. Specific parts of the brain are responsible for different types of memory. If a particular part is damaged, the function that part was in charge of may severely suffer or seize to properly work completely.
Amnesia is a very dangerous disorder. Depending on its severity it can damage people's social and professional lives. Anterograde amnesia is a form of amnesia which is characterized by the inability to transfer short-term memory into long-term memory. People with anterograde amnesia are able to remember most of their past memories, but have great difficulty remembering new information post incident. The detrimental characteristic accompanying anterograde amnesia is that a person will only be aware and remember information and events in their immediate attention-span. Everything beyond -or after the person becomes distracted- is completely erased from consciousness and is as if it never happened. The more casual term used when referring to anterograde amnesia is short-term memory loss.
It takes much patience and tender care from loved ones to help individuals with anterograde amnesia overcome the fear and depression which accompany such amnesia. In the following clip we will see a man named Clive Wearing who has about a thirty second memory. When listening to him comment on the feeling he gets when "coming back into consciousness" from a blank sleep he terms as death, you can't help but feel bad and truly empathize with what he must feel.
In this more recent video Clive's wife explains what his everyday life is like. It must be a bit strange or simply very pleasant to have your husband hug you and express their love as if they hadn't seen you in so long. There are many hardships involved when dealing and living with a person with amnesia. The video mentions that Clive has even lost the memory connecting various foods with their particular flavor. It is all so difficult, yet Clive is lucky to have someone who cares for him and helps him so much.
It was interesting to see the many causes of amnesia. The most common would be a traumatic brain injury causing damage to important memory parts, psychological disorder or severe shock, certain types of drugs, herpes virus type I when left untreated, and alcohol intoxication to the point of unconsciousness. People, especially those prone to binge drinking, should be very careful with the amount of alcohol consumed and in the length of the time while consuming. We should all protect our bodies and think of the many consequences which may impact our lives and make us completely dependent on our loved ones.
Amnesia is difficult to comprehend due to the consequences that people experience. Many individuals that suffer from amnesia have trouble overcoming certain situations in their new lifestyle. Like you mention before, this disorder can be very dangerous. Memories of events that occurred around the time of the accident or onset of amnesia are sometimes never recovered. Having to wipe our memory away can really impact the person’s life and affect his/her love ones. The videos you provided were very helpful and it made me understand what people with this disorder go through.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see that people who suffer of Amnesia have to go through situations where it affects their love ones as well as them. Having lost ability to remember certain parts of your life must be devastating to the ones around you. The video was very interesting it helped me understand what people with this disorder that to deal with and how their love ones suffer with them. Having to deal with this situation is sad and yes like you mention we are should take good care of our bodies, to prevent any future accidents.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of amnesia, anterograde and retrograde, is such a terrifying concept. Our memory is something we rely on, and live off of. It's why we learn, advance in life and how we have any type of social interactions to say the least. Not only does clearing a memory from any one human being affect that person's life completely, but to the ones around them as well. One's family, partner, friends, are all affected in different ways to this person with the inability to maybe even remember them or their actions from 5 minutes previous.
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