Is it Really Possible for Someone to Lose Their Memory?

Is it Really Possible for Someone to Lose Their Memory?

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QUESTION: On recent television show, a man was portrayed as having lost his
memory. How close to reality is this? Is it really possible for someone to
forget everything about himself and life in general?
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ANSWER: The capabilities of the mind are surprising. When a person suffers
from extreme emotional distress, he can really "forget," or suppress,
information about himself and his life. This may be an attempt of the mind to
make itself more comfortable with a stressful situation. This type of amnesia
is called "functional" or "psychogenic" amnesia. During the time of the
amnesia attack, the person can learn new information and does not appear
generally confused.
On the other hand, victims of "transient global amnesia" appear confused
about recent events, but they know who they are and cannot learn new material.
This type of amnesia is very temporary, and may be triggered by physical or
emotional stress. The victim may behave as if he has had a slight stroke, and
should certainly be evaluated by a physician to be sure there is no other
problem.
Transient global amnesia is probably caused by an interruption of blood
flow to the parts of the brain that are important to memory. Experts in this
field say that the person who suffers from transient global amnesia rarely
needs treatment for any other problems; he simply needs support during the
stressful time of memory loss. If the problem occurs often, aspirin may be
prescribed so that the blood is "thinned" enough so that it flows through
vessels that may be constricted. This same picture may be caused by migraine
in younger people.